Research Associate, Research Scientist, Data Scientist

The Cicero Institute is hiring a Research Associate to support the development of state-focused policy reforms. Working closely with senior staff, you will deliver rigorous research and polished written products—independently and as part of teams—to execute ambitious, high-quality products on tight timelines.

We operate in a disciplined, high-expectation environment. We often move quickly from research to implementation and work alongside a strong network of public- and private-sector leaders to advance reforms that most policy organizations cannot execute.

The Research Associate (RA) role is an entry-level position, but it is also a front-line opportunity for a smart, hardworking, self-driven individual who shares our values and wants to improve government for the prosperity of all.

The Cicero Institute offers strong opportunities for advancement where one can deepen expertise in a specific policy vertical, become a trusted collaborator in external briefings and advocacy efforts, and build analytic skills that support academic-grade research and policy development.

The work includes accurate research and decision-grade writing, such as:

• 50-state legislative landscapes with clean citations and clear categorizations
• Short policy memos that frame problems and recommend options
• Draft statutory or regulatory language accompanied by plain-English summaries
• One-page briefs that distill what happened, why it matters, and what we should do next

RAs may also help develop simple tables, exhibits, and analytics that turn messy or incomplete information into clear, actionable recommendations for policymakers.

This role offers autonomy with structured support. You will build workflows in collaboration with a supervisor, learning how to scope questions, set quality standards, and deliver on deadlines. Some requests will be idiosyncratic, with no perfect template or prior deliverable to copy. In those cases, you will work directly with experienced professionals to clarify what “good” looks like, iterate quickly, and deliver a clean final product.

If you want to do serious work that meaningfully improves how government functions and contributes to long-term civilizational strength, this role offers a rare opportunity to do exactly that.

Note:

Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. We will contact candidates selected to move forward. If no opening is available, we may keep your application on file for future roles.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The Research Associate will:

• Produce well-sourced, timely resource to support state-focused policy proposals and advocacy material;
• Draft and revise memos, briefs, position pieces, blogs, and longer research products to a public-ready standard;
• Navigate fragmented and seemingly esoteric information, and translate it into decision-grade outputs: tables, exhibits, and basic analytics that sharpen recommendations as well as evaluate policy;
• Track and synthesize relevant policy developments (hearings, reports, news, academic work) into short internal and/or external policy briefs;
• Support cross-team requests with clear scoping, tight timelines, and clean, reusable deliverables;
• Conduct 50-state legislative mappings by locating, verifying, and summarizing relevant statutes, bills, and administrative rules; produce clear matrices, short syntheses, and clean citations for reuses across projects;
• Support policy language development by drafting and editing legislation or regulatory language (and mark ups), plus plain-English summaries, stakeholder FAQs, and enactment notes;
• Invest in growth: deepen your understanding of our policy areas and the broader dynamics of governance, while strengthening the research, writing, and analytic skills that make you increasingly effective on the team.

THE IDEAL CANDIDATE

• Is self-directed and takes full ownership of their work.
• Has a high level of comfort and confidence turning loosely defined assignments into well-scoped projects and delivering high-quality results on deadline with minimal oversight.
• Is a strong writer and critical thinker, capable of developing clear, persuasive arguments, synthesizing complex sources, and iterating quickly based on feedback.
• Exercise…