Research Associate

Cicero Institute; Austin, Northern (TX, KY); Hybrid; USD 52,000 - 75,000; Full time

Job summary

The Cicero Institute is seeking a Research Associate to support the development of state-focused policy reforms in Austin. You will work closely with senior staff to deliver rigorous research and polished written products, independently and as part of teams to meet ambitious deadlines.

This entry-level position offers a front-line opportunity to deepen expertise in policy verticals, contribute to external briefings, and build analytic skills that support academic-grade research and policy

Qualifications

• Strong writing and analytical capabilities demonstrated in policy work.
• Ability to turn loosely defined assignments into well-scoped projects and clear outputs.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with attention to detail.
• Willingness to learn new policy domains quickly.

Responsibilities

• Produce well-sourced resources 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.
• Translate complex information into decision-grade outputs: tables, exhibits, and basic analytics.
• Track policy developments and synthesize findings into internal or external briefs.
• Support cross-team requests with clear scoping and tight timelines.
• Conduct 50-state legislative mappings and summarize statutes, bills, and rules.
• Develop policy language drafts and plain-English summaries, with enactment notes.

Skills

Strong writing

Critical thinking

Self-direction

Project scoping

Communication

Growth mindset

Tools

Excel

R

Python

Stata

Job description

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.

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.
• Exercises sound judgment, knowing what matters, rigorously verifying facts, and communicating clearly and concisely in both written and verbal form.
• Maintains high standards for organization and follow-through, even while managing multiple priorities and competing deadlines.
• Is coachable and growth-oriented, actively seeking feedback and demonstrating rapid improvement.
• Brings genuine intellectual curiosity and the ability to quickly learn new policy domains.

Experience with quantitative analysis or coding (such as Excel, R, Python, or Stata) and comfort working with messy data is a plus, but not required.

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