Research Specialist – Africa

Position description

The Role:Tesla Government Inc seeks a Research Specialist – Africa who will focus on research and data collection to support efforts in the region of interest.Location:Falls Church, VA. (Remote within the Continental US but strong preference will be given to applicants located in the Washington, DC metropolitan area.)

About Us:Tesla Government Inc. (no affiliation with the automotive company) is a rapidly growing small business, located in Falls Church, Virginia. Founded in 2009, Tesla Government’s initiatives are designed to improve how government agencies manage and share information internally while extending to other government agencies and external partners. With decades of federal, military, and NGO experience, our proven agile approach delivers results and impactful solutions within a swift timeframe. Our metrics- driven approach and focus on performance reduces risk and ensures rapid adoption and project success.

Position Summary:Research Specialists support in-depth research, report writing, data organization, user relationship management, and knowledge management for customers focused on the specified region.

Essential Duties and Responsibilities (proportional breakdowns of responsibilities vary):

• Research & Writing

  • Respond to user information needs by developing reports from open source research and official reporting

  • Identify key emerging topics in the region and take the initiative to develop reports on the topics in advance of user requests

  • Study and adhere to strict style guide and writing standards

  • Continuously review and revamp previously composed reports so that they maintain applicability and are of premium quality

• User Relationship Management

  • Build and maintain relationships with users virtually and in-person

  • Brief users on evolving topics

  • Train users to navigate and leverage online platforms and collaboration tools

  • Identify, suggest, and execute key information-sharing initiatives that provide value to government and military organizations

• Knowledge Management

  • Help users manage their information, organizing it in an intuitive manner

  • Manage extensive compilations of reports to enable users to readily discover information

  • Continually find new ways to better relay information, leveraging visualizations and breaking up text

• Other Duties, as Assigned

Attributes of a Successful Research Specialist:

• A keen sense of how to discover hard-to-find information

• Attention to detail

• Ability to organize complex information in an easily navigable way

• Ability to synthesize content from disparate sources to produce clean, clear, and concise reports on complicated subjects

• Ability to create engaging written, graphical, and multimedia content

• Ability to meet deadlines without compromising quality

• Technical savvy and willingness to learn various computer and web-based applications

• Comfortability with public speaking

Required Qualifications:

• Undergraduate degree or military experience

• Experience studying or working on international relations, strategic competition, conflict, development, law enforcement, and/or governance issues

• US citizenship and eligibility for a security clearance

• Fluent in English

• Fact-checking skills

Desired Qualifications:

• Advanced degree in foreign affairs, area studies, political science, governmental studies, or a related field

• Foreign language skills: French and Arabic

• Study or work experience in the Americas region

• Work or internship experience with think tanks, development agencies, US military, or federal government

• Experience facilitating collaboration between multiple stakeholder organizations

• Knowledge and experience using Python or other data scraping/analysis tools

To apply to this position, please submit:

• A resume

• A cover letter

• A 3–5 page academic or professional writing sample

Salary:$55,000-$65,000. The starting salary will depend on the skills and qualifications of the successful candidate. It is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range.

Application instructions

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