Senior Research Associate

The Senior Research Associate for the State of Illinois will work individually and on teams to analyze the State of Illinois budget and public finance issues, write research reports and communicate findings to public officials and the media. The Senior Research Associate will additionally work to develop specialized knowledge in the Civic Federation’s areas of expertise within public finance.

Responsibilities:

• Analyze the proposed and enacted State of Illinois budget;
• Track relevant policymaking and legislation at federal, state, and local levels;
• Write both in-depth reports and short plain-language summaries of findings;
• Educate the media, legislators, and legislative staff via conference calls, primers and blog posts;
• Provide rapid response to inquiries on state finance issues to public officials and the media;
• Work collaboratively with other staff on research and media projects;
• Travel occasionally to Springfield, IL to collect data and track legislation.

Qualifications:

• At least 5 years of experience in government, nonprofit or private sector (including journalism) focused on public finance and budget issues;
• Ability to develop short- and long-term research reports for multiple stakeholder audiences;
• Excellent writing, public presentation, and communication skills;
• Superior critical analysis skills, organization and attention to detail;
• Ability to multi-task in a fast paced working environment;
• Must take initiative and be self-motivated and also work well in a collegial team environment;
• Background in public finance and/or healthcare economics, particularly Medicaid, is preferred;
• Master's degree preferred, but experience may be substituted for educational qualifications.