Government Works Weekly #31
Jobs, Events, and a Model Government
Welcome to your weekly roundup of opportunities, events, and information about how government works—and how government can work better—to improve the lives of individuals, families, and communities.
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APPLY YOURSELF – jobs, internships, and other ways to get involved
Invest in What Works Senior Fellow (and more), Results for America [Flexible U.S.]
Executive Director, Transparentem [Remote / priority deadline 31 Mar.]
Director, Strategic Initiatives (and more), Roosevelt Institute [D.C.]
Research Assistant, Governance Studies (and more), Brookings [D.C.]
Senior Data Analyst, USAFacts [Bellevue]
Fellow, Benefits Data Interoperability, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University [deadline 7 Apr.]
Director of Member Engagement & Network Development, Philanthropy for Active Civic Engagement [D.C. area / remote]
Vice President, Policy, Common Cause [Remote]
Multiple Positions, Democratic Staff on Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee [D.C.]
POLICY + PROGRAM + RESEARCH JOBS
Chief Economist (and more), World Resources Institute [Hybrid Global]
Research Data Specialist, Office of Cradle-to-Career Data, State of California [Sacramento / deadline 7 Apr.]
Director of Research, Analyst Institute [Remote U.S. / rolling deadline 1 Apr.]
Health Care Analyst (and more), Arnold Ventures [D.C.]
Research & Evaluation Consultant, National WIC Association [proposals due 4 Apr.]
Project and Policy Analyst, California Center for Sustainable Communities [UCLA]
Project Leader, Children & Families, Government Performance Lab [Harvard / deadline 30 Mar.]
Executive Director, Children’s Alliance [Washington State / deadline 24 Apr.]
Director, Research Engagement, Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching [Remote]
Program Director, Education, American Academy of Arts & Sciences [Cambridge, MA]
Program Manager, Stanford Center on Early Childhood [Stanford, CA]
Senior Policy Analyst, Center on Education and Labor, Partnership to Advance Youth Apprenticeship, New America [D.C.]
Senior Regional Specialist, National League of Cities [D.C.]
Senior Policy Specialist, National Conference of State Legislatures [Hybrid Denver / deadline 31 Mar.]
Program Associate, Lawmaker Engagement, States Project [deadline 2 Apr.]
Chief Research and Innovation Officer, Atlanta Regional Commission [deadline 4 Apr.]
Executive Director, Committee on States [Remote U.S. / deadline 7 Apr.]
Operations Associate, Rural West Communities Fund [Remote]
Program Manager, Open Data Watch [Preference D.C. / deadline 18 Apr.]
Sr. Program Associate, ZERO TO THREE [Remote U.S.]
Program Associate, Rethink Trade (and more), American Economic Liberties Project [D.C.]
Senior Program Officer, Restorative Economies Fund, Kataly Foundation [SF / CA]
Multiple Positions, Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget [D.C.]
Chief of Staff, Pocketbook Strategies [Remote U.S. / deadline 7 Apr.]
TECH + DESIGN + DIGITAL JOBS
Senior Program Officer, Digital Public Finance, Development Policy & Finance (and more), Gates Foundation [D.C.]
Program Manager, Artificial Intelligence, Georgia Technology Authority [deadline 2 Apr.]
Software Engineer (and more), Center for Security and Emerging Technology [Georgetown University / deadline 31 Mar.]
Departmental Specialist, Michigan Center for Data and Analytics (MCDA), State of Michigan [Lansing / deadline 31 Mar.]
Service Designer - Temporary, Innovation and Performance Team, City of Seattle [deadline 1 Apr.]
Resource Organizer, People’s Tech Project [Remote U.S.]
Director of User Experience and Service Design, Department of Innovation and Technology [City of Boston]
Program Director (and more), Institutional Data Initiative [Harvard Law School Library]
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Trustworthy Infrastructures, Data & Society Research Institute [NYC / application review beginning 18 Apr.]
Multiple Positions, New York State Digital Service [NY]
Terms of Reference: Digital Action Lab Evaluation Consultant, CIVICUS [deadline 18 Apr.]
DEMOCRACY JOBS
Director, Administrative Law, Governors Safeguarding Democracy [Remote]
Senior Basebuilding Program Manager (and more), Center for Popular Democracy [Remote]
Senior Director of Finance (and more), America Votes [D.C.]
Paralegal (and more), CREW – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington [D.C.]
Associate Director of Political Education and Research, Center for Constitutional Rights [NY]
Deputy Voter Protection Director, DCCC [D.C.]
Sr. Counsel for Litigation and Voting Rights, DNC [D.C.]
MEDIA JOBS
Government Policy & Impact News Editor (and more), Associated Press [D.C.]
Political Enterprise Editor (and more), The Guardian [D.C.]
Audience Engagement Editor, Bolts [Remote]
White House Reporter (and more), Washington Post [D.C.]
Deputy Editor of Political Content, States (and more), Courier Newsroom [Remote]
Reporter, National, ProPublica [NYC / Remote]
Politics Editor, Slate [DC / Brooklyn / Remote]
COMMS JOBS
Press Associate (and more), CREW – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington [D.C.]
Manager, Multimedia and Digital Engagement, Independent Sector [D.C.]
Communications Officer (and more), Wallace Foundation [Hybrid NYC]
Director, Content Strategy (and more), Rockefeller Foundation [NY]
Pennsylvania Communications Director, Campaign for a Family Friendly Economy [PA]
INTERNATIONAL JOBS
Terms of Reference: Contractor for Energy Transition Policy-Making and Undue Influence (and more), Open Government Partnership [Remote]
Call for Consultant: Meaningful Engagement Platform, Concord [Europe / deadline 2 Apr.]
Office Manager, European Civic Forum [Hybrid Brussels / deadline 6 Apr.]
Director of Research Programmes, SOMO [Amsterdam]
Strategic Program and Partnerships Officer, International Finance Facility for Education [Geneva]
Contract: Project Coordinator Role, Global Policy Research Group [UK or Europe / deadline 15 Apr.]
Head of Communications and Outreach, Fair Tax Foundation [Remote UK / deadline 2 Apr.]
Researcher, Devolution, Institute for Government [UK / deadline 31 Mar.]
Country Director Tunisia, Democracy Reporting International [deadline 10 Apr.]
Multiple Consultancies, Democracy Reporting International [Various]
Terms of Reference (TOR) for the Regional Support Mechanism Implementing Partner's Capacity Assessment, Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) team at CIVICUS [South Africa / deadline 8 Apr.]
(Associate) Director, Right-Fit Evidence, Innovations for Poverty Action [Africa / deadline 11 Apr.]
ACADEMIC POLICY JOBS
Program Coordinator, Global Democracy, McCain Institute at Arizona State University [D.C. / deadline 31 Mar.]
Managing Director, Policy and Strategic Engagement (and more), Institute for Climate and Sustainable Growth [University of Chicago]
Director of the M.A. in Public Policy Program (Lecturer), Stony Brook University [deadline 28 Apr.]
Understanding America Study (UAS) Survey Director, Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences [University of Southern California]
Director of Fellowships, Leadership for Social Justice (and more), CCNY + CUNY [New York]
Associate Dean for P-20 Education Initiatives, University of Texas [Austin]
Finance and Operations Manager, Blueprint Labs, Massachusetts Institute of Technology [Cambridge, MA]
Economic Development Program Manager, Taubman Center for State and Local Government [Harvard Kennedy School]
Dean, Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service [New York University]
INTERNSHIPS + FELLOWSHIPS + ETC.
Summer Associate, US Program & Policy - Economic Opportunity (and more), Rockefeller Foundation [NY]
Summer 2025 Research Intern (and more), CREW – Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington [D.C.]
Intern, Finance, PolicyLink [Oakland or Remote, CA]
Summer 2025: Civic Engagement & Voter Protection Internship (and more), DNC [Remote U.S.]
Research Intern (and more), American Economic Liberties Project [D.C. preferred / remote possible]
External Relations Summer 2025 Internship Program, Ballotpedia [Remote U.S.]
Traineeship Finance and Operations, European Endowment for Democracy [Brussels / deadline 6 Apr.]
Public Information Intern, United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction [Bonn / deadline 3 Apr.]
Research Assistant, Participedia [deadline 31 Mar.]
And loads more opportunities in the last edition of the newsletter too: Government Works Weekly #30.
UPCOMING EVENTS – webinars, conferences, and other human things
WEEK OF 31 MAR. — 4 APR.
31 MAR: Organized Labor in Today's Economy [Kennedy School Institute of Politics]
1 APR: Harnessing mission governance to achieve national climate targets [OECD]
1 APR: How Artificial Intelligence is Already Changing Politics [Ash Center]
1 APR: Effective Public Safety Messaging Strategies for Local Leaders [Center for American Progress + John Jay College of Criminal Justice Future of Public Safety Initiative]
1 APR: The Political Effects of X's Recommender Algorithm [CEPR Media Plurality Webinar Series]
2 APR: Design Principles: Human-Centered Visual Design for Public Institutions [Civilla]
2 APR: AI's Impact on Science, Law, and Society [Berkman Klein Center]
2 APR: The Master's Tools: How Finance Wrecked Democracy (And a Radical Plan to Rebuild It) by Michael A. McCarthy [Roosevelt Institute Book Club]
3 APR: Backsliding and Resistance in the United States [Ash Center]
3 APR: Building strategic foresight skills in public sector organisations [OECD]
3 APR: 3rd Annual Health Solutions Summit [Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget]
3 APR: Imagining Democratic Futures in Southern Africa and South Asia [International IDEA]
3 APR: The Connection Opportunity: How Can We Best Bring Americans Together? [Democracy Notes + More In Common]
4 APR: GDC Forum Asia 2025 [Global Democracy Coalition]
4 APR: 2025 Call to Serve Summit [Partnership for Public Service]
WEEK OF 7 APR. — 11 APR.
8 APR: Assessing City Government Dynamic Capabilities [UCL Institute for Innovation and Public Purpose]
9 APR: Breaking Bottlenecks: Federal Solutions to Address the U.S. Doctor Shortage [Niskanen Center]
9 APR: From Policy to Practice: How Cities Can Lead on Immigration [Truman Center]
9 APR: Launch of OECD Regulatory Policy Outlook 2025 [Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development]
9 APR: Building Bridges, Not Barriers: The Future of Education and Workforce Data Integration [Data Foundation]
9 APR: Understanding Access to Unemployment Insurance [Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis]
10 APR: Constructing Powerful Narratives: A Look Inside the Narrative House [The Communications Network]
10-11 APR: Artificial Intelligence and Democratic Freedoms [Knight First Amendment Institute at Columbia University]
11 APR: Executive Power and the Courts: Judicial Authority in Constitutional Crises [SNF Agora Institute at Johns Hopkins University]
EYES & EARS – reading, podcasts, and other good stuff
The last two months have been exhausting. And all signals point to more chaos to come. Even limiting ourselves only to “S” words, the Trump/Musk administration continues its assault on schools, statistics, social security,1 and science, while bolstering support for Musk’s SpaceX/Starlink. Quite literally the opposite of public good(s).2
It is sometimes easy to think this spaghetti-against-the-wall flurry of activity is further evidence that the Trump administration does not know what it is doing—despite the fact that they literally spelled out a plan for this—or that the Republicans are just as disorganized as the Democrats appear to be. But that is just not the case.3
Even more than a plan, MAGA has a model. The right wing in the United States seems in particular to be fond of what has been happening in Hungary,4 one example of the democratic backsliding that has been happening around the world.
This week I listened to an excellent episode of the Kettering Foundation’s The Context podcast,5 and I wanted to share it here. The episode (“Gábor Scheiring: Saving Democracy Is about Saving People”) features a great conversation with Gábor Scheiring, who served in the Hungarian Parliament from 2010–2014. A couple key quotes:
I think one of the biggest mistakes of the opposition was the failure to organize a clear majority. And too much focus on some of the institutional issues that are super relevant for the functioning of healthy democracies.
You don’t protect democracy by delivering these normcore lectures about the importance of the Constitutional Court, of the Supreme Court because the number of people who care about these institutions is relatively little.
And:
Beyond that, the most important thing is if you are organizing a thing the most important thing is always to keep your eye on issues that lend themselves to organize from the local levels ground-up to national kind of majorities.
Don’t let the organization splinter in to these factional issues or issues that are crucial about institutions, but they should not take center stage in the organizational work. The organizational work or the identity-building should really roll around things that show people that democracy delivers so that they really can trust democracy as a system that is about people and not just about elites.
The social security example is particularly galling, and not just because Donald Trump explicitly campaigned on not taking away people’s social security. But the work is essential (in lifting millions out of poverty), and the administration is excellent (with much lower administrative costs than private options). Or as one Nobel Prize winner writes with some understatement here on Substack, “It’s a pretty good program, and we can afford it.”
To put my cards fully on the table, back in my nonpartisan federal service days I worked on a GAO report about the Social Security Administration’s changing needs for physical space as remote service delivery options expanded. I had the opportunity to visit various field offices, interview senior management and staffers, and observe actual service delivery, and I came away truly impressed by the organization, its people, and its mission. I really would encourage Elon Musk and Howard Lutnick to see how SSA works for themselves.
For another take, see Paul Krugman’s recent Substack post titled “Incompetent or Evil: A False Dichotomy”.
M. Gessen of the New York Times has been particularly good for understanding the appeal of the Hungary model, see for example: “Hungary Shows Us How a Second Trump Term Might Play Out,” NYT, 18 Nov. 2024. It is not just Hungary, either, see: “The American and Russian right are aligning: MAGA men are warming to anti-liberal ideas emanating from Moscow,” The Economist, 20 March 2025.
This podcast is consistently interesting, I recommend it. A couple weeks ago here I shared a previous episode that is relevant to today’s post too: “Donald Moynihan: Project 2025’s Threat to Democracy,” The Context by Kettering Foundation (29 Oct.)
https://substack.com/home/post/p-160300646?source=queue