Brookings Institution Opportunities

Project and Research Assistant, The Brookings Institution DESCRIPTION The Project and Research Assistant independently provides direct research, writing and administrative support, coordinates special events and Friday Lunch series. Serves as chief point of contact for Senior Fellow (SF) to internal staff and external clients—on issues related to SF's work with Brookings, the Washington Post, Georgetown University and other stakeholders —all with minimal supervision and largely in the absence of SF. Supervise interns. Administration (40%): * Helps define and implement SF priorities and objectives; Tracks pending matters for action and follow up. * Manages SF email and mail; responds to correspondence as instructed. * Manages schedule, makes all travel arrangements and coordinates appointments for senior staff member, largely in his absence. * Prepares annual activity report for submission to the Director of Governance Studies. * Supervises interns.  Research and Writing (25%): * Fact-checks and copy edits all SF publications; collaborates with co-editors, contributing authors, the Brookings Press and Marketing when necessary. * Provides research support for writing projects including twice-weekly Washington Post column, journal publications, speeches and lectures, and conference papers. * Arranges interviews with members of Congress, policy experts, academics and other prominent figures.  * Provides support for funding efforts including drafting grant proposals, coordinating with partnering institutions when necessary and working with Director of Finance and Administration (DFA) and Development staff.  Project/Event Coordination and Outreach (20%): * Collaborates with and assists SF as needed on special projects; provides substantive information and responses about projects. * Provides assistance to GS communications team in booking speakers, drafting announcements, coordinating logistics and publicity efforts for GS events.  * Assists in the regular recruitment of speakers, arranging logistics and furthering publicity efforts for SF's commitments.  * Coordinates all media calls, interviews and speaking requests for SF. * Serves as liaison with Georgetown University for events, lectures, appointments; communicates with students if needed; updates/maintains course syllabi as requested; and coordinates readings. * Assists with any program overflow as needed. Friday Lunch Coordinator (15%): * Collaborates with SF to identify topics and speakers for the luncheons; issues written/verbal invitations to public officials (including Members of Congress, political appointees, and other high-level individuals), journalists, and outside scholars. * Coordinates all aspects of monthly event; maintains list of invitees and contacts outside guests and media to participate; handles Brookings-wide announcements and reservations. * Oversees Friday Lunch budget in collaboration with Brookings administration. * Serves as sole point of contact for inquiries relating to Friday Lunch. QUALIFICATIONS Education/Experience Requirements: - Bachelor's degree required, preferably in a social science. Minimum one year of relevant work experience; administrative and event planning experience preferred, on Capitol Hill or in the media. Special interest in politics, public opinion polling, religion and civic values preferred. Knowledge/Skills Requirements: - Strong interpersonal and organizational skills; ability to work quickly and effectively to communicate complex information; ability to work independently and prioritize numerous duties; strong computer skills required.

Research Assistant, Brookings Institution's Center for Effective Public Management Provides research assistance and communications support for senior research staff. Undertakes independent research assignments with minimal supervision; drafts summaries of findings and assists with preparation of publications. Coordinates with CEPM's Director, Deputy Director and Assistant Director on project management. Collaborates on matters pertaining to public or private events, website content and outreach as needed. Coordinates with GS Development staff on matters pertaining to proposals and donor reporting. Research (80%): * Researches and collects documents and information from various sources (government agencies, universities, libraries, Internet, non-profit research organizations etc.) on relevant topics in support of Governance Studies (GS) scholars, including, but not limited to: campaigns and elections, government bureaucracy, marijuana policy reform and media studies. * Collects and prepares data from various sources for quantitative and qualitative analysis. * Compiles, reads, abstracts, synthesizes, analyzes, and organizes written and electronic material into summarized form. * Updates and maintains research-related scholar deliverables in the GS impact tracker on a weekly basis. * Analyzes and produces written summaries of quantitative data. * Provides editing assistance for research products in preparation for publication. * Attends symposia, conferences and hearings relevant to research projects; summarizes content of such events. * Provides general research on a variety of short-term projects and briefs scholars in a timely fashion. * Updates and checks existing data and footnotes; provides fact checking, editing and proof-reading of documents in preparation for publication (as needed). * Indirectly provides input on the selection, hiring and supervision of CEPM interns. * Coordinates with CEPM's Director, Deputy Director, Director of Business Operations and staff, as well as GS communications, administration and finance staff as needed. * Assists the Deputy Director with organizational, scheduling and logistical needs for research, travel and coordination with coauthors (as needed) in conjunction with the Assistant Director. Communications / Editorial (20%): * Primary blog publisher for FixGov, including posts, images and summary content * Assists with reviewing and editing posts before publishing. * Conducts relevant research for posts when necessary. * Manages and updates the FixGov editorial schedule. * Participates in pitching and developing ideas for blog content. * With the GS communications staff, develops and executes plans for promoting FixGov content, including outreach to the media. * Co-authors blog posts with the Fellows and Senior Fellows, and occasionally authors summary content. QUALIFICATIONS Education/Experience Requirements: - Bachelor's degree in a social science or related field required; academic background in political science or related field preferred; familiarity with and interest in American government required; minimum one year of relevant work experience using and applying quantitative methods and statistical packages required (i.e. SPSS, SAS, STATA etc.). Knowledge/Skills Requirements: - Proficiency in Microsoft Windows - Word and Excel required; prior knowledge of HTML or experience with web publishing a plus. Thorough knowledge of library and online research resources with capacity to conduct independent research and fieldwork preferred; experience writing and editing for a variety of audiences required; strong interpersonal, organizational and communications skills required. Ability to synthesize information and to write clearly and precisely without supervision required. Learn more at Careers4Terps.