Research Assistant

Date January 7, 2016
Organization Overview: The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness (CREC) is a national 501(c)3 nonprofit that is organized to provide research, technical assistance, and training to municipal, state, and regional economic and workforce development agencies on innovative approaches to addressing state growth and development challenges. We manage four membership networks that have individual missions that align with our long-term goals—the Council for Community and Economic Research, Labor Market Information Institute, Projections Managing Partnership, and Association of Public Data Users. We are a mission-oriented organization that focuses on helping state and regional economic development agencies enhance their programs through evidence-based decision making. We also have worked with economic development leaders in nearly every state.

 
Position Summary: The purpose of the Research Assistant function is to

  • Support regional economic and related policy research, especially conducting quantitative analysis
  • Help analyze state and regional economic development policies
  • Facilitate technical assistance and consulting projects through data analysis and report writing / editing
  • Provide association membership services and outreach to federal, state, and local government agencies and research organizations
Responsibilities: The Center for Regional Economic Competitiveness is searching for a Research Assistant who is responsible for gathering and analyzing economic and workforce data and can provide content development for in-person and Web-based training. In that capacity, a key aspect of the candidate’s work will be investigating the level of state expenditures in economic development, reporting on business development incentive programs sponsored by states, drafting case studies for research projects, and providing technical assistance as appropriate.
The ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously is also necessary. The candidate should demonstrate a genuine interest in U.S. economic development and a strong sense of intellectual curiosity. Some domestic travel may be required. He / she will contribute to weekly updates to association members, Web sites, blogs, social media, and proposals and must be able to apply critical thinking across all areas of the job. The candidate has an eye for detail and is able to efficiently undertake multiple tasks independently and successfully partner with other team members. The Research Assistant can also clearly articulate ideas and findings verbally and in writing and has experience using Excel.
Qualifications:
  • Bachelor’s degree required, preferably in Public Policy, Economics, Geography, Urban and Regional Planning or other related field (Master’s degree is preferred).
  • The candidate must have a demonstrated writing ability and proficiency with Microsoft Office (especially Excel and Word).
  • Preferred candidates will have GIS mapping capabilities and demonstrated advanced quantitative capabilities

Apply Now:

Please send a well-written cover letter and a resume to Sean McNamera at sam@crec.net.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, it is not possible to respond directly to all applicants, only to those whose candidacy is being pursued.