ABOUT: New America is a nonprofit, nonpartisan public policy institute that invests in new thinkers and new ideas to address the next generation of challenges facing the United States. New America is dedicated to renewing the promise of America by continuing the quest to realize our nations highest ideals, honestly confronting the challenges caused by rapid technological and social change, and seizing the opportunities those changes create.

PRIMARY FUNCTION:
The Political Reform Program at New America is seeking a Research Assistant for Winter 2025 to support a project exploring the feasibility of expanding citizen-led ballot initiatives to more states. This role offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a high-impact project at the intersection of structural democracy reform and state and local level citizen engagement. We encourage candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply.

Key Responsibilities:

• Conduct background research for interviews with state-level activists, policy experts, and other stakeholders.
• Assist in historical analysis and data collection related to ballot initiatives, legislative dynamics, organizational infrastructure in target states, and co-governance models across the U.S.
• Gather and synthesize research findings for memos and briefs.
• Support the organization of at least one meeting or workshop.
• Collaborate with the project team to draft content for reports, op-eds, and presentations.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent experience) in political science, public policy, sociology, or a related field. Graduate-level coursework or current enrollment in a related graduate program is a plus.
• Strong research and analytical skills.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Experience with qualitative interviews, historical analysis, or quantitative data analysis is a plus.
• Experience working within state government or in community organizing is also a plus.

Compensation:
This is a short-term contract position starting in early 2025. The pay range is $22-25/hr, depending on experience. The minimum time commitment is 3 months and 8 hours per week.

Location: New America is located in Washington, DC; however, this is a fully remote position. We welcome and encourage applications from candidates located outside the DC, Maryland, and Virginia areas.

To Apply:
Please submit your resume and a writing sample by Monday, January 20, 2025.

About New America:

New America is an equal opportunity employer committed to hiring a diverse workforce at all levels of the organization, thereby creating a culture that allows us to better serve our mission, our employees, and our communities. We value and encourage the contributions of our employees and strive to create an environment where everyone can reach their full potential and drive outstanding results. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, national origin, age, sex, religion, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, veteran status, gender identity or expression, or any other basis protected by local, state, or federal law. This policy applies with regard to all aspects of one’s employment, including hiring, transfer, promotion, compensation, eligibility for benefits, and termination.

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