Government Works Weekly #43
Jobs, Events, and Return from Vacation Vibes
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.
If you find this newsletter useful, please consider sharing with a friend or colleague that would also benefit.
I just got back from a long vacation, so I will strive for short and sweet this week.
APPLY YOURSELF – jobs, internships, and other ways to get involved
POLICY + PROGRAM
Policy and Legal Advocacy Senior Manager, Ballot Initiative Strategy Center [Flexible]
Assistant Director, Democracy & Power Innovation Fund, Rockefeller Family Fund [Hybrid NY]
Senior Policy Counsel/Advisor, Voting Rights & Democracy, Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law [D.C.]
Deputy Director, Democracy 2025, Democracy Forward [D.C.]
Multiple Positions, American Oversight [D.C. / Remote]
Senior Director, Legislative Affairs, Common Cause [D.C.]
Chief of Program, MoveOn [deadline 18 Aug.]
Research Assistant to Director of Research, Data & Society [NY]
Program Manager, Values and Standards for Election Excellence (VSEE), Center for Tech and Civic Life [Remote / Chicago]
Policy & Advocacy Director, Protect Our Winters [Remote]
STATE + LOCAL
Manager, New Cities, What Works Cities (and more), Results for America [Flexible]
Policy Specialist, Center for Results-Driven Governing, National Conference of State Legislatures [Denver, CO]
Program Manager, CA, Common Cause [California]
Various Positions, America Votes [Multiple States]
Senior Community Policy Associate, Youth Justice Team (California), National Center for Youth Law [CA]
Executive Director, Colorado Democracy Alliance [deadline 15 Aug.]
Political Action Representative, American Federation of State, County & Municipal Employees [Philadelphia, PA]
Project Director, State Science Policy Fellowship Initiative, Pew Charitable Trusts [D.C.]
COMMS + OPS
Associate Manager, Communications, Future Caucus [D.C. Hybrid]
External Communications Director (and more), ActBlue [Remote]
Coordinator of Review, Congressional Research Service [D.C.]
Senior Manager, HR Talent Operations, Roosevelt Institute [Multiple]
Senior Finance Officer, Movement Voter Project [Remote]
Managing Director, AccountableUS [Hybrid D.C.]
Finance and Compliance Manager, Institute for Responsive Government [deadline 22 Aug.]
TECH + DATA + DESIGN
Data Scientist (and more), Priorities USA [Remote]
National Director of Engineering and Product, America Votes [D.C.]
Staff Solutions Engineer, Code for America [Remote]
Data Scientist Manager (CIRCLE), Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement [Hybrid Medford, MA]
Data Manager, DEMSCORE [deadline 10 Aug.]
INTERNATIONAL
Governance Coordinator, Transparency International [Hybrid Berlin / deadline 22 Aug.]
Grants Programme Manager, Europe, Centre for Public Impact [Multiple locations / deadline 24 Aug.]
Program Officer - State Systems, Gates Foundation [New Delhi]
Policy Analyst - Mission-Oriented Innovation Policies (and more), OECD [Paris]
Qualitative Researcher (Government Outcomes Lab) – Public Sector Reform, Blavatnik School of Government [Oxford, UK]
INTERNSHIPS + FELLOWSHIPS
Policy Fellow or Senior Policy Fellow, US Development Policy Initiative, Center for Global Development [D.C.]
International Policy Intern, AARP [D.C.]
Fellow, NewDEAL [Hybrid D.C.]
Domestic Program Intern (Fall 2025), Center for Economic and Policy Research [D.C. or Remote]
Christine Mirzayan Science and Technology, Policy Graduate Fellowship Program, National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine [D.C.]
Research & Writing Fellow, Government Performance Lab [Harvard]
CONSULTANCIES + OTHER OPPORTUNITIES
Research Consultancy, Whistleblower protection in EU candidate countries, Transparency International [deadline 1 Sep.]
Research Consultancy, Whistleblower protection in the EU, Transparency International [deadline 22 Aug.]
Terms of Reference: Digital Resiliency Grant Evaluation & Impact Documentary Consultant, CIVICUS [deadline 18 Aug.]
2025 Contract Researcher, Civitech [Remote]
Relationship Coordinator, Civic Match, Work for America [Remote]
And lots more opportunities in the last newsletter: Government Works Weekly #42.
EVENT HORIZON – webinars, conferences, and other human things
A bit slower this month, but many great fall events are starting to shape up. Stay tuned.
WEEK OF 11-15 AUGUST
11 AUG: The IMF in Argentina: In Search of Paths Out of the Debt Trap [Phenomenal World]
13 AUG: Reaching a Boiling Point: State and Local Efforts to Protect Children from Extreme Heat [CAP]
13 AUG: The Trump Administration’s Apparent Conflicts of Interest [ProPublica]
14-15 AUG: Liberalism for the 21st Century: A Global Convening to Defend and Reimagine Liberal Democracy [Institute for the Study of Modern Authoritarianism]
LATER THIS MONTH
20 AUG: AI Virtual Talk Forum: Data & Policy in the Age of Artificial Intelligence [Data Foundation]
26-29 AUG: EGPA 2025 Conference: EGPA at 50: Prospects for Public Administration across Europe [European Group for Public Administration]
EYES & EARS – reading, podcasts, and other good stuff
I mostly succeeded in being offline while on vacation, but as I was ramping back up I did a quick scan of the news for a vibe check.
I would love to honor my namesake and recently departed musical idol by telling you Don't Worry Baby, but I am sad to report that these are not Good Vibrations. God Only Knows what my government is up to.
Here are some recent headlines about various jurisdictional intersections between my travel destination (Brazil), my current home (Panama), my home country (U.S.), my home state (California), and my second home (D.C.).
Bolsonaro's son: I convinced Trump to slap tariffs on Brazil: Eduardo Bolsonaro has been lobbying all over DC for months. Problem is, it may be against the law (8 Aug., Responsible Statecraft)
Panama brings lawfare to the canal ports saga: China will be furious if CK Hutchison’s contract is scrapped. America will be delighted (7 Aug., The Economist)
Trump's federal crackdown in D.C. ramps up — despite falling crime (7 Aug., Axios)
‘This is no life’: Trump deportees unable to return home left in limbo in Panama (6 Aug., The Guardian)
Trump’s politically motivated sanctions against Brazil strain relations among old allies (5 Aug., Associated Press)
Texas and California joust for political advantage, with Trump’s agenda and House majority in play (5 Aug., PBS)
Plus a few bonus headlines about the further hollowing out of state capacity in the U.S.
The BLS Can’t Be Replaced by the Private Sector (8 Aug., Claudia Sahm)
Public schools are closing as Arizona’s school voucher program soars: Arizona, with a marketplace of school options, offers a window into the GOP vision for K-12 education (5 Aug., Washington Post)
The National Park Service is in disarray: The Trump administration is cutting thousands of staff at America’s favourite agency (3 Aug., The Economist)
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting to shut down following funding cuts: Trump’s successful campaign to strip federal money to NPR and PBS effectively ended the public media middleman (1 Aug., Washington Post)
I will try to bring something a little more hopeful next week… Wouldn't It Be Nice.