Research Assistant
Please read and follow application instructions below; applications submitted through Handshake will not be considered.
The D.C. Policy Center is looking for a self-motivated and well-organized research assistant to work in a fast-paced think tank focused on the District of Columbia. Our research areas include the economy, education, housing, transportation, business conditions, public safety and criminal justice, demographic change, poverty and economic mobility, and workforce development.
This is an entry-level position primarily focused on research and data analysis, with additional communication and administrative support duties. The ideal candidate will have strong quantitative and writing skills, excellent attention to detail, and a deep interest in the economies of D.C. and the metropolitan region.
Priority deadline to apply: April 8, 2019. After that, applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Start date is flexible, ideally in mid-May.
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Responsibilities
Research and data support (80%)
- Support staff by conducting background research on various topics, such as housing, business conditions, and education.
- Create and format tables, charts, maps, and data visualizations.
- Support data operations by pulling, cleaning, organizing, and analyzing data.
- Assist in writing and editing articles, reports, press releases, and other publications for internal and external audiences.
Administrative and general support (20%)
- Prepare articles and reports for publication in WordPress.
- Assist senior staff with internal communications and meetings preparation, and provide day-of assistance for meetings and events.
- Additional duties as necessary.
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Experience and skills
Required:
- Clear and concise writing skills.
- An interest in economic and social policy issues in the District of Columbia.
- Education or experience in basic analytical research and statistical analysis.
- Education or experience in mapping and data visualization (e.g., GIS, Tableau), and interest in expanding these skills.
- Proficiency with Microsoft Office (Outlook, Word, Excel, Powerpoint) and social media.
- Some familiarity with statistical packages and/or programming languages (e.g., SAS, Stata, R, Python), including experience working with large-scale datasets, and a willingness to develop these skills.
- Excellent time management skills, with an ability to take initiative, work independently, and meet multiple deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.
Preferred:
- Education or experience in economics, business, public policy, education, public health, statistics, demography, or related fields.
- Analytical research skills and experience in econometrics and statistical analysis, especially experience working with large-scale datasets.
- Experience analyzing and visualizing data with tools such as SAS, Stata, R, GIS, Tableau, and/or Python in an applied research setting.
- Experience extracting and analyzing state-, city-, and tract-level data from national data sources, such as the American Community Survey.
- Knowledge of D.C. government and policies.
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Application Instructions
Please send a resume, brief cover letter, and two relevant writing samples as PDFs to jobs@dcpolicycenter.org. Applications submitted through Handshake will not be considered. The priority deadline to apply is April 8, 2019; after that, applications will be considered on a rolling basis.