Research Analyst - Labor Economics and Econometrics

Institute for Defense Analyses
Alexandria - United States
S: BOE

Overview

The Institute for Defense Analyses is a federally funded research and development center supporting the Department of Defense and other federal agencies that require rigorous and objective analysis of national security issues. The Strategy, Forces and Resources Division (SFRD) performs interdisciplinary analyses of plans and policies related to national security strategy; the structure and capabilities of US, allied and adversary forces; chemical, biological, radiological, and nuclear defense; organizational efficiency and management issues; and human capital challenges. The Strategy, Forces and Resources Division has an opening for a Research Staff Member to contribute to analyses principally focused on human capital management, personnel and compensation policies, and the intersection of these labor management policies with attracting and retaining people with the appropriate skills in the appropriate numbers to serve in the U. S. armed forces.

Responsibilities

Research Analysts are career research staff, typically with PhDs. Research Analyst engage with senior US government officials to determine what research might illuminate and clarify government policy or program choices. After defining a research question, RSMs select the appropriate methodologies and analytic tools; collect or oversee the collection of data; develop and implement research plans; apply software tools appropriate to the analytical problem, including development of software code to operationalize models addressing the research problem; interact with research subjects in the research process and with research sponsors in communication of results; and direct more junior research assistants and associates in development of software code and in applying the code to test hypotheses. Some research tasks will be narrowly focused; others will address a broader spectrum of concerns.

Research Analyst contributing to SFRD's human capital and organizational efficiency programs of work will apply advanced economic analyses to problems associated with recruiting, management, and retention in the armed forces, to problems related to attaining and sustaining appropriate levels of readiness through investments in workforce training and assignments, and to a variety of other workforce issues. Research Analysts are expected to have demonstrated proficiency in technical areas and to be familiar with computer languages and computational and data processing software. Research Analysts are members of interdisciplinary research teams and must demonstrate good interpersonal communications skills and contribute effectively to a team approach to problem solving. The issues that IDA addresses change constantly, and Research Analysts are expected to be adaptable and self- motivated, demonstrating a capacity for independent thought and sound judgment, and creativity in applying quantitative analysis methods to complex policy problems. As part of the research process, IDA research teams will journey to US government or US security partner field locations (typically headquarters or office-like locations).

Qualifications

- Requires PhD in economics demonstrating significant accomplishments in labor economics, health economics, or industrial organization; with published works featuring empirical microeconomics, applied econometrics and/or computational economics. PhDs specializing in econometrics as a primary field will also be considered.
- Requires:
Demonstrated proficiency in guiding analyses featuring large, complex data sets and in producing and communicating descriptive statistics using statistical analysis software applications (such as STATA, MATLAB, R, or SAS).
Demonstrated ability to produce parsimonious, presentation-quality tables, graphs, charts, and diagrams depicting complex statistical relationships using statistical processing software, Excel, and Power Point.
Ability to communicate complex concepts simply and clearly in written and spoken contexts.
- Prior work experience in the military, government, or non-governmental organizations performing national security related work is a plus.
Applicant are required to provide undergraduate and graduate transcripts (unofficial copies will suffice) as part of the application process.
- Applicants are asked to provide a resume, writing sample and a cover letter outlining their interests, skill set, experiences, and education relevant to this position. Upload each document as a separate file.
- US Citizenship is required.
- Applicants selected will be subject to a security investigation and must meet eligibility requirements for access to classified information.

Job summary