Policy and Legislation Operations Senior Manager

Earthjustice•Washington, DC

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

The Policy and Legislation Operations Senior Manager provides hands-on administrative, operational, finance, and compliance support for the Policy and Legislation (PAL) team and its work on behalf of Earthjustice and Earthjustice Action. This role helps keep day-to-day systems, processes, records, and reporting on track so program staff can advance program and state policy priorities clearly, accurately, and in alignment with organizational guidance. This is a detail-oriented, service-focused role for someone who enjoys managing moving pieces, building practical tools, and helping colleagues navigate complex requirements. For both Earthjustice and Earthjustice Action, the Senior Manager supports Lobby Disclosure Act reporting, lobbying and advocacy operations, timekeeping oversight, contracts, invoices, document retention, and staff training. The role also supports PAL leadership in developing team metrics, tracking systems, and reporting tools that help elevate program successes, identify where additional support is needed, and strengthen overall program effectiveness. This is a supervisory role and is best suited for someone who is eager to own details, follow through consistently, and make complex operations easier for others to manage in an ever-changing political landscape.

Requirements

Exceptional organizational rigor, precision, and attention to detail, with the ability to design and manage complex workflows, approvals, records, and deadlines in a fast-paced environment.
Strong operational judgment and ownership, with the ability to anticipate needs, identify systemic gaps, resolve issues, and escalate strategically when appropriate.
Demonstrated ability to operate effectively in a complex, multi-entity environment, ensuring consistent application of entity-specific guidance across administrative, financial, timekeeping, documentation, and compliance workflows.
Clear, practical, and influential communications skills, including the ability to translate complex requirements into scalable, user-friendly tools, guidance, and processes.
Advanced project and program coordination skills, including driving action tracking, shaping agendas and documentation, maintaining planning systems, and aligning diverse stakeholders toward shared outcomes.
High degree of professionalism, discretion, and service orientation, with experience supporting and advising senior leaders and building trust across functions and levels.
Proven commitment to fostering a diverse, equitable, and inclusive work environment and leading collaboration across identities, roles, and perspectives.
Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience required.
At least 7 years of relevant experience in operations, administration, finance support, compliance support, and project coordination.
Experience supporting complex finance operations, including budget tracking, invoices, reimbursements, expense coding, accounts payable coordination, and cross-organizational financial processes.
Experience working in a nonprofit, advocacy, legal, lobbying, government affairs, political, or similarly regulated environment.
Working knowledge of lobbying, advocacy, or nonprofit compliance operations required; experience with the Lobbying Disclosure Act, federal congressional lobbying rules, IRS lobbying and advocacy guidance, or state lobbying reporting strongly preferred.
Experience working in a multi-entity, affiliate, fiscally sponsored, chapter-based, or similarly complex organizational structure preferred.
Experience creating or maintaining operational tools, trackers, templates, training materials, guidance documents, or staff-facing resources preferred.
Supervisory experience or experience coordinating the work of administrative or operations staff preferred.

Nice To Haves

Experience with the Lobbying Disclosure Act, federal congressional lobbying rules, IRS lobbying and advocacy guidance, or state lobbying reporting strongly preferred.
Experience working in a multi-entity, affiliate, fiscally sponsored, chapter-based, or similarly complex organizational structure preferred.
Experience creating or maintaining operational tools, trackers, templates, training materials, guidance documents, or staff-facing resources preferred.
Supervisory experience or experience coordinating the work of administrative or operations staff preferred.

Responsibilities

Lead and oversee day-to-day administrative and operational support for fast-paced Policy and Legislation (PAL) team (25-30 staff), ensuring strong coordination, consistency, and service delivery across functions.
Serve as PAL’s primary operations liaison with Finance, owning alignment on budgets, expense tracking, invoices, coding, vendor processes, and internal approvals across affiliated entities; identify and resolve discrepancies and improve processes over time.
Design and manage systems to support rapid-response work, including tracking deadlines, assignments, approvals, and follow-up items with a high degree of accuracy and accountability.
Develop, standardize, and continuously improve tools, trackers, templates, and shared resources to strengthen staff compliance with internal processes and enable efficient, high-quality work.
Oversee timekeeping and related review processes, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and consistency through clear guidance, quality control, and coordination with supervisors.
Manage federal lobbying reporting under the Lobbying Disclosure Act for Earthjustice and Earthjustice Action, including timely collection of staff inputs, accurate reporting of lobbying activities, and maintenance of records documenting lobbying hours and expenses.
Support growing state-level lobbying reporting and advocacy operations needs by collaborating with staff, Finance, and the Office of General Counsel (OGC) to ensure accurate and timely jurisdiction-specific filings, documentation, and compliance workflows.
Work with General Counsel’s office to support staff following federal congressional lobbying rules, IRS lobbying and advocacy guidance, and approved internal procedures for lobbying, advocacy, timekeeping, documentation, and financial coding.
Work with General Counsel’s office to maintain clear guidance, calendars, and records that help staff understand and follow applicable lobbying and advocacy requirements.
Track compliance deadlines and process steps, elevating complex questions to PAL leadership, Finance, and OGC as appropriate.
Serve the PAL leadership team as the team’s operational lead, helping set agendas, prepare materials, capture notes, and track action items to support follow-through and departmental communications.
Support the VP of Policy and Legislation and departmental leadership in developing practical planning tools, team metrics, and tracking systems that improve visibility into PAL’s work and impact across affiliated organizations.
Support planning processes that help different internal stakeholders share relevant information, identify opportunities for alignment, and, where possible, work toward a cohesive vision.
Maintain trackers, reports, or other tools that help leadership elevate program successes, monitor progress against priorities, and identify where additional resources may be needed.
Identify recurring operational challenges or information gaps and help develop practical improvements that make the team more effective.
Supervise and develop the Executive Assistant/PAL Associate, setting clear priorities, ensuring high-quality output, and supporting ongoing training, performance management, and professional growth.
Train and support staff and supervisors on approved administrative processes, tools, financial coding, timekeeping expectations, documentation practices, and multi-entity-related guidance, ensuring consistent understanding and application.
Maintain shared PAL-related operational resources, including document management systems, retention practices, and information governance, translating organizational guidance into clear, accessible, and actionable tools and materials for staff.