DC Research Manager (Talent Development Team)

As Research Manager on the Talent Development team, you will be co-responsible for the design, selection process, setup, and execution of the biannual DC editions of our flagship talent development program, the Seasonal Fellowships. You will be solely responsible for research managing around 10 members of each approximately 20-person cohort, and will contribute to the success of the program via a range of other responsibilities. You will be working closely with GovAI’s Director of Talent, the DC Fellowship Manager, and other members of the Talent Development team.

For promising applicants who aren’t yet in a position to take on the full range of responsibilities for this role, we will consider making an offer for a Research Management Associate position first. ‍ Applications for this position are now open. The deadline for applications is September 13 at 11:59 p.m. ET.

Role Description As Research Manager, your core responsibility will be the Seasonal Fellowships in DC. Your responsibilities will include: Research managing around 10 Seasonal Fellows per cohort, which will include weekly meetings with each of them. You will have primary ownership of ensuring that your fellows set clear goals and timelines, and that they are supported on executing both their projects and their career search successfully. To achieve this, you will also liaise with the fellows’ supervisors, who have primary responsibility for providing feedback on the fellows’ work. Contributing to the selection of fellowship cohorts. This will include application grading, conducting interviews, making candidate recommendations, and providing input on the design of the selection process. It may also include input on our outreach strategy, and attending or organizing events to conduct outreach for the fellowship. Contributing to the setup of fellowships. This will include soliciting project suggestions from our team and network, recruiting supervisors and pairing them with incoming fellows, engaging guest speakers and arranging events with them, and developing pedagogical materials for seminars and workshops. Contributing to the day-to-day running of the fellowship. Beyond your research management responsibilities, this will also include running events and workshops, moderating expert Q&As and discussion sessions, and generally taking responsibility for the experience of the fellows while at GovAI. Contributing to evaluating the program’s impact. Suggesting and implementing changes to the fellowship to increase its impact.

Beyond your responsibilities on the Seasonal Fellowship, there are other contributions you could make to our talent development efforts, depending on your capacity, skills, experience, and interests. These include: Contributing to the management of our talent databases and providing candidate recommendations for external roles on request. Providing ongoing career support to our alumni.

Selection Criteria For all candidates, we will look for: Impact motivation. Someone excited by GovAI’s mission and the opportunity to make our programs as impactful as they can be. Excellent project management skills and attention to detail. You will concurrently manage multiple complex workstreams, requiring structured work habits, sharp prioritization judgment, and meticulous execution. Broad familiarity with US (AI) policy. You will provide feedback on fellows' research plans and outputs, and offer strategic input on projects aimed at US policy audiences, so familiarity with the US policy research landscape, especially with regard to AI policy, is a strong plus. Strong interpersonal skills and a coaching mindset. You should be able to support our Seasonal Fellows in overcoming challenges in their work and career search, while holding them accountable for meeting their goals. Strong professional judgment and communication skills. You will represent GovAI to fellows, a range of stakeholders (including internal and external supervisors), and fellowship guests, so it is important that you are adept at communicating clearly and professionally across diverse audiences. Proactivity and collaborativeness. You should be able to both drive your own work forward independently and partner effectively with colleagues. A drive to excellence. You should demonstrate a strong commitment to self-improvement and receptiveness to feedback, since these are core components of GovAI’s culture. (preferred but not required) An established network in the DC emerging tech policy community, typically built through at least a year working in or around DC. This will help you connect fellows with relevant experts and opportunities, and support speaker and supervisor recruitment.