Assistant Research Fellow

National Defense University•Fort McNair, DC

10d

About The Position

The Assistant Research Fellow supports National Defense University (NDU), which provides Joint Professional Military Education to members of the U.S. Armed Forces and select others. The fellow conducts research and analysis on national security issues under faculty guidance, assists with technical studies and curriculum development, contributes to teaching, and provides administrative support for the College and its activities. The role also administers the application process for an unpaid research internship program and maintains project and reference materials. This is a Title 10 Excepted Service appointment for up to two years, with the possibility of extension. The position requires domestic and international travel on an infrequent basis, estimated at less than 20% of the time, and the ability to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance.

Requirements

Must be a U.S. citizen.
Males born after December 31, 1959, must be registered for Selective Service or exempt.
Must use direct deposit as a federal employee.
Must be able and willing to travel domestically and internationally; travel is seldom required and is less than 20% of the time.
Must be able to obtain and maintain a Top Secret/SCI clearance.
Master’s degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education or international equivalent.
At least 2 years of experience conducting research, performing studies, or supporting curriculum development.
Experience as a team lead, assigning projects and managing deliverables and timelines.
Exceptional written and oral communication skills to develop and convey assessments and recommendations to senior leaders.
Strong interpersonal skills and ability to initiate and maintain productive working relationships with faculty, researchers, students, and colleagues, individually and in groups.
Experience using Blackboard, Google Cloud, academic databases, search engines, Excel, PowerPoint, and Microsoft Word to conduct research on course materials.

Nice To Haves

Knowledge of and skill in applying editorial guidelines and publication standards, including standards for style and accuracy.
Strong editing, fact-checking, and proofreading skills for publications, reports, presentations, and course materials.

Responsibilities

Conduct studies and research on national security issues with significant implications, following specific faculty guidance.
Assist faculty with planning, developing, and conducting technical studies and analyses, background papers, and literature searches on national strategy, military policy, and related national-level subjects.
Analyze issues across military, foreign policy, homeland security, and other relevant U.S. government policies and programs.
Support College administration, including travel, conferences, indoor and outdoor events, meetings, workshops, university classes, and upkeep of the College and its systems.
Participate in developing curriculum materials and teaching courses for National Defense University components.
Provide periodic reports to the supervisor on team and individual accomplishments, problems, progress, and training needs.
Administer and oversee the application process and unpaid research internship program, including requirements, deadlines, points of contact, and outreach to major graduate programs to attract a high-caliber research team.
Maintain research and administrative reference materials, project files, and background documents; make policies, procedures, and written instructions available to team members.
Maintain current knowledge of procedures and policies, including OP-MEPS, to answer team members’ questions.
Perform other duties as assigned.