About CEI

The Competitive Enterprise Institute is a non-profit public policy organization dedicated to advancing the principles of limited government, free enterprise, and individual liberty.  With a workforce focused on comprehensive regulatory reform as well as specific regulatory challenges related to energy and environment, finance, transportation, technology, labor and employment policy, as well as food and drug laws, CEI integrates strategic litigation, timely policy analysis, aggressive communications, and strong coalitions to challenge the overreach of the modern administrative state.

About the Role

CEI seeks an Attorney to focus on regulatory comment filings and to augment CEI’s existing litigation/legal analysis capabilities. The production (and the assistance with production) of regulatory comment filings will be a significant part of your work – you will either be the sole author of these filings, or you will coauthor or edit the work of other CEI personnel so as to produce clear, persuasive, and effective regulatory comments. The ideal candidate for this position will have relevant legal experience, such as litigation, the writing of comments, or the management of the rulemaking process. Just as importantly, the best candidate should be able to develop and advocate public policy proposals and develop materials for non-legal audiences such as congressional staff, news media, and the general public. The chosen candidate will build and maintain relationships with lawmakers and their staff, the public interest legal community, and other allies. The position is part of a growing Center for Law and Litigation and is integrated with CEI’s media and government relations team. The position reports to the CEI general counsel, and there is room for growth.

Salary and Location

This position has an estimated salary range of $82,000 to $90,000, commensurate with the candidate’s experience. It is possible for the salary to be increased for an exceptional candidate. The position is based in Washington, DC and remote work is not permitted. The new hire can work from home one day per week.

Primary Responsibilities

  • Track, analyze and produce policy documents on legal and regulatory issues
  • Manage issues related to regulation generally
  • Contribute ideas and research to the development of CEI’s litigation portfolio and, from time to time, collaborate on cases in this portfolio
  • Write op-eds, briefing papers, and studies; contribute to the CEI blog; and make radio, television, and public appearances as needed to promote CEI’s issue agenda
  • Schedule and attend meetings among key policymakers
  • Attend congressional and ally coalition meetings in coordination with CEI’s government affairs team
  • Write and submit congressional testimony
  • Write and submit comments to state legislatures, as appropriate
  • Produce CEI research and policy work for key audiences on Capitol Hill, in the executive branch, and among potential allies
  • Keep CEI staff informed of relevant legislative and policy developments, and work in concert with staff to advance the goals of CEI’s analysts and CEI generally

Qualifications

  • The ideal candidate likely will have three to five years of experience working in Congress, the executive branch, or public interest law
  • Facility in clear writing, productive editing, and legal analysis is absolutely essential
  • Litigation experience is a plus, but is not required
  • Regulatory comment experience is a plus, but is not required
  • Rulemaking experience (especially at the federal level) is a plus, but is not required
  • Strong public communications and organizational skills required
  • Passion for CEI’s mission

Characteristics:

If you believe that this position may be a good fit, these words will describe you:

  • You have excellent oral communication, writing, and editing abilities. Any type of strong writing skills will be considered, but legislative and/or public affairs experience provides added benefit.
  • Detail Oriented. You are relentless about accuracy with regard to content and value good writing style.
  • Team Player. You will be on a team of committed individuals within the Center for Law and Litigation and also be expected to work with members of other centers within CEI. You demonstrate a cheerful willingness to work with, not just alongside, colleagues who bring various skills, experiences, and perspectives to CEI’s mission.
  • You are eager to learn new things and couple that with an open attitude toward the mundane nature of some research tasks.
  • Self-starter. You are willing and able to jump into project management. You know when to ask for help, but, once trained, you don’t need hand-holding. You’re comfortable receiving increasing autonomy to manage your own work and important processes.
  • Multi-Tasker. You thrive in an environment that sometimes demands multi-tasking.
  • You are able to focus on specific tasks for as long as necessary. While skilled at multi-tasking, you know how to avoid being distracted. You drive yourself to get the job done right and on time.
  • Curious and Policy-Minded. You like public policy and are curious enough to enjoy the challenge of taking complex policy ideas and distilling them in ways that are both factually accurate and interesting to external audiences.
  • You enjoy planning and executing complex processes.
  • Deadline Driven. You are deadline-driven. Making the trains run on time and meeting deadlines are simply part of your DNA.
  • You easily maintain a positive, flexible attitude whenever needs or priorities shift.
  • You are, politically libertarian or conservative and can discuss your philosophical alignment with CEI’s mission and vision. Please see the CEI website, cei.org, for a deeper understanding of the organization’s policy agenda.

To Apply:

Qualified candidates should submit the following application materials in one PDF document:

  • Cover letter detailing your interest in and qualifications for this position, your interest in CEI’s mission, and your salary requirements
    • Resume
    • Two writing samples (ideally no more than 3 pages long each); writing samples relevant to CEI’s policy interests and/or regulatory work are preferred, but any two writing samples are acceptable. Any regulatory comments that you have written in the past are especially acceptable, even if they do not conform with the 3-page limit.

Applications should be submitted to Talent Market via this link: https://talentmarket.org/candidates/apply-for-your-dream-job/

There is no application deadline for this position. Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. This job will remain posted on our site until it is filled.

Questions can be directed to Katelynn Barbosa, Director of Talent Engagement, at Talent Market, who is assisting with the search: [email protected]

While we thank all applicants in advance for their interest in this position, we are only able to contact those to whom we can offer an interview. Only direct applications will be considered. No phone calls, please.

Talent Market is a nonprofit entity dedicated to promoting liberty by helping free-market nonprofits identify talent for critical roles. We provide consulting and recruiting services at no cost to 501(c)3 nonprofit organizations that clearly and directly focus on advancing the principles of economic freedom, free enterprise, free trade, free speech, property rights, rule of law, and limited regulation.