Research Assistant, CUSE

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The Brookings Institution is a nonprofit public policy organization based in Washington, DC. Our mission is to conduct in-depth research that leads to new ideas for solving problems facing society at the local, national and global level.

We bring together leading experts in government and academia from all over the world, rooted in open-minded inquiry and representing diverse points of view, who provide the highest quality research, policy recommendations, and analysis. Research topics cover a full range of public policy issues in economics, foreign policy, development, governance and metropolitan policy.

With fair and transparent business practices, clear communication, mutual respect, and a collaborative atmosphere that offers both professional and personal development opportunities, Brookings offers an inclusive and welcoming workplace that values the efforts of all contributors.

The Foreign Policy program at Brookings is the leading center of high-quality, policy-relevant scholarship advancing actionable solutions to the major challenges to international peace and security. Brookings Foreign Policy scholars and staff draw on their deep expertise to engage in in-depth, nonpartisan research and analysis aimed at informing policymakers and the public debate and developing concrete policy recommendations to address the world’s toughest problems. 

Position Location:This position is hybrid. Hybrid positions combine regular in-person presence at our Washington, DC office with the option of at least two days of remote work each week.

Please Note: This position is included in the staff bargaining unit, Brookings United, affiliated with the IFPTE Local 70 union, and is covered under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. 

Ready to contribute to Brookings success?

The Research Assistant provides professional, directed research support for scholars in the Center on the United States and Europe (CUSE), as well as administrative support and coordination for CUSE operations and events. Current CUSE research topics include relations between the United States and key European states (particularly France, Germany, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, and the United Kingdom) as well as the European Union, European security challenges, and transnational developments. In addition to this research support, the Research Assistant also serves as point of contact for travel and media-appearance scheduling for certain scholars and works as a team member to provide general programmatic support across the Center.

Research Assistance (60%)

• Supports assigned scholars in all aspects of policy research.
• Collects data for scholar research projects from a range of sources, including government sources, public opinion surveys, books, journal articles, newspapers, and personal contacts; assembles unclassified government data, documents, and reports.
• Reads primary and secondary sources for relevance to research themes; prepares notes on meetings and conferences; creates and maintains spreadsheets and databases.
• May write summary reports, briefing memos, bibliographies, and chronologies for internal use, as well as draft narrative reports to funders.
• Provides fact-checking, citation support, copy-editing, and proofreading of publications.
• May assist scholars in drafting publications and presentations, including the development and formatting of PowerPoint slides.
• Maintains and updates scholar pages on the Brookings website, and routinely updates impact tracker.
• Coordinates closely with Foreign Policy and Brookings central Communications staff to ensure compliance with FP and Brookings standards and practices for all publications and outreach efforts.

Administrative Support (40%)

• Works with CUSE and Communications staff to support events, including room reservations, catering, arrangements for virtual meetings, and general logistics.
• Coordinates development of event invitations, announcements, and guest lists; liaises with event speakers and their staffs.
• Proactively monitors event-day implementation of plans and resolves problems.
• Updates and compiles information for CUSE staff meeting agendas.
• Manages CUSE intern(s) and intern selection process in cooperation with other CUSE staff.
• Assists assigned scholars with travel arrangements as needed, including reservations, expense tracking, and facilitating travel expense reports.
• Provides administrative, communications, and logistical support to assigned scholars; schedules appointments and makes travel arrangements; prepares and edits correspondence and memos from verbal instruction.
• Assists in preparing financial reports, coding expenses and invoices, and reimbursement requests.
• Maintains electronic files, saving final versions of all documents on respective team SharePoint site as appropriate.
• Provides general assistance for CUSE as needed.
• Works closely with CUSE and Brookings Institution staff to ensure Center’s activities are carried out in accordance with guidelines and processes of the Foreign Policy program and the Institution.

Ready to make an impact? In this role, you will support Brookings values of collegiality, respect, inclusion, diversity and community, and bring the following qualifications:

Education/Expereince Requirements

A bachelor’s degree is required (degree in international relations or political science, preferred). Relevant experience, including experience in research support, event coordination and planning, and project management, is required. Experience in Europe, gained through internships, school research projects, and/or study abroad, is preferred and should be highlighted in the cover letter.

This position is ideally suited for recent graduates seeking to gain 2–3 years of professional experience before pursuing graduate studies or further opportunities in the foreign policy field. While the role does not have a formal term limit, past research assistants have typically transitioned after 2–3 years into advanced degree programs or policy-oriented positions across government, academia, and the nonprofit sector.

Note: To be considered for this position, you must also be legally authorized to work for any employer in the United States. 

Knowledge/Skill Requirements

Research: Must possess strong knowledge of European policy issues, U.S.-Europe relations, and general U.S. foreign policy. Must develop deep and detailed knowledge of specific policy issues in support of scholars’ work and be able to conduct directed, professional foreign policy research using primary and secondary sources. Must be able to conduct literature reviews and compile, organize, and proofread bibliographies and chronologies. 

Communication skills: Must have outstanding written and oral communication skills. Must be able to interact professionally and productively with all levels of internal and external stakeholders. Fluency in English is required; professional proficiency in German is preferred; proficiency in French or Turkish is a plus.

Writing: Strong writing skills are required. Ability to clearly express concepts, ideas, and facts in research areas is required. Must be able to able to draft event invitations, formal correspondence, literature reviews, and short publications or sections in longer papers with supervision from a scholar. Must be able to fact check and copy edit publications.

Organizational skills: Must possess excellent organizational skills with high level of attention to detail. Abilities to work independently, identify and seek to resolve problems, ask for clarification when required, and interpret and implement instructions are required. Must be able to multi-task and complete tasks in a timely manner. Must be able to help organize large and small events with high-level participants.

Interpersonal skills: Must possess the poise, tact, discretion, and mature judgment to handle issues and respond appropriately and professionally in high-pressure atmosphere. 

Technical skills: Must possess advanced proficiency in Microsoft Office applications, including Office 365. A demonstrated ability to visualize how data and concepts can be communicated in different formats is preferred.

Additional Information

What can we offer you? Brookings provides a generous benefit package that is comprehensive and includes both traditional benefits and unique offerings. Our comprehensive benefits package includes medical, dental, and vision benefits, generous time off, and workplace flexibility. For more information, please visit Brookings Benefits.   

Brookings requires that all applicants submit a cover letter and resume. Please attach your cover letter and resume as one document when you apply. Please note: if you have applied to more than one Brookings job opening you should add a position-specific cover letter as a separate attachment. 

Successful completion of a background investigation is required for employment at Brookings. 

Brookings welcomes and celebrates diversity in all its forms, including diversity of experience, thought, and personal background.  We welcome applications that reflect a variety of backgrounds based on ideology, race, ethnicity, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, disability, veteran status, first generation college goers, and other factors protected by law. Brookings is proud to be an equal-opportunity employer that is committed to promoting a diverse and inclusive workplace. All selection decisions are based upon merit, skills, abilities and experience.