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Overview
Mid-Level

Research Associate

Confirmed live in the last 24 hours

Manhattan Institute for Policy Research

Manhattan Institute for Policy Research

Compensation

$85,000 - $110,000

The Research Associate contributes to and manages the research and writing for City Journal’s college rankings.
Remote
Posted March 2, 2026

Job Description

Careers

The Manhattan Institute (MI) is a community of scholars, journalists, activists, and civic leaders who are united by a shared commitment to advancing economic opportunity, individual liberty, and the rule of law in America and its great cities.

We are always looking for entrepreneurial, self-driven, resourceful, and detail-oriented employees to help put MI's work in the hands of key policymakers and others.

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Research Associate  

Location: New York, NY (In office/Remote) 

Position Overview: 

The Research Associate contributes to and manages the research and writing for City Journal’s college rankings. The individual will gather and analyze data, write 100+ school descriptions, communicate with external and internal groups, and provide general support. This role is ideal for an experienced researcher who is a strong writer, detail-oriented, organized, and eager to contribute to and manage the research and writing for City Journal’s college rankings. 

Responsibilities: 

Research & Writing 

  • Work in support of, John Sailer and Kevin Wallsten, the lead scholars overseeing the City Journal college rankings, working with them to adjust the rankings methodology and data collection process 
  • Understand the rankings methodology and gather and organize data for annual college rankings updates 
  • Draft 100+ school descriptions annually, drawing on analysis of the rankings data and reporting on ongoing changes at the schools 
  • Help manage the contributions of contractors and interns (as available) to the data and school descriptions that comprise the rankings 
  • Working with City Journal and MI editorial staff and others, manage the release lifecycle for the school descriptions and other site content (for example, editorial review, copyediting, PDF review, website testing and review, etc.) 
  • Provide general support and work cross-team to annually release City Journal’s college rankings 
  • Support marketing efforts 

 Communication 

  • Manage college rankings external inquiries and communicate with external inquirers, such as university representatives, journalists, and government representatives 
  • Communicate and work with stakeholders for project requirements and to provide project timelines and status updates 

 Website & Digital Content Management 

  • Work with MI staff and software developers to update and maintain college rankings website content 

 Qualifications 

  • Bachelor’s degree in Political Science, or related field—or equivalent experience. 
  • Strong writing ability a must 
  • Experience with data or statistical analysis (e.g., a basic understanding of indices, a familiarity with basic regression analysis, the ability to produce simple cross-tabs with Excel/R/STATA) 
  • Strong research, data collection ability 
  • Strong ability to write for public audiences 
  • Strong ability to engage with external stakeholders 
  • Strong attention to detail and excellent organizational skills 
  • Strong verbal communication skills 
  • goaidatamarketing