Chief Administrative Officer

Executive & Operational Leadership

• Serve as a core member of the senior leadership team, acting as a strategic partner to the Executive Director and providing decisive leadership across all business operation domains
• Develop and execute a unified operational strategy that aligns IT, security, legal/compliance, and finance to sustain and expand the organization's impact
• Ensure PD's infrastructure, systems, and resources are resilient, compliant, and optimized to support programmatic excellence
• Lead a process to innovate workflows with new AI tools to build additional efficiencies that free up team capacity to focus on higher priority needs

Organizational Systems, Finance & Risk Management

• Safeguard the organization's financial assets by ensuring financial functions—including budgeting, forecasting, reporting and auditing—are transparent, disciplined, and aligned with the org's strategic long-term goals
• Partner with the finance and development teams to strengthen financial strategy, resource allocation, and compliance with funder and regulatory requirements
• Supervise legal and compliance operations, providing guidance on risk management, governance, insurance, contracts, and compliance frameworks
• Ensure that IT and security systems are world-class—secure, scalable, and prepared to meet our mission—and that the organization maintains the highest standards of data protection, cybersecurity, and physical security

Team & Organizational Management

• Lead, mentor, and empower a high-performing team of operational leaders, fostering a culture of excellence, candid communication, and shared purpose
• Collaborate closely with the Chief People Officer and Director of Partnerships to ensure alignment across org-side workflows
• Build strong cross-functional partnerships that integrate operations seamlessly with programmatic work
• Recruit and develop top-tier operational talent, ensuring the organization's internal capacity and best practices evolve alongside its growing impact

Governance, Compliance & External Stewardship

• Serve as a trusted advisor to the Executive Director and Board on all operational, legal, and financial matters
• Ensure organizational compliance with federal, state, and local laws and regulations, and proactively manage risk across domains
• Represent Protect Democracy externally with key partners, auditors, legal advisors, vendors, and funders to ensure operational alignment with mission and values
• Model ethical leadership and uphold the organization's reputation for integrity and excellence in all business and legal dealings

This role creates positive change by ensuring Protect Democracy's operational foundation is resilient, compliant, and optimized to support programmatic excellence, enabling the organization to prevent American democracy from declining into authoritarianism through impact litigation, policy advocacy, technology development, and coalition-building.

• Extensive experience overseeing finance, legal/compliance, and technology functions in a complex, mission-driven organization with both 501(c)(3) and 501(c)(4) entities
• Sophisticated understanding of risk management, governance, and regulatory frameworks across multiple states; including lobbying and state-based business, charity, and employer registrations
• Proven success in building and scaling operational systems that support organizational growth and impact
• Strong financial acumen, with the ability to connect financial decisions to strategic priorities
• Deep understanding of cybersecurity, data privacy, and information governance
• Exceptional communication and relationship-building skills across all departments and levels of an organization
• Growth mindset and enthusiasm for giving and receiving feedback up, down, and sideways
• Enthusiasm for the possibilities of how new AI tools can add additional improvements and efficiencies that don't replace existing staff but rather empower them to be more efficient and effective
• A deep commitment to Protect Democracy's mission and culture, and a clear understanding of the role sound operations play in securing and advancing our democracy's future

No specific compensation, perks, or culture highlights mentioned in the description beyond references to organizational culture principles like collaboration, work-life balance, candor, kindness, and a growth-oriented feedback culture.

Protect Democracy is a nonpartisan organization dedicated to preventing American democracy from declining into authoritarianism by building coalitions of conservatives, moderates, and progressives to defend democratic government principles and the rule of law through impact litigation, legislative advocacy, technology development, and research.