Project Manager and Policy Analyst, Center for Sustainable Development (CSD)

Project Manager and Policy Analyst, Center for Sustainable Development (CSD)

Brookings Institution

Washington, D.C., United States

Responsibilities

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Under the guidance of the Senior Fellow and Director of CSD, the Project Manager and Policy Analyst (PMPA) will manage day-to-day operations of the 17 Rooms initiative, with special emphasis on overseeing of all aspects of the annual flagship process, supporting multistakeholder Rooms (working groups), managing key external relationships, and helping to identify new frontiers for the initiative. The PMPA will also provide analytical support to the Director and Senior Fellow on policy and research questions relating to 17 Rooms and broader global sustainable development challenges. The PMPA may also be asked to manage special CSD projects as workstreams evolve. To tackle these interconnected responsibilities, the PMPA will bring a mix of analytical rigor, creativity, and systematic project management skills. A flexible and entrepreneurial outlook will be essential, always with an eye toward opportunities for innovation and amplifying impact. Experience in entrepreneurial policy or research environments is an added advantage. The development and oversight of efficient and regular procedures will be key to fostering the greatest possible opportunities for a diverse and complex global network of collaborators, while also providing substantive technical, administrative, and research support in helping to execute key tasks within CSD as needed.

Project Management and Operations (55%)

• Provide overall Brookings project management to ensure streamlined planning and operations of the 17 Rooms initiative, in collaboration with the CSD Director/Senior Fellow, members of the 17 Rooms secretariat, and other internal and external partners. This includes particular emphasis on the successful planning, execution, and follow-up of the annual 17 Rooms flagship platform and processes.
• Coordinate stakeholders within and across Rooms (working groups) in the annual 17 Rooms flagship to ensure successful completion of their respective work streams.
• Serve as primary day-to-day contact for all CSD coordination with 17 Rooms partner co-host.
• Collaborate with 17 Rooms flagship participants and external partners to track Room follow-up for project monitoring and learning and to help identify, as appropriate, opportunities for advancing ideas and actions.
• Organize and manage major 17 Rooms convenings and events, both virtual and hybrid.
• Draft, edit, and ensure the successful production of core documents and communications products for the 17 Rooms initiative. This includes managing internal quality review processes for relevant Brookings publications.
• Coordinate with internal and external partners to develop a communications strategy around the annual 17 Rooms flagship activities.
• Promote opportunities for alignment and growth across the 17 Rooms flagship and 17 Rooms-X community of practice. This may include updates of toolkits for 17 Rooms-X initiatives around the world. It may also include collaboration with external partners (e.g., universities, local governments, private sector entities, multi-stakeholder alliances, philanthropies) to spot opportunities for innovation in 17 Rooms-X implementation.
• In collaboration with the CSD Director/Senior Fellow and Finance team, lead on estimating 17 Rooms project spending and budget compliance, develop terms of reference, and oversee deliverables for all project contracts.
• In collaboration with the CSD Director/Senior Fellow and other internal partners, ensure project activities comply with Brookings organizational policies.
• In collaboration with the CSD Director/Senior Fellow and Development team, support any priority fundraising activities as needed.
• Supervises the administrative/operations work of interns and provides indirect oversight to research support staff, as needed.
• Serve an ambassadorial role, helping to identify new opportunities for strategic collaboration with external partners.

Policy Analysis (35%)

• Conduct quantitative and qualitative research on topics relevant to 17 Rooms and other global sustainable development challenges.
• Monitor and analyze relevant academic literatures, conferences, seminars, policy documents, and databases a wide variety of sources, including multilateral organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to identify potential frontier topics and opportunities for 17 Rooms to advance SDG-relevant problems solving.
• Manage and build data sets to conduct empirical analysis using major statistical software packages such as Stata and R; compile detailed data methodologies both for internal use and for publication.
• Write high-quality research summary notes and reports, media summaries, and briefing memos.
• Cultivate and build a network among relevant global sustainable development experts, practitioners, advocates, media, and policymakers to stay abreast of fast-moving policy developments and opportunities and assist in developing strategies to inform policymakers and relevant stakeholders.
• Outline and draft narratives for blog posts, policy briefs, research and analytical reports; assists in readying materials for publication; helps develop communications strategy and assists in the dissemination, communication and presentation of research findings.
• Provide thought partnership, policy analysis, and new ideas for policy recommendations.

Center Support and Special Projects (10%)

• Identify opportunities for operational and programmatic synergies with other SDG-related activities in CSD and Global.
• Support special projects and CSD programmatic and operational priorities under the guidance of the Director/Senior Fellow. In some instances, this may include exploration of new potential workstreams and external collaborations.

Qualifications

Ready to make an impact? In this role, you will support Brookings values of collegiality, respect, inclusion, diversity and community, and bring the following qualifications:

Education/Experience Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in economics, environmental science, international affairs, development studies, or related field required. Master’s degree preferred. Minimum four years combined experience of policy analysis, research management, project coordination, and/or program development. Experience conducting empirical and/or qualitative research analysis is a plus. Experience working in multicultural professional environments and high level of comfort interfacing with senior figures from public institutions, civil society, academia, philanthropy and the private sector/are required.

Knowledge/Skill Requirements

Cooperative, professional, and entrepreneurial disposition; able to navigate ambiguity in building new and efficient processes and systems. Strong working knowledge of global economic, social, and environmental policy issues and demonstrated ability to get up to speed quickly on frontier insights; familiarity with the Sustainable Development Goals strongly desired. Excellent writing and oral communication skills. Ability to work effectively with high-level counterparts. Exceptional organizational skills; mission-driven willingness to multi-task and be flexible in contributing to highly collaborative team to meet deadlines and ensure project success. Sound judgment and discretion in navigating complex policy issues. Proficiency in all Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, Access) required. Knowledge of Stata or R preferred.

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