The Center for Global Development, an independent, non-partisan research organization in Washington, DC.
The role
The Research Assistant will contribute to SDF’s work through a mixture of research, data analysis, writing, and organizational activities. S/he will support and participate in ongoing and future collaborative research projects related to Chinese Development Policy, with a focus on debt dynamics in borrowing countries, Chinese participation in the multilateral development system, and aid transparency issues. S/he will also participate in broader SDF work, including a focus on World Bank lending policies and practices, regional development bank policy, and the global development finance donor community.
Key roles and responsibilities
The successful candidate will perform a range of research, data analysis, and coordination duties in support of the initiative, including, but not limited to, the following:
- Perform duties requiring independent judgment and analysis related to data gathering, report preparation, and special projects related to development finance policy.
- Conduct literature and data searches for ongoing research projects.
- Organize financial data, provide descriptive statistics, and run other statistical analysis using Excel or other software tools (Stata) and prepare publication quality graphics to convey results.
- Collaborate with researchers and members of the CGD’s communications team to draft blogs, policy briefs, and notes on research findings.
- Provide organizational support for the long-term strategy and activities of the Chinese Development Policy initiative
- Work with the events coordinator to schedule events, working group meetings, and luncheons.
- Work with the institutional advancement team to report on grant deliverables and activities, and prepare grant proposals related to research work
- Provide administrative and logistical support to visiting fellows and contracted authors in their activities related to Chinese Development Policy
- Perform other duties as assigned.
Experience and skills
The successful candidate will have the following qualifications and skills:
- Bachelor’s degree in international development, economics, political science, public policy, or a related field.
- 1-2 years of professional experience dealing with substantive issues in international development policy.
- Superb written and verbal communication skills.
- Competence and experience conducting both quantitative and qualitative research. Experience with statistical software a plus.
- Familiarity with current issues, actors, and debates in foreign aid and related topics; familiarity with the World Bank, the US DFC, the Belt, and Road Initiative, the — Chinese Development Bank or China EximBank highly desirable.
- Proven ability to be a team player and to successfully manage multiple and changing priorities in a fast-paced, dynamic environment, all while maintaining a good sense of humor.
- Poise, confidence, and outstanding organization and time management skills, with attention to detail.
- Proficiency in written English usage, grammar, and punctuation. Reading-level proficiency in Mandarin Chinese a plus.
- Essential software skills: Microsoft Office (specifically Excel), Stata proficiency a plus.