Executive Assistant and Board Liaison at Drug Policy in New York, NY

Who We Are:

The Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) addresses the harms of drug use and drug criminalization through policy solutions, organizing, and public education. We advocate for a holistic approach to drugs that prioritizes health, social supports, and community wellbeing. DPA opposes punitive approaches that destabilize people, block access to care, and drain communities of resources. We believe that the regulation of drugs should be grounded in evidence, health, equity, and human rights. In collaboration with other movements, we change laws, advance justice, and save lives.

DPA has 40 staff across the U.S. an annual operating budget of approximately $12 million, and 200,000 members, activists, and supporters. The organization has a solid track record of success at the local, state, and federal levels and consistent visibility in prominent media and policy circles.

Recognizing the broad reach of the drug war, DPA works across issue areas to engage more deeply with organizations and leaders in immigration, family policing, education, reproductive justice, housing, and other aligned spaces. This commitment to building power across movements and building a base contributes to and works in tandem with DPA’s work on policy and legislative change.

The Position

The Executive Assistant and Board Liaison serve as a critical partner to the Executive Director, providing high-level administrative and logistical support across all areas of the Executive office. This includes complex calendar and scheduling management, meeting preparation and synthesis, and cross-departmental coordination. In addition, this role serves as the primary liaison to the Drug Policy Alliance and Drug Policy Action boards of directors and their committees, managing all related governance activities and communications. This dynamic position requires someone who can anticipate needs before they arise, exercise sound judgment with sensitive information, and balance multiple competing priorities with professionalism and discretion.

Primary Responsibilities

Executive Support

• Manage the Executive Director’s complex and fast-moving calendar, requiring interaction with both internal and external stakeholders, prioritizing the most sensitive matters and using sound judgment.
• Prioritize and manage the Executive Director’s multiple projects and requests and help with follow through in a timely manner.
• Coordinate travel arrangements and itinerary planning (for domestic and international speaking engagements and conferences, internal events, donor trips) that align with the Executive Director’s preferences.
• Work closely with the finance team to reconcile the Executive Directors monthly credit card reconciliation report, and plan for board, finance committee, budget, and audit meetings
• Support the work of the leadership team, by scheduling, handling logistics of their weekly meetings, preparing meeting agendas in consultation with team members and tracking the calendar of items for discussion and any follow up items, distributing meeting minutes, preparing monthly email updates to the staff, and at times facilitating meetings.
• Work collaboratively with the Development team to send weekly email correspondence to partners, funders, and prospects, maintain an up-to-date meeting tracker, and support the timely preparation of post-meeting donor debrief memos.
• Maintain a document file retention and storage system for the Executive and Leadership Teams with the highest regard for confidentiality.

Board Liaison

• Manage any board meeting related activities including administrative and logistical support, driving the process, managing the collection of materials for the board book, and recording meeting minutes and tracking of action items that come out of meetings
• Manage the board committees including scheduling meetings, notetaking and supporting the next steps of the Audit and Finance, Nominations, and Executive committee meetings
• Manage all board communications around events that require board participation and/or involvement, aiding with travel and hotel arrangements, where necessary
• Serve as the chief manager of the board portal and the appropriate storage and cataloguing of all pertinent and historical information in a way that is intuitive and accessible
• Coordinate onboarding for incoming board members, including scheduling and facilitating the biannual live orientation meeting and ensuring all new directors have access to the onboarding materials on the board portal
• Handle all compliance related items such as the signing of annual conflict of interest and independence disclosures, monitoring board elections and terms, and the annual submission of the necessary board information related to the audit

Qualifications

The ideal candidate will have:

• Minimum of 5 years of experience supporting an executive or other senior-level position, preferably in a nonprofit organization.
• Utmost ability to exercise sound judgment and discretion especially when it comes to sensitive and confidential information
• Genuine commitment to drug policy reform and the mission of the Drug Policy Alliance; an understanding of and alignment with the organization’s values and approach to social justice
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to build relationships with stakeholders, including staff, board members, external partners and donors
• Demonstrated attention to detail and ability to anticipate needs before they arise — proactively stays ahead of the Executive Director's schedule and priorities, flags issues and opportunities before they become problems, and drives processes forward without waiting to be asked.
• Ability to balance competing priorities, complex situations, and tight deadlines
• Strong organizational, communication, and project management skills
• Comfort with digital tools including Microsoft Office, board management platforms, Slack, and Zoom; familiarity with project management software a plus; experience leveraging AI tools and applications to automate workflows and augment working capacity

Terms of Employment

This is a full-time, exempt position. The salary range for this position is $78,000 to $98,000 depending on experience. Benefits for DPA staff include comprehensive health insurance and coverage (including dental and vision), 403b retirement plan with 10% employer matching contribution after completion of one-year, paid time off including 20 days of vacation, plus national holidays, sick days, organizational closure at the end of December, and year-round early dismissal on Fridays.

Applicants must be able to report to the NYC office a minimum of twice a week. This position is hybrid. Some travel may be required.

How to Apply:

To apply, please submit the following:

1. Your resume.
2. A cover letter

Equal Opportunity

Drug Policy Alliance (DPA) is an equal opportunity employer and values a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. DPA encourages applications from all qualified individuals without regard to race, color, religion, gender, ethnicity, personal appearance, political affiliation, family responsibility, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, national origin, marital status, citizenship, disability, veteran status and record of arrest or conviction. Drug Policy Alliance is particularly interested in hiring people who have been adversely affected by the war on drugs.