Research Assistant: Foreign and Defense Policy; Defense Strategy and Great-Power Competition

AEI • Washington, DC

2d • $50,000 - $54,000 • Onsite

About The Position

The American Enterprise Institute (AEI) seeks a full-time, in-person research assistant to join our Foreign and Defense Policy department, contributing to the Institute’s work on national security, defense strategy, and great-power competition by supporting senior fellow Hal Brands and Fellow Kyle Balzer. The anticipated start date for this position is February 2026.
Responsibilities include primary- and secondary-source investigations into great-power competition and Russian and Chinese policy, including researching historical events and tracking recent developments. Other duties include organizing private roundtables, conferences, panel discussions, and public events; overseeing long-term projects; and providing administrative support.
Applicants must have excellent writing, editing, fact-checking, research, and administrative skills. The ideal candidate has a demonstrated interest in history, strategic studies, and military studies.
Qualified applicants should submit a resume, a cover letter, academic transcripts, and a 500-word writing sample with their online application.

Requirements

• A bachelor’s degree in history, international relations, political science, public policy, or a related field is required.
• Candidates should have 0–2 years of previous applicable full-time work experience; previous internship experience is strongly preferred.
• Candidates should have strong writing and editing skills, excellent organizational skills, attention to detail, and ability to meet deadlines.
• Candidates should have a background and interest in US national security, defense policy, and great-power competition.

Nice To Haves

• Well-rounded internship experience and a strong history background are preferred; there is no language requirement.
• An honors thesis on a related topic or other long-form research experience is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Provide research assistance to scholars, including primary- and secondary-source research, memo drafting, and data collection.
• Support research for a weekly blog focused on national security and defense issues.
• Assist with and coordinate short-term and major long-term research projects.
• Coordinate various activities and ensure proper communication with AEI departments, including Government Relations, Academic Programs, Development, and Media Relations.
• Manage logistics and administrative tasks, including tracking expenses, planning and staffing public-facing events, and organizing private meetings and roundtables.
• Manage long-term scholarly projects by drafting proposals and mapping timelines and regular progress reports for AEI management.

Benefits

• AEI offers generous benefits, including 18 days of paid leave (15 days of paid annual leave and 3 personal/floating holidays); 12 days of paid sick leave; paid family leave; medical and dental coverage, in addition to a health savings account; medical and dependent care FSA; a tuition assistance program of up to $5,200; life and disability insurance at no cost to employees; and a 403b retirement plan with a 12% contribution from AEI, among other benefits.
• For more information, you can see a full summary of our benefits at https://www.aei.org/jobs/benefits/.
• Compensation is based on a number of factors, including but not limited to: scope and responsibilities of the position; a candidate's full-time, applicable work experience; key skills and qualifications; as well as internal and external market considerations.
• The salary range for this full-time, exempt position is $50,000 - $54,000.
• Salary is just one component of AEI’s total compensation package for employees.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Number of Employees: 51-100 employees