Research Assistant, Higher Education

Peace is our commitment. The United States Institute of Peace represents the American people’s shared values and commitment to peace worldwide. We know that Peace is Security – it advances both U.S. and international security by preventing, managing, and mitigating violent conflict.

The Higher Education Engagement (HEE) team is hiring a research assistant (RA) to support its work within USIP’s Civic Engagement and Scholarship (CES) Unit. HEE programmatic work is grounded in USIP’s role as a public institution and its congressional mandate to serve as a resource for the American public. HEE compliments the longstanding work of Public Engagement and Scholastic Competitions by focusing on the higher education community of colleges, universities, and higher education associations. HEE seeks to enhance awareness within the higher education community about the Institute’s resources for research, programming, and training.

• →Conduct research in support of the team’s outreach to diverse domestic audiences, including identifying avenues for reaching new audiences and expanding USIP’s contacts and relationships across the U.S.
• →Support existing HEE initiatives, including programs for professors and university students, onsite engagements at USIP’s headquarters, and overall expansion of HEE’s work.
• →Provide support for the team’s work to track contacts and relationships across the country, including updating databases and mapping connections.
• →Assist in HEE’s research initiative exploring how public institutions work alongside higher education institutions in the promotion and development of global peace.
• →Perform other duties as assigned.

• Excellent written communication skills – the ability to prepare drafts quickly, and to write in an accessible way for non-expert audiences.
• Strong research skills – the ability to find information quickly, to analyze based on guidance and priorities, and to summarize and synthesize findings in useful formats.
• Strong interpersonal skills, including good humor and sound judgement.
• Prior experience creating content on social media (LinkedIn) is preferred.
• Experience with databases that track contacts and relationships is highly desirable; experience with Salesforce is especially useful.
• Previous work experience in a fast-paced office environment is required.
• Candidates must be a current, full-time Undergraduate or Masters student studying higher education, international and comparative education, public policy, communications, peace and justice, conflict resolution, international relations, or another related subject.

Although USIP's Research Assistant program is administered through the Consortium of Universities in the Washington Metropolitan area, any full-time university student based in the U.S. is eligible for these positions.

All USIP contract and employee positions are contingent upon the favorable completion of a suitability background investigation.

Compensation is commensurate with qualifications and experience.

HOW TO APPLY: To be considered for this position, please submit a complete application package consisting of:

1. Completed employment application.
2. Cover letter
3. Resume
4. Writing Sample

For questions about this position, please email recruitment@usip.org. Do not send resumes or attachments to this email address.

Only those applicants that are selected for further discussions will be contacted.

No Phone Calls. Interviews will be scheduled by appointment only.

USIP is an equal opportunity employer. It is the policy and practice of USIP to offer equal employment opportunities to all qualified applicants and employees without regard to race, color, age, religion, national origin, sex, marital status, disability, veteran status, sexual orientation, genetic information, HIV/AIDS status, political affiliations or belief, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law.

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