Research Associate – Payments

About the role

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City’s Economic Research Department is seeking a full‑time Payments Research Associate to join its team in Kansas City. The role supports cutting‑edge research on payments systems, consumer finance and related macro‑economic topics, and is ideal for candidates planning to pursue a PhD in economics.

Key responsibilities

• Collaborate with PhD‑level economists on policy briefings and academic research projects.
• Analyze large transaction‑level datasets, payment‑network data, consumer‑credit panels and household surveys.
• Produce charts, tables and visualisations for internal and public publications.
• Contribute to econometric or theoretical research papers and present findings to civic and educational audiences.

Required profile

• Bachelor’s or master’s degree in economics, statistics, mathematics or computer science.
• Strong academic record with coursework or experience in econometrics, mathematics and statistics.
• Demonstrated interest in research and potential for PhD studies.

Required skills

• Proficiency in statistical programming languages such as Stata, R, Python or Matlab.
• Experience handling large datasets and performing empirical analysis.

What we offer

• Exposure to high‑performance computing environments and national‑level data.
• Mentorship from leading economists and a pathway to top PhD programs.
• Competitive benefits and a collaborative research environment.