This is a hybrid position which requires 8 days per month in the office. You will be based in our office in Washington DC. To be eligible for this position in US, you must be a resident of DC, Maryland or Virginia at the start of employment. Existing work authorization is required at the time of application submission as WRI is unable to sponsor any visa work sponsorship for this position
About the Program:
The Executive Office consists of the President and CEO, five Managing Directors, the Chief of Institutional Alignment, and the General Counsel and their support teams. We ensure smooth running of the Institute, excellence in governance and decision making and effective interactions with all our stakeholders, internal and external, towards achieving WRI's mission. The Office of the General Counsel, located in the Executive Office, is responsible for managing the Instituteโs legal matters and advising on legal risks. In addition, the General Counsel provides legal and strategic advisory to WRIโs Management Team and Board of Directors
Job Highlight:
Reporting to General Counsel, you will support the administration and team coordination for the Office of the General Counsel. You will partner with the General Counsel on efficient calendar management and prioritization, travel coordination, legal document management and preparation, research and provision of senior administrative support. You have an administrative and legal background and enjoy working both independently and as part of a team. WRIโs Office of the General Counsel is a growing department and you will have the opportunity to take the initiative in implementing administrative improvements. You will integrate equity into your work.
What will you do:
Legal Administrative Management (70%):
- Manage the General Counselโs calendar, scheduling appointments with internal colleagues and external partners in line with operational priorities
- Proactively ensure that the Office of the General Counsel team members are informed of and included in internal meetings and external meetings relevant to their respective roles
- Create agendas for internal and external meetings, capturing detailed meeting minutes, tracking and following up on action items
- Keep up with General Counselโs work blocks and monitor important deadlines and due dates
- Create and manage a case management system, monitoring and disseminating departmental performance data to analyze engagement
- Prepare advanced PowerPoint presentations utilizing transitions, animations, charts, graphics and notes
- Support General Counsel in cadence and tracking recurring meetings and outcomes to ensure timely follow-up and execution
- Attend meetings alongside lawyers and paralegals to capture accurate notes
- Identify and implement administrative improvements including archiving key legal documents and records
- Monitor and manage legal department specific tasks such as department budget, invoice management, document translation, country registrations, and other work to support paralegals
- Prepare and monitor expense reports and timesheets to ensure timely submission and approval
- Update web and intranet sites and review for out-of-date information
- Keep the General Counsel abreast of WRIโs performance management process, benefitโs enrolment process, and other administrative processes for staff
- Support ongoing efforts to improve the Office of the General Counselโs administrative systems and processes, including coordinating closely with fellow team members to help the office run smoothly, avoiding duplication of efforts
- Additional programmatic and administrative duties as needed including preparation of briefing materials, writing, proofreading and editing legal documents
Operational Support (20%):
- Work with the Executive Office Assistants to share best practices, support organizational habits and structures that lead to a thriving institute
- Assist paralegals in collecting materials for legal research, analysis and interpretation of information, problems and proposals to ensure objective and complete information is provided to the General Counsel for decision making
- Participate in administrative and operational communities of practices/institutional meetings to represent the Office of the General Counsel
Event Management (10%):
- Help arrange and participate in WRI all-staff events in partnership with the Executive Office
- Plan, prepare, and execute team-building events including offsite retreats, team lunches and celebrations
- Partner with paralegals and lawyers to support creation, execution and management of trainings led by the Office of the General Counsel.
What will you need:
- Education: You have a completed bachelorโs degree. Relevant work experience in lieu of degree is accepted
- Experience: You have 5+ years of full-time professional experience in a related field including experience assisting one or more executives
- Demonstrated knowledge of legal terminology and procedures
- Demonstrated judgment and problem-solving skills
- Experience managing projects with competing deadlines and needs
- Experience working with internal and external stakeholders to manage expectations
- You are willing to attend meetings outside of regular, local business hours (with notice) to accommodate colleagues in other time zones
- Experience working with a geographically dispersed team
- Experience with project management skills using internal applications (such as Asana and Workday)
- Experience using MS Office (e.g. Outlook, Word, Excel, and PowerPoint), and web-based communications (e.g. Microsoft Teams, Zoom)
- Experience as a Legal Assistant or Administrative Assistant in a legal office is desirable
- Languages: You are proficient in verbal and written English. Additional language skills are desirable
- Requirements: Existing work authorization is required where this position is based. WRI is unable to authorize visa work authorization.
Potential Salary:
$84,000 - $95,000 gross annually.
Salary is commensurate with experience and other compensable factors.