Research Assistant, Revolving Door Project

The Revolving Door Project, a project of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), scrutinizes the people (current and potential) who run the executive branch of the federal government. Our goal is to ensure political appointees serve the broad public interest, rather than corporations’ narrow political agenda or their own personal advancement.

The Revolving Door Project has an immediate opening for a Research Assistant. This is a full-time, Washington, DC-based position with initial funding for 12 months.

Job Description:

A Research Assistant for the Revolving Door Project (RDP) at CEPR is responsible for a variety of important duties. The position involves:

●      Juggling both long and short term qualitative research assignments;

●      Writing and co-writing everything from blogs and op-eds to long-form magazine articles and reports;

●      Representing RDP effectively within coalitions;

●      Occasional proofreading, website, social media, and operations support;

●      Other intermittent work as needed to support fundraising and communications needs.

Qualifications:

●      Successful candidates will possess at least a bachelor’s degree as well as an interest in topics such as racial and economic justice, American politics, administrative law, and, in particular, effective governance. This position will be principally focused on the project’s work around proposals to rebuild and revitalize the civil service. The Research Assistant will be asked to conduct primarily qualitative research, and so experience with and interest in such research is critical.

●      Candidates should have some or all of the following: an interest in research; strong knowledge of the political landscape; experience at a nonprofit, union, or similar environment with a track record of successful work; the ability to learn new software and skills quickly; a demonstrated willingness to get into the weeds on research questions; and a track record translating complex ideas into easy-to-understand formats.

●      A successful candidate will also have excellent attention to detail, ability to handle multiple projects and manage workflow effectively, good written and verbal communication skills, ability to work both independently and with a team, a sense of humor, and a shared commitment to CEPR and RDP’s mission and values.

 

Salary & Benefits: The Revolving Door Project will pay a salary of $48,000 a year with benefits pursuant to our union contract with International Federation of Professional and Technical Engineers, Nonprofit Professional Employees Union (Local 70).

Closing Date of Position: August 17, 2020 (at 11:59 PM, Eastern time).

In rare, extenuating circumstances, the application period may be extended or shortened. In the event that the application period is shortened, CEPR will update this posting to notify candidates that they have seven calendar days remaining to apply.

Organization Description: CEPR was established in 1999 to promote democratic debate on the most important economic and social issues that affect people's lives. In order for citizens to effectively exercise their voices in a democracy, it is necessary that they be informed about the problems and choices that they face. An informed public should then be able to choose policies that lead to an improving quality of life, both for people within the United States, and around the world.

As part of its public education initiative, CEPR utilizes research findings and analysis to challenge the myths, assumptions, policies and institutions that perpetuate economic and social inequality. CEPR's Co-directors are Eileen Appelbaum and Mark Weisbrot. Weisbrot founded CEPR along with Senior Economist Dean Baker.

The Revolving Door Project (RDP), a project of the Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), scrutinizes executive branch appointees to ensure they use their office to serve the broad public interest, rather than to entrench corporate power or seek personal advancement.

Many of the deep rules that govern our rigged economy are written within the executive branch and outside the purview of most of civil society. From the semi-independent bureaus of the Treasury Department (the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency and the IRS) to the Federal Reserve, OMB, FTC, and beyond, executive branch personnel play a significant role in determining the fundamental rules that govern our economy.

The Revolving Door Project educates civil society in order to counteract the advantage that Wall Street and corporate America have in this rule writing process. We do this by alerting and educating the media and activists when hardworking people are being taken advantage of and clarifying by whom. If we want the executive branch to write rules that structure the economy away from rent extraction and in the direction of greater economic equality, we need to ensure the right people hold key executive branch positions like the Treasury Secretary and SEC Commissioner. The executive branch needs to empower dedicated civil servants rather than self-interested people rotating between relatively short stints in government and longer stints in the very industries they’re supposed to regulate.