National Journal’s Presentation Center is hiring a Research Associate to join our team of experts producing insight and intelligence on how Washington works. 

National Journal is a premier research and insights company committed to helping organizations effectively navigate Washington. Best known as one of Washington’s most trusted media brands for more than 50 years, our expertise is unmatched with teams of specialists dedicated to government affairs, communications, and political research, in addition to exceptional journalism. Our mission is to equip the thousands of government and business leaders in the nation’s capital with the intelligence, insights, and connections they need to save time, increase efficiency, and deliver success.

This position will primarily focus on researching, providing top-line overviews and data visualization on policy and political impacts, key policymakers, and breaking news coverage, with the opportunity to work across multiple policy areas of focus. The right person for this position will be able to effectively research, summarize, and visualize information about policy and policymakers.

This role will be part of the National Journal’s new two-year associate program. This new program’s curriculum is intended to give all of our associates the benefit of comprehensive training plus real-world experience in analysis, research methods, and approach to insight-led reporting. The training will range from identifying client challenges and synthesizing research findings to visualizing data and communicating insight.

What is National Journal’s Presentation Center?

We analyze, synthesize, and visualize news and information related to policy and politics, publishing content consumed by a broad audience but  primiarly tailored for senior public policy practitioners, government affairs leaders, and PAC managers. Our diverse membership includes policymakers and senior professionals from the world’s leading companies, nonprofits, and associations.

Each week, we publish hundreds of slides, curating and translating complex policy information and political analysis into easy-to-edit slides and charts. Using this background and our expertise, we create custom content tailored to members’ needs, delivering 40-60 bespoke deliverables a week.

You are the ideal Research Associate if:

• You have a deep interest in American politics: how it works, policy and legislation, and the people in charge 

• You are a skilled writer, able to convey facts and ideas with concision and accuracy 

• You enjoy conducting in-depth qualitative and quantitative research; you can leverage a variety of sources and tools to find information, identify trends, and synthesize your findings on deadline

• You know that research must be made accessible to be consumed and are skilled at producing graphically-oriented and text-based research summaries

• You exhibit a willingness to “go above and beyond” in service to others, and you are equally effective working independently or on a team; you apply a high level of rigor and time management practices to all phases of the work

• You know when to shift gears, when to dive deep into data exploration and when to distill the information gathered to produce actionable insight 

• You are always excited by the prospect of teaching what you’ve learned, putting your superior writing skills and excellent oral communication skills to good use

In this role, the Research Associate:

• Conducts research on policymakers, policy, and politics using a variety of sources and search tools

• Turns this research into high-quality, in-depth profiles that cover the essential information about an individual’s life, career, and policies and presentations based on primary (quantitative and qualitative) data sources and secondary news sources

• Extracts key insights for a government affairs audience, conveying them in clear, concise writing; employs data-driven charts, maps, and graphics where appropriate

• Works to compile content for newsletters and other efforts to promote our content to our membership

• Actively participates in content planning and product development sessions

• Serves as an individual contributor and team player, both authoring content and editing peers’ work 

• Assists with database management as necessary

• Explains public policy issues for a non-Washington audience; excels in understanding news developments in a variety of policy areas, like infrastructure, trade, health care, or the federal budget 

Skills you will build and expand in this role:

• Increased knowledge across many different policy areas 

• Understanding the ins and outs of how Washington works

• Analyzing policy, legislation, and political trends

• Using automation tools for quantitative analysis and data visualization via Excel, R, and other applications

• Writing concise executive communications

• Using graphics and presentations to "show" rather than "tell"

• Learning the ins and outs of a publishing operation

• Explore the use of AI in research and content presentation

Qualifications of the ideal candidate:

• An excellent academic record; up to 2 years of post-undergraduate experience in politics, journalism, research, or another relevant professional setting preferred, although not required

• Excellent data management skills and ability to synthesize quantitative/qualitative research, distilling large amounts of information into concise writing, charts, and graphics 

• Experience analyzing and visualizing data, proficiency with Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint, experience with mapping and/or visualization software is a plus

• Outstanding time management and judgment; demonstrated proficiency managing competing project priorities and adhering to timelines

• Demonstrated interest in public policy and politics and outstanding team collaboration in a newsroom-adjacent environment

• Commitment to fact-based, objective work

• Entrepreneurial spirit; track record of helping to build new initiatives from conception to execution

• Creative thinking and resourcefulness in problem-solving

• Prodigious work ethic and spirit of generosity

• A full course of the COVID-19 vaccination is required for employment at National Journal

• Active contributor to a diverse and inclusive workplace

Employment Type: Full-time, two-year contract

Compensation: The salary for this role is $50,000

Location:  This job is based in Washington, DC. National Journal is operating on a hybrid basis, with employees required to be in the office every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

About Us

Across National Journal Group, generally, the firm looks for two “pillar gifts” in you, and everyone else.  In all of us, these are more aspirational than actual, but they are central in our intentions –

• Force of Ideas:  At the center of National Journal Group work are the ideas within our writing.  We believe that ideas – to the good and not – have consequences.  Our highest work is bringing rigor, insight, intellectual honesty, to that ultimate purpose of separating the bad from the good, and giving voice to the latter.

• Spirit of Generosity:  National Journal Group seeks in its ranks a spirit of generosity – a natural disposition in each colleague toward service and selfless conduct.  National Journal Group writing should be cut from the same cloth –critical on the merits but informed by charity and forbearance in measuring motive and personal character.

National Journal is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.