Research Assistant OR Research Associate - Energy, Water, and Sustainability Program - Stimson Center

The Henry L. Stimson Center, a nonpartisan policy research center, seeks a highly-motivated individual to join the team as a full-time Program Assistant for the South Asia Program. The successful candidate will have some prior educational and/or professional experience in project management, administrative support, event coordination, and/or South Asia- or security-related research.

Stimson's South Asia Program focuses on deterrence challenges, crisis dynamics, and great-power competition on the Subcontinent. The program seeks to support strategic stability in South Asia through novel research, analysis of the accelerating arms competition in Southern Asia, online platforms (South Asian Voices and Nuclear Learning), and direct engagement with analysts and practitioners in the region.

The Program Assistant will help advance programmatic objectives by providing administrative, logistical, budgetary, and research support to the team. He/she will work closely with staff across the South Asia Program, including the Director and Deputy Director, to support key program functions including events, travel, communication, and operations. 

This position offers an on-ramp into a career analyzing and working on issues of national security, nuclear deterrence, and South Asian politics. Recent South Asia Program alumni have gone on to jobs with the Department of Defense, Department of State, Department of Energy, the intelligence community, and on Capitol Hill, and to graduate programs at MIT, the University of Chicago, Georgetown University, and the University of Oxford.

DUTIES Essential Functions:

• Serve as program event lead, coordinating all logistical arrangements including reserving and preparing event spaces; developing invitations and monitoring RSVPs; arranging travel, accommodations, and refreshments; and serving as the main point-of-contact for attendees and participants;
• Support program leadership with scheduling, communications, and expense reconciliation tasks, as well as occasional research support assignments;
• Provide travel facilitation support to program staff and external guests, managing transportation, logistics, and expense reconciliation;
• Assist with program operational functions including preparing reports for funders, maintaining the program calendar, managing shared IT resources, coordinating with non-resident program staff, and hiring and onboarding incoming team members;
• Lead program outreach and contact management efforts, including consolidating and maintaining contact databases and producing regular promotional products including a program newsletter and social media content;
• Provide research support to the program; attend and prepare summaries of relevant events and discussions on South Asia security issues, and contribute original analysis as appropriate;
• Other duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS Required:

• Demonstrated interest in international relations and/or security including a B.A. in Political Science, International Relations, or a related field;
• Ability to work independently and to collaborate with peers in a team environment;
• Strong organizational and communication skills, flexibility, and the ability to manage multiple deadlines;
• Experience with event planning and administrative support functions;
• Diplomatic skills and cultural sensitivity;
• A record of academic excellence.

Preferred:

• Demonstrated analytical, research, and writing skills;
• Experience preparing and monitoring budgets for large events and program activities;
• Knowledge of customer relationship management (CRM) platforms including Salesforce;
• Familiarity with social media platforms, analytics, and effective promotion strategies, including advertising platforms such as Google Adwords;
• Relevant, but not required, language skills include Hindi, Urdu, and Mandarin.

Requirement for Selected Interviewees:

• Applicants selected for interviews may be required to complete one or more short assignments as part of the assessment process.

Application Requirements: If you are interested in working with a growing team at a well-respected and award-winning organization, please submit your resume, cover letter, and writing sample as PDF documents.