Deputy Executive Director, NSI

About the Department:

The National Security Institute (NSI) at George Mason University's Antonin Scalia Law School aims to strengthen American national security and U.S. global leadership by educating future leaders and advancing actionable solutions based on practical experience. NSI is a platform for research, teaching, and policy development that incorporates a realistic assessment of the threats facing the United States and its allies as well as an appreciation of the legal and practical challenges facing U.S. intelligence, defense, law enforcement, homeland security, and cybersecurity communities. NSI's faculty members and experts bring decades of combined experience tackling national security challenges in all three branches of the U.S. government to their work at NSI.

About the Position:

The Deputy Executive Director will oversee the day-to-day operations of the academic institute and policy think tank by executing: NSI educational and policy missions; production of research and policy materials; press and media strategy and content production; NSI faculty, fellows, and Advisory Board engagement; and fundraising efforts and budget oversight.

Responsibilities:

• Leads day-to-day operations and policy programming for NSI, including the development and execution of NSI’s Congressional and executive branch engagement efforts and public and private sector stakeholder engagement, as well as oversees NSI Fellows and Advisory Board engagement;
• Oversees the expansion and execution of the Institute’s educational mission, including assisting the administration of the National Security Law and Policy JD program, the Cyber, Intelligence & National Security Law LLM, and the NSI National Security Summer Program, and other on campus student opportunities, as well as oversees NSI student research assistant and internship program;
• Directs the production of the NSI’s policy publications, including coordinating the editing process and managing policy material design process, as well as managing events associated with publications;
• Oversees the production of other NSI-expert driven materials, including materials for NSI’s blog, The SCIF, and content for NSI’s podcasts, including Fault Lines and CTRL+F;
• Oversees all social media and press and media efforts;
• Executes Institute’s fundraising efforts and grant oversight, as well as directs day-to-day execution of Institute budget and advises center leadership on changing priorities or programmatic funding needs;
• Supervises and mentors’ direct reports, evaluating employee performance, as well as manages any employee issues; and
• Other duties related to the position as assigned.

Required Qualifications:

• Master’s degree in related field or the equivalent combination of education and experience;
• Substantial policy experience (typically 6 years);
• Experience working with Congressional or Executive branch officials;
• Experience supervising and mentoring staff and/or students;
• Strong database experience;
• Excellent written and oral communication skills;
• Excellent organizational skills, with the proven ability to independently juggle multiple tasks and priorities effectively;
• Self-starter, highly motivated and detail-oriented;
• Ability to interact with persons at all levels, including high-level legal officials and academics, in a professional manner and in different settings; and
• Superior skills with Microsoft Office suite.

Preferred Qualifications:

• Terminal degree in a related field; and
• Significant amount of policy experience (typically 6 + years).

Instructions to Applicants:

For full consideration, applicants must apply for Deputy Executive Director, NSI at https://jobs.gmu.edu/. Complete and submit the online application to include three professional references with contact information, and provide a Cover Letter/Letter of Intent with Resume for review.

Posting Open Date: March 26, 2026

For Full Consideration, Apply by: April 9, 2026

Open Until Filled: Yes