Vice President Research Jobs in Silver Spring, MD

As part of its new operating model, CSIS established the Economic Security and Technology (EST) Department in 2024 with the goal of helping the United States and allies promote the economic dynamism and technology advantages essential to growth, security, and resilience. The EST department comprises 7 research programs, 50+ resident staff, and 100+ non-resident experts dedicated to generating strategic insights and policy impact at the intersection of economic, technology, and national security policy. Its strategic research priorities are 1) defining economic security and statecraft tools, 2) assessing U.S.-China technology competition, 3) identifying drivers of U.S. competitiveness, and 4) shaping the future of economic and technology alliances.

The primary purpose of this position is to help the Department President lead the Economic Security & Technology Department in developing, delivering, and fundraising for its policy research and impact agenda. The Vice President should be a recognized expert in one or more of EST's core priority areas who can publish, convene, fundraise, and represent EST's equities on institution-wide initiatives and in the broader Washington and allied policy ecosystem.

The Vice President must combine substantive command of economic security and technology policy with the ability to lead EST strategic initiatives from concept to execution, build and sustain donor and institutional relationships, and support a high-performing and diverse team of scholars.

The annual salary range for this role is $245,000 - $300,000 commensurate with experience. 

Research and Thought Leadership

• Originate and lead individual, cross-program, and departmental research project that strengthen EST's flagship strategic initiatives including the Tech Edge series, Country Economic Security and Technology Assessments, and AI policy-related research.
• Build and lead a distinctive research portfolio related to EST's strategic research priorities by developing, managing, and securing funding for an original research agenda; producing written and multimedia publications (commentaries, briefs, reports, podcasts, videos); establishing CSIS as a leading voice on these issues through briefings, public convenings, and media engagement; and translating research into policy impact through sustained engagement with U.S. and allied policymakers and the media.
• Model and uphold the highest standards of research quality across the department, and work with scholars to innovate research methods, including through the use of AI.

Strategic Initiatives and Institutional Representation

• Take direct ownership of one or more strategic initiatives (e.g., the Patriotic Capital Initiative, policy summits, and fundraising initiatives) - from design through execution.
• Design, launch, and manage new programs, platforms, and capabilities from end-to-end, including defining scope, sequencing work, staffing, securing resources, managing budgets, and establishing success metrics.
• Represent the Department among the VP-cohort in support of CSIS-wide initiatives and cross-departmental collaborations to ensure that EST's agenda informs CSIS-wide strategy and resource allocation decisions.
• Serve as a senior external face of EST - with Congress, the executive branch, allied governments, and private-sector leaders - including as a proxy for the President by representing the department at high-level convenings, dialogues, and media engagements in the President's absence or alongside the President.

Fundraising and Donor Management

• Secure funding for the EST Front Office and the department more broadly.
• Help diversify and stabilize EST's donor consortia as part of its Year 3 growth plans and beyond.
• Co-develop new project proposals and funding concepts with the President and program scholars; write proposals and steward donor relationships directly.
• Help develop robust donor management processes working with program and development teams.

Staff Management and Culture

• Support the Chief of Staff /Director of Operations, as needed, in executing key departmental functions across all seven programs, e.g., resource management.
• Serve as a core member of the EST leadership team.
• Lead the development and execution of department-wide strategic projects, jointly identified with the President, by mobilizing and aligning Directors, Deputy Directors, scholars, and program teams to deliver high-impact.
• Foster collaboration, knowledge sharing, and talent development across EST and CSIS more broadly. Mentor scholars and emerging leaders in advancing their professional growth.
• Model transparency, scholarly independence, collaboration, and collegiality.

• A senior recognized thought leader in economic security, U.S.-China technology competition, U.S. competitiveness policy, or economic statecraft - evidenced by a public record of research, publications, and policy experience.
• At least 15 years of professional experience spanning government, industry, the investment community, or think tanks and research institutions, with depth in economics, finance, science and technology, or national security.
• Demonstrated experience designing and standing up new programs, initiatives, or platforms from concept to execution - not solely advising on strategy.
• Exceptional writing, editing, and analytical skills, with a track record of producing and guiding publications from concept to publication, and exceedingly strong represent capabilities.
• A substantive, active network among U.S. policy officials (agencies, executive branch, Congress) and international business, finance, and foreign policy communities.
• Confident, persuasive, and comfortable as a senior public and institutional representative - able to carry equal weight with the President in external and institution-wide settings.
• Entrepreneurial, with a genuine appetite for fundraising, risk, and building new things, alongside the operational discipline to see them through.
• Proven people leadership: building positive team culture, mentoring talent, and aligning individual and departmental goals.
• A transparent, high-integrity leader capable of representing and, when needed, standing in for the President across research, fundraising, and institutional matters.
• Ideally experience in, or at minimum enthusiasm for, securing funding.