Description

Research Assistant or Research Associate, Federal Fiscal Policy & Immigration Policy

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP) is a nonpartisan research and policy institute that advances federal and state policies to help build a nation where everyone — regardless of income, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, ZIP code, immigration status, or disability status — has the resources they need to thrive and share in the nation’s prosperity.   

CBPP combines rigorous research and analysis, strategic communications, and effective advocacy to shape debates, affect policy, and inform effective implementation both nationally and in states. It works closely with a broad set of national, state, and community organizations to design and advance policies that promote economic justice; improve health; broaden opportunity in areas like housing, health care, employment, and education; and lower structural barriers for people of color and others in communities that continue to face systemic barriers to opportunity. CBPP promotes policies that will build a more equitable nation and fair tax policies that can support these gains over the long term. CBPP also shows the harmful impacts of policies and proposals that would deepen poverty, widen disparities, and worsen health outcomes.    

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is seeking to hire a Research Assistant or Research Associate (RA) to work with a team of highly skilled national policy analysts on a range of spending and tax policies and immigration policies, especially policies that affect people with low incomes. The RA will be part of the Federal Fiscal team and work on a range of federal tax and budget policies alongside other RAs, supporting the team’s senior experts. The RA will also work closely with the Immigration team on a range of policy areas, especially those at the intersection of immigration policy and economic and health security policy. The ideal candidate is extremely organized, detail-oriented, and a self-starter with an interest in honing their analytic skills in a collaborative environment.   

This RA role will be managed by our Director of Federal Tax Policy, with support and project supervision from our Vice President for Immigration Policy. 

Responsibilities:

The RA will work roughly half of their time with the Federal Fiscal team and half of their time with the Immigration team. Though the content areas are different, the responsibilities are similar across the two roles:   

Analyze data, including using Excel and software packages/programming languages, to assess policy proposals, including their cost and distribution.    
Help prepare reports and analyses that pertain both to current policy debates and to longer-term challenges facing the U.S. economy and immigration policy.       
Contribute to written analyses and graphic presentations of findings. 
Evaluate pending legislative proposals and policy options.    
Summarize existing research and develop written memos and other documents on relevant findings.  
Draft and create content to share research and policy updates through social media. 
Conduct careful reviews of data used in policy analysis reports, often on a time-sensitive basis. 
Respond to analytical requests about policy proposals from external partners, congressional staff, and media.  
Collaborate with Federal Fiscal and Immigration team members to bring an equity lens to all facets of the work, including public products as well as the processes we use to do our work. 
Provide support for key projects and discussions, such as developing agendas, scheduling, and facilitating meetings. 
Perform other job-related duties within the role’s scope as assigned to support the team’s goals. 
Qualifications:

Research Assistant: Bachelor’s degree in economics, public policy, statistics, or any field that requires strong quantitative skills and a minimum of zero to one year of professional experience in a related field.
Research Associate: Advanced degree in economics, public policy, statistics, or any field that requires strong quantitative skills or at least two years of experience in a related field. 
Strong quantitative and writing skills, and the ability to work on multiple tasks both independently and as part of a highly collaborative team, often on a time-sensitive basis.     
Familiarity with one or more software packages or programming languages used for data analysis (such as STATA, R, Python) is highly desired.    
Applicants must demonstrate a commitment to accuracy.   
Interest in fiscal issues or policies affecting people with low incomes, and the intersection of immigration policy and economic and health security policy.
A commitment to CBPP’s mission to improve the well-being of people with low and moderate incomes.    
A commitment to advancing multiple dimensions of equity and inclusion, including racial and gender equity, in policy analysis and advocacy as well as CBPP’s internal and external relationships. 
Work Location and Hybrid Schedule Expectations: Employees are expected to work in the Washington, D.C. office for this position. CBPP is currently operating on a hybrid work schedule of two full in-office days (Tuesday and Wednesday) per week, as well as the first Thursday of each month in our Washington, D.C. office.

Terms of Employment: Full-time; exempt. This is a two-year term position. Position starts in June 2026 or sooner.  

Bargaining Unit Status: This is a bargaining unit position.

Compensation: Salary for this position ranges from $55,800 to $60,000 per year for Assistants and $58,655 to $63,000 per year for Associates; pay is based on a number of factors including job-related knowledge, skills, and experience and internal pay equity. Excellent benefits (including health insurance, vision and dental coverage, life and long-term disability insurance, retirement, MERP, and DCAP) and generous vacation, sick leave, and holiday schedules.

Career Development:   

This position is an exceptional foundational role for people seeking to build a career in public policy. The RA will work closely with senior staff and other RAs on our research work. Most of the RA’s work will be highly relevant to current legislative developments, so the role offers a unique insight into federal policymaking processes and an opportunity to help influence major policy decisions. CBPP analyses and experts are quoted frequently in the press and relied upon heavily by policymakers. 

Former Federal Fiscal and Immigration team RAs have gone on to a wide range of analysis and policy roles. Examples include working at the Council of Economic Advisers, the Office of Management and Budget, the National Economic Council in the White House, the Senate Finance Committee, nonpartisan national and state research organizations, union organizations, and advocacy organizations. In addition, RAs have gone from CBPP to top graduate programs in economics, law, public policy, and statistics.    

Please upload a cover letter, resume, and transcripts. In your cover letter, please include a discussion of what draws you to CBPP’s mission.      

The team will begin reviewing applications the week of January 5th.

The Center on Budget and Policy Priorities is an Equal Opportunity Employer that values and welcomes diversity in the workplace and strongly encourages all qualified persons to apply regardless of race, color, age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, credit information, pregnancy or parental status, family responsibilities, personal appearance, creed, military or veteran status, religion, ancestry or national origin, union activities, disability, or other status protected by applicable law.