Research Assistant (Domestic Social Policy)

Research Assistant (Domestic Social Policy)

Department: Legislative Branch

Location(s): Washington, District of Columbia

Salary Range: $57736 - $75059 Per Year

Job Summary: This position is located in the Congressional Research Service, Domestic Social Policy Division. The position description number for this position is 308062. This is a non-supervisory, bargaining unit position. The salary range indicated reflects the locality pay adjustments for the Washington, D.C., Metropolitan area. Relocation fees will not be considered for the selected applicant(s)

Major Duties:

• The Congressional Research Service (CRS) Domestic Social Policy (DSP) Division seeks a Research Assistant to support research tasks across a broad range of domestic social policy issues and program areas. The Research Assistant (RA) provides research support tasks across a broad range of domestic policy and social program issues including: (1) Children and Families issues, especially as related to low-income populations; (2) Domestic Security and Immigration, including crime policy and border security; (3) Education and Labor, including training and the workforce; (4) Health Insurance and Financing, including Medicare, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and private health insurance; (5) Health Services, including, the health care workforce, and public health; and (6) Income Security, including Social Security, pensions, disability and unemployment. The RA will join a team of RAs supporting objective, authoritative public policy analysis and consultation to congressional committees, Members and staff by assisting CRS analysts and specialists preparing objective, non-partisan analytical studies and descriptive reports on nationally significant public policy issues; assisting CRS analysts and specialists providing personal assistance to Members and staff on public policy issues throughout the legislative process; and participating in multi-disciplinary research projects and seminars. Candidates should have knowledge of one or more DSP issues, familiarity with the research process, and knowledge of the research materials and tools used in social science research. Candidates must work effectively on a collaborative team and demonstrate the intellectual flexibility and broad research skills needed to address a wide range of domestic social policy issues. Illustrative programs of study include economics, demography, sociology and other social sciences and public policy. Candidates with computer programming and data analysis skills, as applied to social science or public policy research are encouraged to apply. Research Assistant duties includes: Reviewing and evaluating professional journal articles, agency documents, and other analyses for authoritativeness, relevance, and currency. Preparing abstracts of these descriptive and/or analytical materials, summarizing their key findings, methodologies employed, and other relevant information. Participating in group efforts on research projects as a member of a collaborative team and undertaking research and data analytical tasks in support of the development of an array of analytical and descriptive products or components. Example tasks might include: tracking congressional hearings and bills in specific areas; culling, synthesizing, and tracking state policies; fact checking and other quality control; building and maintaining a database of program authorizations and appropriations; and, for active legislation, developing and managing a database of amendments and conference documents. Preparing materials for use at consultations, briefings, and seminars for congressional clients. Attending consultations, briefings, seminars, and outreach activities to gain familiarity with CRS’s information and analytic capabilities, recording questions, gauging audience engagement, and capturing audience suggestions for future sessions. Creating and populating databases and spreadsheets, reformatting data from different sources, and performing data input, calculations, and analysis. Training colleagues and instructing staff on the content, nature, and use of division data resources. Formatting a range of tables, graphs, images, and other insertions to CRS products, reviewing and verifying this content for accuracy and completeness. Updating statistics in CRS reports or other general distribution products. Recommending quality control procedures and enhancements to CRS products. Locating, extracting, collecting, and compiling quantitative data and other information; evaluating data for accuracy, relevance, authoritativeness, and usefulness; in some cases, cleaning and manipulating quantitative data using Excel or via programming using software such as Stata, SAS and R. CRS works exclusively for the US Congress, providing policy and legal analysis to committees and Members of both the House and Senate, regardless of party affiliation. As a legislative branch agency within the Library of Congress, CRS is a valued and respected resource on Capitol Hill. CRS is well known for analysis that is authoritative, confidential, objective and nonpartisan. Its highest priority is to ensure that Congress has immediate access to the nation's best thinking on public policy issues of interest to its Members and Committees.

Qualifications: Applicants must have had progressively responsible experience and training sufficient in scope and quality to furnish them with an acceptable level of the following knowledge, skills, and abilities to perform the duties of the position without more than normal supervision. Knowledge of domestic social policy** Ability to apply knowledge of the analytic research process in a disciplinary area relevant to domestic social policy** Ability to identify, exploit, and manipulate research resources and tools to perform research tasks pertinent to a discipline relevant to domestic social policy** Ability to prepare written research materials related to a discipline relevant to domestic social policy** Ability to convey information orally through briefings, consultations, and other presentations Ability to collaborate Ability to exercise objectivity in all phases of research, including written and oral presentations Ability to communicate effectively other than in writing

How to Apply: Please carefully follow all instructions under the How to Apply tab to ensure you are considered for the position. Please note, there is no page restriction to your resume, and you are allowed to upload a resume longer than two pages in the resume section within the application process. When the application system prompts, please proceed to the agency site to complete your application. You are required to apply online for this announcement. We are unable to accept mailed or emailed documents. You must complete the entire application process, including submission of all documents BEFORE this announcement closes. To do so, complete the following steps. Step 1: If you do not already have one, create a resume and upload it to your profile in the "Resume" section. Although you must enter your Social Security Number for USAJOBS, this information will not be provided to the Library of Congress. Step 2: Review the Job Announcement. We recommend you go to the end of the Qualification and Evaluation section of the job announcement to preview the online questions that you will answer in Step 4. You may wish to customize your resume to ensure that it supports your responses to these questions. Step 3: Click on the "APPLY ONLINE" button to the right of this announcement. Follow USAJOBS' instructions to access your account. You will be redirected to the Hiring Management website to complete the application process. If this is your first time in Hiring Management, you will be asked to answer questions related to your eligibility for Federal employment. You will be able to update this information and save it to our account for future announcements. Step 4: Once you have completed the eligibility questions, you will be taken directly to the vacancy application questions. Answer all questions honestly and thoroughly. Step 5: Hiring Management offers one option that will electronically attach your documentation to your online application once you finish answering the questions in the job announcement. You may electronically upload a document directly from your computer to your application. Be certain to review your complete application for confirmation of the document uploaded and click on "Finished" to be returned to USAJOBS. IMPORTANT NOTE: If you have multiple documents of the same kind, e.g. 2 undergraduate transcripts from different schools or 2 SF-50s, etc., be sure that they are all in the same file on your computer. If you try uploading them individually, only the last one sent will be visible in our system. If you have any questions about this information, please contact the person on this announcement BEFORE the closing date. Step 6: Click on "Finish" after you have completed your application. Once you have submitted your application, you can check your status online through your Hiring Management or MY USAJOBS account. Your complete online application and any required supplemental documentation (e.g., SF-50, etc.) must be received by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (EST) on the closing date of the announcement. It is your responsibility to ensure that all documents are received on time and that the materials are readable. Failure to do so will result in your application being excluded from consideration for this announcement. If you are experiencing any technical difficulty with the online process, you MUST CONTACT THE POINT OF CONTACT FOR THIS ANNOUNCEMENT BEFORE THE CLOSING DATE. For all technical issues please contact jobhelp@loc.gov , no later than 4:00pm EST of the Closing Date. REQUESTS FOR EXTENSIONS WILL NOT BE GRANTED.

Application Deadline: 2026-02-06