Research Assistant, China Program

FTE: 100%

Salary: $50,000 to $70,000

Location: Washington, DC

Apply By: May 1, 2025

About Stimson

The Henry L. Stimson Center (Stimson), a nonpartisan global security think tank located in Washington, DC, seeks a Research Assistant, China Program 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.

About the Program and Position Summary

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

Responsibilities:

Assist program research staff with the implementation of 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;
Track and evaluate news developments in issues area and flag key information;
Assist the program research staff with conducting, assessing, and summarizing research;
Assist with meetings, including greeting guests and note-taking as needed;
Summarize findings 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;
Draft invitations for roundtables, workshops, and dialogues;
Coordinate logistics for meetings, roundtables, workshops, and dialogues, including venue reservations and travel arrangements, and manage catering and printed materials;
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;
Draft social media posts to promote project work; and
Provide day-to-day management of interns.

The above specified tasks may not be the only duties assigned. Employees will be required to carry out any other job-related instructions requested by their supervisor, subject to reasonable accommodations.

Qualifications - required:

Bachelor's degree in international relations, political science, economics, history, or a related area of study;
Demonstrated knowledge of and deep interest in contemporary Chinese politics, foreign policy, economics, society, and related topics;
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;

Qualifications - preferred:

Advanced proficiency in Mandarin Chinese, especially in reading and writing for research purposes;
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.

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. We are unable to consider incomplete applications.

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.

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Research Assistant