Research Assistant/Associate – Technology & National Security

About the role

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is hiring a Research Assistant/Associate for its Technology and National Security Program. This two‑year, term‑limited position will support a project examining cybersecurity threats arising from advances in quantum computing, while contributing to broader policy research and communications.

Key responsibilities

• Develop and manage project timelines, tasks, events, and budgets.
• Coordinate with the development team on donor engagement and contact‑list management.
• Maintain program communications, including web pages, email campaigns, and social media.
• Conduct in‑depth research on emerging technology policy issues and produce literature reviews.
• Organize roundtables, tabletop exercises, workshops, and stakeholder interviews.
• Draft policy recommendations, op‑eds, grant proposals, reports, and external‑facing materials.
• Publish analyses and co‑author CNAS papers; travel domestically and internationally as needed.

Required profile

• Self‑starter comfortable in a small, fast‑paced team.
• Strong verbal and written communication with internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent administrative, event, and project‑management abilities with meticulous attention to detail.
• Creative, proactive, organized, and able to juggle multiple tasks simultaneously.

Required skills