Program Associate - Operations and Impact at The Aspen Institute – Washington, District of Columbia

ABOUT US

The Aspen Institute is a global nonprofit organization committed to realizing a free, just, and equitable society. Since its founding in 1949, the Institute has been driving change through dialogue, leadership, and action to help solve the most critical challenges facing communities in the United States and around the world. Headquartered in Washington, DC, the Institute has a campus in Aspen, Colorado, and an international network of partners.

Aspen Economic Strategy Group (AESG)

The Aspen Economic Strategy Group (AESG), a program of the Aspen Institute, is composed of a diverse, bipartisan group of distinguished leaders and thinkers with the goal of promoting evidence-based solutions to significant U.S. economic challenges. Co-chaired by Henry M. Paulson, Jr. and Timothy Geithner, the AESG fosters the exchange of economic policy ideas and seeks to clarify the lines of debate on emerging economic issues while promoting bipartisan relationship-building among current and future generations of policy leaders in Washington.

ABOUT THE ROLE

The Aspen Economic Strategy Group is seeking a Program Associate who is interested in being part of a dedicated group of individuals working to advance evidence-based solutions to US economic challenges. The ideal candidate will combine their interest in US economic policy with a talent for finding creative and effective ways to distill and disseminate complex research to reach the program’s external audiences. The candidate will also play a leading role in managing engagement with the AESG’s members, including through the production of regular internal newsletters and virtual meetings. Finally, The Program Associate will also provide some general logistical support for day-to-day program operations. This role is well suited for a candidate eager to grow professionally, with meaningful opportunities to take on increasing responsibility and deepen both policy expertise and program management experience over time.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

Reporting to the Policy Director, the Program Associate will proactively seek ways to maximize the reach of program content. The program associate will work with the Policy Director to create and execute launch plans for new initiatives and take a leading role in identifying opportunities to highlight papers from the AESG’s existing content library. A successful candidate will be a thoughtful consumer of economic news and academic research and be able to identify connections to AESG’s work.

The salary range for this position is $60,000 - $75,000. The expectation for this role is to work from the Washington D.C. office and adhere to the Aspen Institute’s attendance policy.

Program Impact and Communications (50%)

In collaboration with the Policy Director-

• Determine and execute a plan of action for the public release of program content, including the launch of the program’s annual volume of policy papers, maximizing reach among the group’s target audiences.

• Manage AESG content calendar, including schedule of newsletter, social media posts, email campaigns, blog posts, op-eds, etc.

• Draft blog and social media posts that summarize complex economic topics and papers from the AESG’s content library.

• Distill and communicate existing work into digestible policy lessons for policymakers and pitches for journalists.

• Produce promotional campaigns for events, papers, and annual policy volume.

• Liaise with graphic designer to develop visual content for campaigns, social media graphics, book covers, etc.

• Manage the AESG website (WordPress) and liaise with contractors to support site maintenance.

Stakeholder Management and Meeting Support (30%)

• Produce regular member newsletter

• Collect and summarize AESG member writings and contributions to current economic policy debates for weekly distribution to AESG members.

• Organize occasional member-only virtual meetings

• Manage program contact database.

• Manage the creation and development of meeting and event materials, including agendas, organizational materials, invitations, and design elements.

• Manage creation of annual impact report and draft donor acknowledgements

• Organize annual meeting materials (agendas, participant lists, bio books).

• Support senior meeting consultant by executing various tasks related to annual member meeting.

• Supervise summer intern

Program Administrative Support (20%)

• Organize and schedule program-related calls and meetings among program staff and principals (co-chairs, members, and/or commissioned authors).

• Make office space reservations at Aspen Institute Washington DC offices.

• Process vendor payments and program expenses.

• Facilitate principals’ expense reimbursements.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED TO THRIVE

• B.A. degree in economics, public affairs, or related field.

• 1-3 years of relevant professional experience.

• Strong writing skills with a proven ability to distill and summarize complex topics into accessible prose.

• Experience working with principals and their staff, such as senior business executives or elected officials.

• Experience with operational systems (including Google Workspace, Microsoft Office) and design programs (such as Canva and Adobe Suite).

The ideal candidate will have the following attributes:

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.

• Demonstrated interest in US economic policy.

• Ability to handle sensitive information with discretion.

• Organized and detail-oriented.

• Adept at meeting deadlines and exhibiting grace under pressure.

• Ability to handle multiple tasks, shift priorities quickly, and adapt to a changing environment.

• Strong orientation towards collaboration and problem-solving in a small team environment, including the ability to flex between different types of tasks as needed.

• Experience with cloud-based communications software and platforms (Mailchimp, Zoom, etc.).

• A desire to learn, a sense of humor, flexibility, and resourcefulness.

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

The Aspen Institute is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all District and federal laws. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, or protected veteran or disabled status and will not be discriminated against.

The Aspen Institute welcomes individuals with disabilities to participate in its programs, including the interview process. If you would like to request accommodations or have questions about accessibility, please email hrsupport@aspeninstitute.org or call 202-736-2127 in advance of your visit. Requests for ASL or CART services should be made at least two weeks in advance when possible. We will make every effort to fulfill requests, subject to availability.