Special Projects Manager

Liberty Seeds; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 70,000 - 85,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/Dental/Vision insurance

HSA employer contribution

Paid vacation and sick days

Parental leave

Life and disability insurance

401(k) employer match

Job summary

The Cato Institute seeks a Special Projects Manager to oversee long-term programs that advance its mission. This hands-on role manages the Cato Innovation Project and the Vision for Liberty Awards, coordinating across departments and writing persuasively.

The position is based in Washington, DC, with a hybrid schedule (two in-office days, three remote). Compensation ranges from $70,000 to $85,000 per year, depending on education and experience.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of project/program management or similar role.
• Demonstrated alignment with libertarian principles and ability to apply them to proposals.
• Experience managing multi-stage projects with deadlines and stakeholders.
• Experience crafting/editing written communication for specific audiences.
• Willingness to evolve projects to meet goals.
• Familiarity with using AI as an efficiency tool.
• Background in philosophy, economics, social science, or law preferred.

Responsibilities

• Run operations for programs like the Cato Innovation Project and other special projects.
• Design and run programming for project hires, including training and events.
• Manage Vision for Liberty Awards from intake to winner communications.

Skills

Project management

Mission-aligned decision making

Multi-stakeholder coordination

Written communication

Strategic adaptability

AI familiarity

Education

Philosophy, economics, social science, or law background

Job description

Washington, DC · Posted October 20, 2026

The Cato Institute is a public policy research organization – a think tank – dedicated to the principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace. Its scholars and analysts conduct independent, nonpartisan research on a wide range of policy issues.

Founded in 1977, Cato owes its name to Cato's Letters, a series of essays published in 18th-century England that presented a vision of a society free from excessive government power. Those essays inspired the architects of the American Revolution. And the simple, timeless principles of that revolution – individual liberty, limited government, and free markets – turn out to be even more powerful in today's world of global markets and unprecedented access to information than Jefferson or Madison could have imagined. Social and economic freedom is not just the best policy for a free people, it is the indispensable framework for the future.

The Cato Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

About the Role

The Cato Institute seeks a Special Projects Manager to oversee the execution of long-term projects that will have a major impact on Cato's mission. Reporting to the Senior Vice President for Policy, this role will manage two programs, the Cato Innovation Project and the Vision for Liberty Awards, and other special projects that have yet to start. Excellence in this role will require someone who doesn't just "keep the trains running," but evaluates any complications stalling a task or project and takes decisive action to get things moving. This is a hands-on role for someone who can run complex programs from start to finish by leveraging teams and resources across the Institute, writing persuasively, exercising sound judgment, anticipating looming challenges, and applying libertarian principles to evaluate unfamiliar ideas.

The position is hybrid, based in Washington, DC, with two in-office days and three remote days per week strongly preferred, though exceptional candidates seeking a fully remote arrangement are also encouraged to apply.

The projected salary range for this role is $70,000–$85,000 per year. Compensation is based on the successful candidate's educational background, experience, and skills.

Responsibilities

The Special Projects Manager will:

• Run all operations for the Cato Innovation Project, a program where applicants propose and design their own two-year roles at Cato. This includes the full cycle of the application and selection processes, and ongoing coordination with various departments across Cato in support of the project.
• Design and run programming for incoming Cato Innovation Project hires, including training, lectures, and events.
• Manage the Vision for Liberty Awards from intake to announcement, including application intake, judge coordination, and winner communications.
• Write communications for the Project and Awards, including outreach emails, program descriptions, winner announcements, and website copy.
• Manage additional special projects as they arise, from conception through execution, including coordination with other departments and setting objectives, goals, and metrics.
• Provide limited administrate support for the Senior Vice President.
• Stay current on Cato's research, publications, and events, and help the Senior Vice President for Policy track work across the Institute's policy departments.

Qualifications

• 2+ years of experience as a project manager, program manager, executive assistant, or a similar role is strongly preferred.
• Demonstrated, strong alignment with Cato's principles of individual liberty, limited government, free markets, and peace, and the ability to apply them to novel proposals.
• A record of managing multi-stage projects with hard deadlines and internal and external stakeholders, both as an executor and as a delegator. This role requires someone who can get busy people focused on meeting their needs against competing priorities.
• Experience crafting and editing written communication intended to reach a specific population to drive interest.
• A desire to continuously adapt and evolve the projects in your portfolio to ensure they achieve their state goals.
• Familiarity working with AI as an efficiency tool.
• A background in philosophy, economics, social science, or law is preferred.

All Cato employees are offered the following benefits:

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Employer contribution to a Health Savings Account (HSA)
• Generous vacation and sick days
• Paid parental leave
• Employer-provided life and disability insurance
• 401(k) employer match

Applicants must be currently authorized to work in the United States on a full-time basis. This position does not offer visa sponsorship.

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.

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.