Research Assistant – Global Health Policy

The Center for Global Development (CGD), an independent, non-partisan research organization in Washington, DC seeks a Research Assistant to provide high quality research support and data analysis to the Global Health Policy Program. The Research Assistant will contribute to the Global Health Policy team’s work through a mixture of research, writing, and data analysis, as well as support for a range of programmatic activities.

The successful candidate will have experience with research in global health, development economics, public policy, or a related field. Candidates must demonstrate strong writing, analytical, and communication skills, alongside the ability to advance tasks independently and work as a member of a team. This position would suit a recent undergraduate with an interest in gaining experience in policy-oriented research, programmatic operations, and project management at a global development think tank.

The research assistant will perform a range of project research, policy analysis and other duties including, but not limited to, the following:

• Perform day-to-day research tasks, including literature searches and data analysis for ongoing policy-oriented research projects.
• Communicate findings and data insights with clear write-ups and summaries; prepare tables, figures, and other visualizations for CGD publications and presentations.
• Collaborate with senior staff and other CGD colleagues to draft blog posts, policy briefs, notes, and reports.
• Organize internal and external meetings, roundtables, and events related to research priorities.
• Support external communications and outreach efforts to policymakers, select institutions, and their staff to increase the policy impact of CGD research. 
• Work with the institutional advancement team to report on grant deliverables, and draft communications and reports on ongoing activities to funders and supporters.

The successful candidate will have the following qualifications and skills:

• Undergraduate degree in a related field required.
• One to two years of professional experience in international development or related areas of research or policy analysis is preferred but not required. Knowledge of and experience working in global health preferred.
• Strong analytical, writing, and communications skills.
• Outstanding organization skills and attention to detail.
• Experience with MS Excel is required. Familiarity with other data analysis and visualization software, including experience with interactive data visualization, a plus. Please specify relevant experience and software skills in your application.
• Some training in economics and/or statistics is preferred. Again, please specify relevant experience.
•  Ability to handle multiple priorities simultaneously, in a fast-paced environment.
• Proven ability to advance projects with hands-off supervision. Comfort working independently, in small groups, and with senior staff.

Approximate task balance:

• 70% of your time will be dedicated to research, analysis, and writing for various global health projects.
• 30% of your time will be related to programmatic activities and other administrative tasks, including but not limited to organizing events, roundtables, grant reporting, etc. 

Deadline: Friday, May 3 11:59 PM ET. We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis and encourage all applicants to submit their materials as soon as possible. 

Interested candidates should submit a cover letter, resume, and short writing sample (max 5 pages). The desired start date is early June; please specify if this would be feasible in your cover letter. Please also make sure to specify relevant experience and skills as indicated above in your application.