Director, Student Chapters

DIRECTOR - STUDENT CHAPTERS - JD REQUIRED

THE FEDERALIST SOCIETY

The Federalist Society, a DC-based non-profit organization that facilitates legal and public policy debate on a national level, seeks a Director to oversee the activities of all student chapters nationwide.  This role provides direct mentorship to student leaders, manages student chapter-facing programming and grants, partners with area lawyer chapters as needed, and plans national student events. The Director serves as the primary point of contact between the student chapters and our national office and ensures that student programs are mission-aligned and effective. 

The ideal Director will be highly organized, detail-oriented, and self-motivated, with an interest in legal and judicial issues and a commitment to the mission of The Federalist Society.  Candidates should enjoy working in a fast-paced environment, with an ability to toggle back and forth between long-term projects and planning to daily challenges and opportunities.  An ability to plan and execute large-scale and long-term projects while still tracking day-to-day details is essential, as is an ability to prioritize and multi-task.  The Director will need to manage a growing team of direct reports; management experience is beneficial.  A JD is also required for this role.

WHAT YOU’LL DO:

• Mentor and advise student chapter leaders; provide guidance on chapter development, leadership transitions, event planning, and troubleshooting.


• Respond to questions, approve student requests (speakers, budgets, events), and help chapters brainstorm programming.


• Track and ensure timely, regular communication between the national office and student chapters.


• Provide 1-on-1 support to newly relaunched or struggling chapters as needed.

• Manage day-to-day relationships with a roster of regular speakers; respond to speaker requests and ensure a positive, professional experience.  


• Coordinate speaker “piggybacking” requests and maintain speaker list and policies.


• Draft and edit chapter-facing materials, leadership emails, program copy, and other communications.


• Prepare and/or edit content for publications, reports, newsletters, or programming documents as needed.

• Assist with planning, logistics, and execution of major national student events, including:
  
  
  
  • National Student Symposium
  
  
  • Showcase debates
  
  
  • Student Leadership Conference
  
  
  
  

• Coordinating student volunteers for the annual National Lawyers Convention


• Coordinate with the donor relations team to assist with the administration of student-facing grants that fund particular topics, particular geographic areas, or particular types of events by:
  
  
  
  • Serving as the student chapters’ primary point of contact
  
  
  • Providing guidance on fundraising requirements, eligible expenses, and the like
  
  
  • Tracking incoming donations and outgoing funds
  
  
  • Reviewing and approving reimbursement requests
  
  
  • Maintaining accurate records of balances and expenditures
  
  
  • Tracking and coding the events on the calendar
  
  
  • Arbitrating whether particular activities fall within a grant’s parameters
  
  
  • Ensuring we hit the targets and terms of the grants
  
  
  
  


• Collaborate with lawyers chapters and other FedSoc teams to engage students in other FedSoc programming, fostering stronger student-to-lawyer connections.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:

• JD required


• Experience leading a FedSoc student chapter


• Several years of professional experience, especially in roles involving event planning, budgeting/financial tracking, and/or CRM & database systems


• Exceptional organizational and project management skills


• Ability to work independently, take initiative, and collaborate effectively in a fast-paced environment


• Interest in and aptitude for mentoring and relationship-building with students


• Eagerness and ability to manage other staff


• Exceptional time management skills


• Superior written and verbal communication skills


• An adaptable personality that can pivot and troubleshoot calmly


• A flexible schedule that can accommodate occasional evening and weekend events


• Availability for some travel related to events and programming

WHO WE ARE: 

• Founded in 1982, the Federalist Society for Law and Public Policy Studies is a group of conservatives and libertarians dedicated to reforming the current legal order. We are committed to the principles that the state exists to preserve freedom, that the separation of governmental powers is central to our Constitution, and that it is emphatically the duty of the judiciary to say what the law is, not what it should be.


• By providing a forum for legal experts of opposing views to interact with members of the legal profession, the judiciary, law students, academics, and the architects of public policy, the Society has redefined the terms of legal debate.


• The Society is a membership organization that includes, among other things, Student, Lawyers, and Faculty Divisions. These Divisions include the thousands of law students participating in chapters at most ABA-accredited law schools as well as active chapters of legal professionals in more than a hundred cities across the country.  

WHERE YOU’LL WORK:

We are located in the heart of the District of Columbia, three blocks from the White House and across the street from the Farragut West Metro Station.

Our office observes a hybrid schedule, with required in-office work on Tuesdays-Thursdays and remote work opportunities on Mondays and Fridays.

This position reports directly to the Vice President, Student Chapters.