Research Assistant, Survey Center on Life

About the Role

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) seeks a full-time, in-person Research Assistant for AEI’s Survey Center on American Life. This role focuses on polling, demographic trends, and American politics.

Key Responsibilities

• Research (60 Percent)
• Assist with designing and developing survey questionnaires.
• Coordinate number checking and fact-checking for research products and published work.
• Analyze and clean survey data, create banners and toplines, and support data and research requests.
• Help coordinate and respond to media requests; assist in developing talking points for media interviews and television appearances.
• Assist in developing graphics from survey data using Flourish.
• Provide research and editorial assistance.
• Coordinate research projects.
• Communications (30 Percent)
• Manage content on the Survey Center’s website, including posting and formatting new reports, blog posts, and op-eds using WordPress.
• Work with the communications assistant to identify content to promote on social media channels.
• Track and analyze metrics to quantify the performance of the Survey Center’s website, social media presence, and news media impact.
• Use Flourish to create images and visuals to accompany published content.
• Administration (10 Percent)
• Assist with public events and private meetings.
• Manage contacts database and calendar.
• Oversee content on AEI’s website.
• Hire interns and manage their workloads.

Requirements & Tech Stack

• Assisting with research, writing, and editing for reports, newsletters, articles, op-eds, and media appearances.
• Managing the Survey Center’s online presence, including posting on social media, tracking online engagement and metrics, administering website properties, creating charts and graphics from survey data, and monitoring media impact.
• Number checking and fact-checking all published materials.
• Using statistical software programs to clean, manipulate, and analyze data.
• Helping plan and execute conferences and events.
• Duties include long-term projects and administrative support.
• Statistical software programs for data cleaning, manipulation, and analysis.
• Flourish for creating graphics.
• WordPress for website content management.
• Social media channels for content promotion.
• Microsoft Office proficiency.

Qualifications

• A BA or BS in political science, sociology, statistics, or a related field is required.
• 0–2 years of previous applicable full-time work experience is required.
• Previous internship or research experience is strongly preferred.
• Excellent organizational and writing skills.
• Social media account management experience.
• Attention to detail.
• Demonstrated interest in social policy, demographic trends, social capital, American governmental institutions, and social mobility.
• Prior experience with data analytics is a plus.
• Knowledge of current events, politics, and cultural and economic news.
• Professional writing, editing, research, and quantitative analysis experience (preferred).
• Demonstrated interest in public-opinion research, demographic trends, political behavior, and current events.
• Experience in quantitative methods and research, including Stata (highly preferred), and R (a plus).
• Excellent editing and proofreading skills.
• Experience in social media management, especially X (a plus).
• Proficiency in performing administrative and logistical coordination tasks.
• Strong interpersonal skills and the ability to work well with a variety of people in fast-paced environments.
• Resume, cover letter, academic transcripts, and a 500-word writing sample on a topic related to American politics or public opinion studies are required for online application.