Fall 2024 Research Trainee - Transatlantic Democracy Working Group - The German Marshall Fund of the United States

Reports To: Nathan Kohlenberg, Research Analyst

Job Summary:                                                                              

GMF’s Transatlantic Democracy Working Group (TDWG) is seeking a part-time trainee for the period from October 2024 through January 2025 to assist with research on threats to democracy at home and abroad, including in the immediate aftermath of the November US election. The trainee will be responsible for researching and helping to draft a post-election paper on American autocracy, tracking efforts to undermine trust in democratic institutions in the run-up to and wake of the November election, and exploring ways to build resilience against such threats.

The trainee will additionally support the TDWG team with essential operational, outreach, and administrative activities relating to Ukraine anti-corruption programming. Specifically, this role will assist with logistics, partner coordination, and research on reconstruction and resilience efforts led by civil society organizations in both Ukraine and the United States in light of the ongoing full-scale invasion.

Trainees will benefit from exposure to GMF’s experts and network, and will gain valuable research, analysis, and writing experiences. Traineeships will be a mix of in-person and remote work, and trainees must maintain an address in the Washington DC, Virginia, Maryland area. Only applicants who are graduating with a bachelor’s degree in the spring of 2025 will be considered.

Trainees are paid $17.50 an hour and are offered an ideal opportunity to acquire substantive professional experience for those interested in a career in public policy or international affairs.

Key Areas of Responsibility:

• Drafting certain assigned sections of the paper on American autocracy
• Compiling research on other sections of the paper drafted by others
• Coordinating the logistics of meetings of a co-authors group and other coalition members
• Planning a launch event for the paper, potentially in early January
• Researching potential donors whose strategies might overlaps with TDWG’s work plans on American autocracy
• Coordinate TDWG networks of civil society coalitions in Ukraine and other Eastern European democracies
• Other duties as assigned

Qualifications and Requirements:

• Excellent analytic and writing skills and previous research experience
•  Familiarity with and interest in autocratic efforts attempted, carried out, or planned in the United States and other countries
• Fluency in English is required
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office
• Comfortable multi-tasking and working independently
• Graduate or undergraduate student pursuing a degree in International Relations, Regional Studies, Security Studies, or a related field—or a recent graduate of such a program
• Previous experience in a think tank, foundation, NGO, government body, media outlet, or similar organization preferred
• Strong interest in democracy and autocracy

Start and Length of Traineeship:

• Preferred start and end: October 2024-January 2025
• Preferred time commitment: 20 hours per week, Monday–Friday between 9 AM to 5 PM (EST preferred)

GMF is an Equal Opportunity Employer.