Program Coordinator & Research Assistant - Chair on India and Emerging Asia Economics

Job Summary

The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a non-profit, bipartisan public policy organization established in 1962 to provide strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decision makers concerned with global security and prosperity. Over the years, it has grown to be one of the largest organizations of its kind, with a staff of some 250 employees, including more than 120 analysts working to address the changing dynamics of international security across the globe.

The CSIS Chair in India and Emerging Asia Economics (India Chair) aims to unlock the full potential of the U.S.-India relationship and leads the Center's work on India. The India Chair serves as an independent platform to pursue policy changes that strengthen bilateral ties, placing special emphasis on accelerating economic development in India and promoting greater business and economic engagement between the two countries. The India Chair has also become the world’s leading authority on state-level political-economic issues in India, leading multiple funded projects to expand subnational engagement with India. We also have a growing program of work connecting Indian policymakers with peers in other global south nations to share best practices and big ideas.

Our work is very action-oriented. This is not a primary research role, though some light research may be required. Candidates seeking a traditional research support position would not be suitable for this role. Our team works in the office Monday-Thursday. Fridays are an optional “work from home” day, though we may shift to 5-day office weeks at some point in the future. CSIS is currently seeking candidates for our role as Program Coordinator/Research Assistant (PCRA) to support multiple part-time senior leads who are building programs in new emerging policy areas (EPAs), such as technology policy, water-sanitation, and urbanization. The team will focus on launching new activities while simultaneously developing funded projects in these areas in order to become long-term self-sustaining.

The ideal candidate

• Has an entrepreneurial mindset; seeks professional development and has a strong interest/comfort in helping build new programs
• Has the ability to be proactive and can work independently with minimal instruction
• Has experience managing different workstreams such as event implementation, travel coordination, contact management, and research.
• Has experience in engaging officials in India and maintaining these contacts —and is able to call and take meetings outside of traditional work hours during mornings and late evenings
• Has domain knowledge in technology policy, urban development, and/or water- sanitation in India
• Has excellent executive writing skills with the ability to be brief and concise
• Has experience assisting with fundraising efforts, including but not limited to preparing and editing fundraising proposals and engaging with prospective donors
• Proficiency in Hindi and/or an additional Indian language.
  
  

This role pays between $55,000 and $62,000, depending on the candidate’s experience.

Essential Duties And Responsibilities

Functions may include but are not limited to the following

• Provide administrative support to multiple part-time senior leaders The PCRA will be responsible for scheduling, expense reporting, coordinating travel, and light research related to the multiple EPA “mini projects” each led by a part-time senior leader.
• Organizing events The PCRA will be responsible for implementing a series of public and private, in-person and virtual events to raise awareness and visibility on these issues. The PCRA is also responsible for event outreach to ensure audience participation.
• Building projects The PCRA will be working with the senior leaders to prepare and submit project proposals to potential donors in the EPAs
• Finding and engaging partners As we expand into EPAs, we will need to engage partners working in aligned spaces to determine if there are co-benefits to collaboration. This includes trade associations, government agencies, multilateral development agencies, NGOs, the private sector, and other groups. The PCRA must be comfortable researching these prospective donors, and gathering contact information.
• Organizing study visits to India The PCRA will be responsible for organizing multiple visits to India to support early engagement on these EPAs. This includes coordinating travel for the senior experts and organizing meetings with Indian officials.
• Other duties may be assigned as project needs shift
  
  

Knowldege, Education, And Experience

• Must have strong communication, interpersonal, and analytical skills, including very strong attention to detail.
• Must be very comfortable consistently engaging stakeholders in India outside of traditional work hours, including early mornings and late nights.
• Must have technology sufficient to work from home, including a mobile phone. A laptop will be provided by CSIS.
• Strong research and executive writing skills.
• Experience handling administrative tasks in all/most of the following budgeting, expense reporting, scheduling, travel coordination and event logistics.
• Some experience with assisting in fundraising efforts
• Some experience with working with artificial intelligence tools, Salesforce, Asana and/or Concur
• Demonstrated interest in technology policy, urban development, and/or water sanitation in India
• Must be eligible to work in Washington, DC and commit at least 35 hours per week.
• Must have the ability to work independently with minimal oversight.
• Must be willing to travel to India approximately two times per year for project-related work, including travel to India’s state capitals.
• Must have demonstrated experience managing competing priorities and multiple projects under tight deadlines.
• Proficiency in Hindi and/or another Indian language is preferred but not required.
  
  

Physical requirements and work conditions

The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee working in an office environment.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.

 Equal Opportunity Employer.

How to apply

Interested applicants should submit a résumé, cover letter, and college transcript at https://careers.csis.org.

To submit an application for this position, click the “Apply” button below, and you will be redirected to our secure recruitment portal.

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To submit an application for this position, click the “Apply” button below, and you will be redirected to our secure recruitment portal.

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About Us

CSIS is a bipartisan, nonprofit organization headquartered in Washington, D.C. The Center’s 220 full-time staff and large network of affiliated scholars conduct research and analysis and develop policy initiatives that look to the future and anticipate change.

We are an equal opportunity employer. Employment selection and related decisions are made without regard to sex, race, age, disability, religion, national origin, color or any other protected class.