Government Works Weekly #36
Anniversary Post: Jobs, Events, and a Couple Actions You Can Take
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.
Tomorrow marks one year of publishing this newsletter. This has grown into a nice little community, with hundreds joining here on Substack and thousands more on a sister LinkedIn page. Thank you!
If you want to get a new job opening, an upcoming event, or an interesting idea in front of a growing group of folks dedicated to public service, please reach out. I am always open to reader submissions and suggestions. In the next year, I plan to experiment a bit more with new types of content and formats. In addition to the weekly roundup, I would love to include some guest authors, book reviews, or deeper dives on policies or people that speak to the theme of the newsletter—how government works.
And if you find this useful, please consider sharing with a friend or colleague that might also benefit.
APPLY YOURSELF – jobs, internships, and other ways to get involved
POLICY + PROGRAM
Senior Policy Director, Anticorruption & Accountability, Common Cause [Remote]
Executive Vice President, Policy, Center for American Progress [D.C.]
Vice President, Policy & Law, Human Rights Campaign [D.C.]
Project Director, Public Policy, Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Pew Charitable Trusts [D.C.]
Policy Analyst/Senior Policy Analyst, Blueprint Biosecurity [D.C. / deadline 1 June]
Policy Analyst, Children’s Aid [NY]
Deputy Legislative Director, End Citizens United [Remote + D.C. area]
Federal Policy Manager, Drug Policy Alliance [Remote + D.C. area]
Senior Budget Analyst (and more), Chief Administrative Officer [D.C. / deadline 19 May]
Research Translation Manager, SCALE Medicaid Lab [Yale]
Managing Director, Poverty Solutions, Gerald R. Ford School of Public Policy [University of Michigan / deadline 26 May]
Senior Policy Counsel (and more), Democracy Forward [D.C.]
Director, Democracy Protection Network [Remote / deadline 23 May]
Director of Democracy Reform (and more), Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington [D.C.]
Head of Civic Participation and Economic Inclusion Programs, Welcome.US [Remote]
COMMS + OPS
Senior Manager of Community Outreach, Voter Participation Center [Hybrid D.C.]
Director of Communications and Partnerships, Weave: The Social Fabric Project, Aspen Institute [D.C.]
Director of Foundations and Advancement Operations, Issue One [D.C. preferred]
Communications Manager, National Caucus of Environmental Legislators [Remote]
Director of Operations, Democracy Forward [D.C.]
VP of Communications, Freedom Together Foundation [NYC]
Senior Manager, People and Culture (and more), Ballot Initiative Strategy Center [Flexible]
Senior Operations Manager, Progressive Change Campaign Committee [Remote]
Senior Partner Success Manager, Democracy Works [Remote]
Associate Editor, Political Science Today, American Political Science Association [D.C.]
STATE + LOCAL
Civic Engagement Director, Ohio Organizing Collaborative [Columbus]
Senior Attorney, Northern Rockies Office, Earthjustice [Hybrid / Bozeman, Montana or Remote]
Political Director, Kansans for a Democratic House [Kansas]
Part-time Coordinator, Washington Power-Building Table [Seattle]
Senior Officer, State Policy, Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals, Pew Charitable Trusts [D.C.]
Senior Policy Analyst, Governor's Workforce Development Board, State of Maryland [Baltimore / deadline 26 May]
Associate Director of Child Care Subsidy Program Operations, Commonwealth of Virginia [Richmond / deadline 27 May]
Project Director of Strategic Plan, Illinois Department of Early Childhood [deadline 1 June]
INTERNATIONAL FOCUS
Communications Officer (Multilingual) – Maternity Cover, CIVICUS [deadline 25 May]
Research and Administration Officer (Political & Congressional), Embassy of Ireland in Washington DC [deadline 30 May]
Program Officer, Global Fisheries, Packard Foundation [Hybrid / Los Altos]
Communications Coordinator, European Citizen Action Service [Brussels / deadline 25 May]
Researcher, Demos [Greater London / deadline 1 June]
Policy and Communications Associate, J-PAL LAC [Chile]
Central America – Policy Analyst, Global Financial Integrity [El Salvador]
Advisor, Global Development Policy, Save the Children [D.C.]
Head of US Advocacy, Reporters Without Borders [D.C.]
TECH + DATA + DESIGN + DIGITAL
Senior Policy Director, Media & Technology, Common Cause [Remote]
Senior Program Officer, Research and Measurement, Digital Public Infrastructure, Gates Foundation [Seattle / deadline 27 May]
Senior Director of Product (and more), New York City Campaign Finance Board [NY]
Technical Product Manager, Platforms & Infrastructure (and more), Nava [Remote]
Director Customer Experience Programs, Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority [D.C.]
AI Program Manager, Governor's Office of Information Technology, State of Colorado [Remote Colorado]
Senior UX Engineer, Freedom of the Press Foundation [NYC preferred / U.S. remote]
Senior Software Engineer, Empower Project [Remote]
Researcher (Research Engineer), Center for Social Media and Politics [New York University]
Research and Analytics Specialist (and more), Working America [D.C.]
Data Scientist, SCALE Medicaid Lab [Yale]
Data Scientist - Machine Learning, Blue Rose Research [Remote]
Strategy and Communications Adviser, Incubator for Artificial Intelligence [UK Gov]
INTERNSHIPS + FELLOWSHIPS
Social Media Intern, Aspen Policy Academy, Aspen Institute [San Francisco]
Intern, Early Warning & Research Unit, International Crisis Group [deadline 20 May / London or Brussels]
Fair Fight Fellows, Fair Fight Action [Georgia, Mississippi, Louisiana, South Carolina]
Data Fellow, Mayor’s Office of Housing [City of Boston]
Fellow, Artificial Intelligence, Beeck Center for Social Impact + Innovation at Georgetown University [deadline 2 June]
Research & Policy Fellow, Connecticut Voices for Children [deadline 23 May]
CONSULTANCIES + OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Research consultancy: CIVICUS Monitor, Asia Pacific, CIVICUS [deadline 25 May]
Communications and Design Consultant, Accountable Now [ASAP]
Democratic Innovations Accelerator, People Powered [deadline 1 July]
Inclusive Democracy Accelerator, People Powered [deadline 1 July]
Call for proposals: US Single Audit (auditor), Basel Institute on Governance [deadline 31 May]
Terms of Reference: Consultants for Independent Reporting Mechanism (IRM) researcher pool, Open Government Partnership [deadline 21 May]
Request for Proposal: Media Innovation Fellowship, Higher Ground Institute [deadline 27 May]
Call for Proposals: The Protest Lab, CIVICUS [deadline 23 May]
And lots more opportunities in the last newsletter: Government Works Weekly #35.
UPCOMING EVENTS – webinars, conferences, and other human things
WEEK OF 19-23 MAY
19-23 MAY: Open Gov Week 2025 [Open Government Partnership]
19 MAY: Mayhem on Main Street: Trump’s Attacks on Small Business Break the Back of Local Economies [CAP]
19 MAY: Unprecedented Cancellations of Federal Grants: What Nonprofits Should Do to Prepare and Respond [National Council of Nonprofits]
20 MAY: Digital-era government skills masterclass [Teaching Public Service in the Digital Age]
20 MAY: Federalism and Elections 101: The Constitution and Federal Statutes [NCSL]
20 MAY: Book Launch: Islamic Public Value [UCL IIPP]
20 MAY: Deep Dive: Student Pathways Data Story Community Conversation [California Cradle-to-Career Data System]
20 MAY: Sovereign Citizens: A Conversation with Dr. Christine Sarteschi [GW Program on Extremism]
21 MAY: What Can Be Learned from International Perspectives on Autocracy and Democracy? [AAAS]
21 MAY: Four months into the Trump administration: How have US political institutions responded? [Brookings]
21 MAY: The New Empire of AI: The Future of Global Inequality [New America]
21 MAY: Technology Leadership Standing Panel: Ensuring the Future of Federal Data [NAPA]
21 MAY: What Next for Education in Sub-Saharan Africa? Safe and Inclusive Education for All [Center for Global Development]
21 MAY: Following the Money: New Evidence on School Funding Effectiveness [Annenberg Institute at Brown University]
21-23 MAY: 24th OIDP Conference [International Observatory on Participatory Democracy]
22 MAY: Navigating Public Thinking during a Constitutional Crisis [Frameworks]
22 MAY: Driving Practical Public Sector Innovation [OECD]
22 MAY: Policy Lab: Protecting Schools, Protecting Students [RAND]
22 MAY: Building Evidence RFP Webinar: Infrastructure, Career Education & Training, and Public Finance [Arnold Ventures]
22 MAY: Acting Legitimately in Times of Crisis: Lessons for Decision Makers and Practitioners [LEGIMULT]
23 MAY: Democracy is a collective act of care [Democratic Odyssey]
EYES & EARS – reading, podcasts, and other good stuff
[ACTION] SUBMIT A COMMENT: FIVE MINUTES FOR SCHEDULE F
[READ] Once again, Don Moynihan cuts through the noise to pull out a useful signal. (“Here is a specific thing you can do to fight Trump's politicization of public services,” Can We Still Govern?, 9 May 2025.)
Take the time you would have spent complaining about politics online, and use it to write a comment opposing the proposed Office of Personnel Management rule to politicize public services. You can do it in 5 minutes. Deadline is May 23rd!
[ACTION] CALL YOUR REPS: DON’T LET MAGA POLICY MORTGAGE THE FUTURE
If you live in the U.S., and especially if you live in the district of a Republican up for election next year, contact your federal representatives. Current GOP proposals will rob from the poor and future generations to line the pockets of the rich and connected.
There probably aren’t too many readers of this blog—which is dedicated to the idea government can improve lives—that favor exploding the national debt to fund tax cuts for the rich while simultaneously slashing money for healthcare and the social safety net. But in case you need some additional convincing, or some background info to call your Reps, I found these useful:
[READ] “Permanent Ways & Means Bill Could Add $5.3 Trillion to Deficits,” Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, 13 May 2025.
[READ] Catherine Rampell, “The pronatalist party escalates its war on children: Once again, the GOP makes kids its punching bag,” Washington Post Opinion, 16 May 2025.
[LISTEN] No Jargon Podcast, Episode 276: The Fight Over Medicaid, Scholars Strategy Network, 15 May 2025.
[READ] Matthew Yglesias, “Eleven thoughts on a really shitty House budget: War on the poor, a death-knell for American nuclear, over $6 trillion in extra debt, and more!,” Slow Boring, 14 May 2025.
[READ] Don Moynihan, “Budgets as Propaganda: Trump's budget proposal formalizes the paranoid style as government policy,” Can We Still Govern?, 3 May 2025.
[READ] Paul Waldman, “Republicans Hate You,” The Cross Section, 14 May 2025.
[READ] Katy Stech Ferek, “Republicans Embrace Fees on EVs and Immigrants to Help Pay for Trump’s Tax Cuts,” Wall Street Journal, 15 May 2025.
[READ] G. Elliott Morris, “New poll: Americans oppose cuts to Medicaid, want Democrats to control the U.S. House,” Strength in Numbers, 14 May 2025.
[READ] Paul Krugman, “Is This the Year We Doom Civilization?: We may be losing our last, best chance to limit climate change,” 14 May 2025.
MORE DOOM AND GLOOM: THE DOWNSIDE RISKS ARE BIG
[READ] Lee Drutman, “Doomier and Loopier: Why our two-party system will not – and cannot - self-correct on its own,” Undercurrent Events, 15 May 2025.
We are now almost four months into the second Trump administration. Each day is a reminder that our politics is stuck in a doom loop. Each day feels a little doomier and loopier.
Just 11 days ago (who can remember?), the president of the United States publicly expressed uncertainty as to whether he needed to follow the Constitution. "Don't you need to uphold the Constitution of the United States as president?" NBC's Kristen Welker asked. "I don't know," Trump replied.
The man who swore an oath to "preserve, protect and defend the Constitution of the United States" now doesn't know if he needs to uphold it?
[READ] Seth Masket, “How Trump views the law: The idea that law and government are neutral and legitimate things to which we owe respect is alien to him,” Tusk, 9 May 2025.
One of the most discussed — and arguably most impeachable — aspects of Donald Trump’s term concerns his cavalier attitude about the rule of law. While I’m certainly not going to psychoanalyze him, I think we’ve enough of his treatment of the law to make some inferences about his worldview. In short, he simply doesn’t view the law and even the nation in the way most modern Americans do. He doesn’t see them as neutral things that deserve respect; they are tools for whomever is in power.
[READ] The ever-patient Adam Przeworski—whose Diary has been useful in providing a comparative perspective on the first few months of the administration—with some hard-won pessimism. (“WEEK 13,” Adam’s Substack, 14 May 2025.)
I have run out of steam. From time to time I wanted to abandon this Diary because following the news every day is depressing. Now I want to abandon it because I just cannot keep up. This is a tsunami. It floods everything indiscriminately. Every day some government agency or program is dismantled, some funds are cut, some institution or individual is targeted by a variety of sanctions, someone is arrested, an illiterate letter is sent by some Department Secretary, some scientific data accumulated over decades disappear. If it were not tragic, it would have been boring. But, worse, I can no longer contain my anger. I have been controlling my emotions because I believe that outrage blinds. Now I am frequently just outraged. I may post something if I think I have something to say but I can no longer keep the Diary on a daily basis.
NOW FOLLOWING: ENDING ON A PROMISING NOTE
Stuff that is new (or new to me) that looks cool.
CPI’s Collective: Innovation for Democracy in Latin America by Centre for Public Impact, “a new working group that brings together over 15 organisations from seven countries. Our goal is to connect democratic innovations and strengthen resilience across the region through systemic collaboration.”
Public Service Support Hub: “A centralized resource hub designed to support international development, federal, and nonprofit professionals, organizations, and advocates navigating the impacts of the U.S. federal dismantling - and beyond.”
The Evidence Effect by Poverty Action Lab. “The Evidence Effect highlights examples of life-changing programs that warrant more attention, investment, and consideration for scaling.”
State Capacity Monthly Update by the Niskanen Center. “We are pleased to share the first edition of our monthly newsletter to keep you informed about the work and ideas shaping the Niskanen Center’s State Capacity Initiative.”