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Research Associate, China Program

FTE: 100%

Salary: $56,000 to $83,000

Location: Washington, DC

About Stimson

The Henry L. Stimson Center (Stimson), a nonpartisan global security think tank located in Washington, DC, seeks a Research Associate reporting to the Deputy Director, China Program. This role ensures that our practices support our mission-driven work, align with Stimson's vision, values, strategic goals, standards of conduct, and operational objectives, and demonstrate our commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, and employee well-being.

We seek a highly motivated, organized, entrepreneurial, and collaborative individual committed to Stimson's mission and core values. This person understands that any organization is only as good as the people working there and the relationships they build and sustain. This job will require building authentic relationships with staff and affiliates that facilitate the successful candidate's ability to challenge, develop, and support them.

Position Summary

This position is designed to support research projects through both research and analysis and administration of project activities.

Responsibilities:

• Implement research projects that advance knowledge and analysis of the program's work on Chinese foreign policy, China's conflict mediation activities in regions around the world, U.S.-China relations, China's engagement with Myanmar, and other issue areas as assigned;
• Monitor and evaluate news developments in issue areas and flag key information;
• Conduct, assess, and summarize research;
• Develop and author original research and written materials including commentaries, reports, and issue briefs to disseminate research findings;
• Participate in project strategic planning;
• Identify and evaluate ways in which the project can better utilize technical resources for outreach and information gathering;
• Draft invitations for roundtables, workshops, and dialogues, and track correspondence;
• Coordinate logistics for meetings, roundtables, workshops, and dialogues, including venue reservations and travel arrangements, and manage catering and printed materials;
• Manage logistics for meetings, including greeting guests and note-taking as needed;
• Summarize findings, action items, and/or decisions from meetings and assess applicability to project work;
• Proofread, fact-check, copyedit, and prepare citations for project publications;
• Coordinate publications with the Communications team, including monitoring the publication pipeline and resolving recommended edits;
• Coordinate preparations for webinars and in-person events with the Communications team, including scheduling, drafting event descriptions, liaising between speakers and the Communications team, and arranging test calls as needed;
• Assist with prospective funder research and preparation of funding proposals and follow-up reports;
• Draft social media posts to promote project work; and
• Provide day-to-day management of interns.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree and 2 years of relevant experience OR Master's Degree in international relations, political science, economics, history, or a related area of study;
• Demonstrated knowledge of and sustained, deep interest in contemporary Chinese politics, foreign policy, economics, society, and related topics;
• Advanced proficiency in Mandarin Chinese, especially in reading and writing for research purposes;
• Ability to take initiative, work independently, as well as collaborate with a team in a hybrid work environment;
• Superior research skills, including research experience in Mandarin Chinese;
• Superior writing skills, including editing and copyediting;
• Superior attention to detail;
• Superior organizational skills, including the ability to prioritize and manage time with multiple, sometimes competing, deadlines;
• Familiarity with AP style and ability to learn and consistently apply in-house writing styles for text and citations.
• Familiarity with Microsoft 365, including SharePoint for project work, Outlook calendars for scheduling meetings, and Teams; and
• Familiarity with Zoom for meetings and webinars.

We welcome applications from candidates who may not meet all preferred qualifications.

Application requirements:

• Qualified candidates should submit as a single PDF document a cover letter with salary requirements, resume, and an analytical writing sample of 3-5 pages on a topic relating to Chinese foreign, economic, or security policy, with citations.
• Please do not submit a co-authored writing sample. Incomplete applications will not be considered.

Applicants must be eligible to work in the United States. Visa sponsorship is not available for this position

Employee Benefits

15 Vacation Days, 10 Sick Days, 13 Paid Holidays, Medical and Dental Insurance, Retirement Match, Long-Term and Short-Term Disability Insurance, Accidental Death and Dismemberment Insurance, Life Insurance, Flexible Spending Plan, Commuting, Wellness, Education Benefits, Parental Leave, and Bereavement Leave.

Stimson is an equal-opportunity employer. We will consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, sexual orientation or gender identity, or any other legally protected basis, in accordance with applicable laws.