Executive Assistant

DC Affordable Law Firm (DCALF) is rooted in the conviction that income should never be a barrier to justice. Founded in 2015 to help close access to justice gaps in the District of Columbia, DCALF serves an expansive range of hardworking DC residents unable to afford market-based legal services, including modest-income residents whose household incomes put them just beyond the limits of traditional legal aid and low-income residents navigating unmet legal needs. Through innovative programming and a commitment to equity, DCALF delivers no cost and low-cost legal services in family law, probate, estate planning, and immigration, bridging the gaps in DC’s civil justice system and delivering transformative legal services that empower DC residents to thrive.

Across the past decade, DCALF has solidified its role as a mainstay DC legal services organization with a staff of 30 and a strong network of institutional partners and pro bono volunteers. DCALF serves more than 500 clients annually, reaching hundreds more through community education and outreach across DC. DCALF’s award-winning annual fellowship programs play an essential role in expanding access to justice, empowering recent law graduates to become skilled public interest attorneys and lifelong champions for justice.

Since its founding in 2015, DCALF has launched the careers of over 60 passionate, diverse public interest attorneys through its Signature LL.M. Fellowship Program, thanks to enduring partnerships with Georgetown University Law Center and the University of the District of Columbia David A. Clarke School of Law.

Position Overview

DCALF seeks an Executive Assistant to provide high-level administrative, operational and project support for the Executive Director and the Development Director. This position will work closely with the Leadership Team, the Operations Team, and the Development Director (DD), reporting directly to the Executive Director (ED).

The Executive Assistant (EA) will serve as a trusted partner to the ED and is responsible for managing a broad range of responsibilities. This includes managing the day-to-day tasks of the ED in an efficient manner, specifically scheduling, communications, calendars, selected event planning, development operations, Board support, and other projects as assigned. The EA will have defined tasks but will often work with minimal supervision, and as such, the successful candidate will display initiative, independent judgment, and exemplary communication and project management skills.

Specific areas of responsibility include:

Executive Support

• Serve as a liaison to internal staff, board members, donors, and community partners.
• Proactively manage ED’s calendar, scheduling, and meeting logistics, including making recommendations and prioritizing requests to ensure smooth day-to-day engagements.
• Organize, track, and help prioritize ED’s projects, tasks, commitments, and deadlines to ensure ED’s time is utilized effectively, and strategic goals and deliverables are consistently achieved.
• Provide research, documents, and previous notes to ensure ED is prepared for key meetings and speaking engagements, including arranging and managing travel, and coordinating and tracking follow-up and action items.
• Draft, edit, and manage correspondence, presentations, reports, and agendas on behalf of the ED to DCALF staff, Leadership Team, Board, and external stakeholders.
• Complete special projects and various other administrative tasks that facilitate the ED’s ability to effectively lead DCALF.

Development Support

• Work closely with the Development Director to ensure that the ED’s donor, stakeholder, contact and meeting notes are integrated into fundraising efforts and systems.
• Help coordinate and support ED’s participation in fundraising events and campaigns, including acknowledgement tracking.
• Support donor communications, including drafting thank-you letters and preparing donor reports from and for the ED.
• Assist with compiling reports or presentations for funders, stakeholders, and Leadership Team meetings.

Board Support

• Coordinate scheduling of board meetings, including preparing agendas, materials, meeting minutes (as needed), and follow up on action items/report outs.
• Manage board membership lists, including organizational affiliations and membership term.
• Maintain contact information and group email.
• Collect annual Conflict of Interest forms.

Qualifications

Competitive candidates will display initiative and follow-through, and possess excellent attention to detail and project management skills, with the ability to proactively identify key deliverables and next steps, coordinate with appropriate stakeholders, create an action plan, and execute it with minimal supervision or guidance. Excellent interpersonal skills are also key to success in this role. While we understand most candidates will not possess every desired qualification, the following are considered priority areas. The successful candidate will have many of the following skills and experiences:

• 3+ years’ experience directly supporting a CEO/Executive Director, Executive Team, and/or other administrative support role; preferably in a small nonprofit or legal services organization.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills; can synthesize and polish messaging with minimal direction.
• Strong creative problem-solving skills.
• Demonstrated discretion and professionalism when handling confidential and sensitive information.
• Ability to work effectively with stakeholders and individuals across all levels of the organization, including junior staff, leadership team, board members, partners, and donors.
• Comfort and flexibility in adjusting to rapidly changing, new or unexpected circumstances and fast-paced environments.
• Ability to prioritize competing demands while managing multiple tasks and projects.
• High emotional intelligence and strong interpersonal skills with the ability to navigate complex relationships with ease.
• Experience managing up to ensure timelines, deadlines and deliverables are met.
• Demonstrated commitment to social, economic, and racial justice, and diversity, equity and inclusion.
• Experience with any of the following is a plus: donor communications; CRMs (Network For Good, Salesforce, Keela, Raiser’s Edge); website backend (WordPress, Square Space); social media (Instagram, LinkedIn); Canva or other graphic design.
• Experience supporting development operations and activities is highly preferred.
• Event planning experience preferred, including budgeting, staffing, day of logistics, VIP/partner management, sponsor engagement, vendors, venue sourcing, contract negotiations.
• DCALF uses Microsoft 365, including Outlook and SharePoint, and Network for Good. As such, the willingness to adopt and, if necessary, learn these and other core DCALF tech systems are required to be successful in this role.

Compensation & Benefits

This is a full-time salaried, non-exempt position. To uphold organizational pay equity standards, a flat salary of $65,000 has been budgeted for the first year of employment.

Work Environment

DCALF is currently working in a hybrid remote/in-person model, and comfort with working in hybrid and remote office environments is necessary to be successful in this role. Due to this position’s responsibilities, the selected candidate will be required to work in-person at DCALF’s office a minimum of two days per week, consistent with DCALF policies and work demands. This position may also require participation in occasional evening and weekend events, with notice. The selected candidate for this position must maintain full-time residence in the District of Columbia, Maryland, or Virginia to facilitate ease of access to DCALF’s physical office.

• 401(k) retirement plan with 3% employer match.
• Medical insurance and elective dental and vision insurance options.
• Generous paid leave, including vacation, sick, and personal days, winter break closure (Christmas Day to New Year’s Day), Thanksgiving break, and all Federal and local DC holidays.
• Paid parental/family leave through the DC Paid Family Leave Program.
• Ongoing training opportunities.

Fluent in written and spoken English. Spanish fluency a plus.