The Niskanen Center, a nonpartisan think tank and advocacy organization, is seeking to hire an Employment Policy Fellow to join our Poverty and Welfare policy team. This position will work alongside our Director of Poverty and Welfare Policy on research, advocacy and policy development related to our portfolio of employment and labor market policy issues, including but not limited to Unemployment Insurance modernization, workforce development policy, and in-work benefits like health insurance and paid family leave.

The Employment Policy Fellow will lead high-profile research projects in coordination with Niskanen staff and external collaborators, produce written material (blog posts, op-eds, white papers), and promote the results through governing networks in Washington, D.C. Niskanen Center policy research is regularly presented in Congressional testimony, cited by legislators and policy experts, and reported by media outlets. Excellent writing and communication skills are therefore essential, and an entrepreneurial outlook will be rewarded.

The Niskanen Center offers a comprehensive package of employee benefits, including health, dental, and vision insurance, federal holidays, and unlimited paid leave. For employee safety, the Niskanen Center plans to work remotely until community transmission of COVID-19 is effectively suppressed, or vaccines/effective treatments are widely available. 

The Employment Policy Fellow will be expected to:

  • Conceive, plan, and execute our portfolio of research and advocacy issues related to employment and labor market policy.
  • Be conversant in our existing work in this area, including our major framework documents like The Free-market Welfare State and Faster Growth, Fairer Growth.
  • Build and maintain relationships with our coalition partners in civil society and in Congress toward the development of legislation consistent with our values and policy priorities.
  • Develop a comprehensive proposal to bring the U.S. federal-state Unemployment Insurance system into the 21st century, assuring incomes for dislocated workers while promoting rapid reemployment.
  • Identify effective employment and training strategies for skilled workers affected by sector- or region-specific labor market shocks.
  • Manage outside collaborators to produce timely, high-impact, research papers and policy proposals.
  • Promote Niskanen Center work through webinars, conferences, public writing, and engagement with policymakers and external experts.

A competitive candidate must have:

  • 5+ years of experience analyzing policy issues in employment, workforce development, and/or labor market policy, or as a professional in related fields.
  • Experience working within a federal agency or on Capitol Hill, with extensive knowledge of the landscape of existing federal employment-related policies and programs, and their associated interest groups and nonprofit organizations.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently, leverage resources, tackle new challenges, and think creatively.
  • An undergraduate degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. public policy, economics, law). Alternative career experience with demonstrated excellence can substitute for formal training.

The ideal candidate will have:

  • 7+ years of experience.
  • An advanced degree in a relevant discipline (e.g. public policy, economics, law).
  • Domain expertise in one or more major federal policies or programs.
  • Experience promoting research or advocating policy issues with think tanks, advocacy and industry groups, and policymakers and staff.
  • Experience developing compelling materials for dissemination across different media (written, graphical, audio, and video).

Please send a resume and cover letter to jobs@niskanencenter.org. Applications received before 4/05 will receive full consideration.

The Niskanen Center is an equal opportunity employer. All applicants will be considered for employment without discrimination of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran, or disability status. We also seek to expand our professional networks and workplace composition to better reflect our dedication to diversity, equity and inclusion.