The Institute for Research on Public Policy (IRPP) is seeking a research associate for its Centre of Excellence on the Canadian Federation. The Centre is a permanent research body within the IRPP. Its mission is to build a deeper understanding of Canada as a federal community through publications, events, and other research projects.

Working under the supervision of the Centre’s executive director, the candidate will be working to help mobilize knowledge around some of the key issues inside the federation – including Indigenous self-government, the country’s fiscal arrangements, and strains on intergovernmental relations. The research associate will work with some of the top experts in the country, and have a hand in shaping new initiatives.

Core responsibilities include:

• Organizing and synthesizing past work relevant to the Centre’s research agenda;
• Preparing background documents and analyses to inform the Centre’s work;
• Helping advance the Centre’s research agenda by suggesting and developing new research projects;
• Collecting and analyzing data for on-going projects and help develop new data initiatives;
• Writing op-eds and short research pieces for relevant media publications (including the IRPP’s magazine, Policy Options)

Qualifications

The ideal candidates will have:

• A graduate degree in political science, public policy, economics, or another relevant field; or equivalent work experience
• Good knowledge of Canadian politics and of issues related to Canadian federalism;
• Ability to work at the intersection of academic and policy research;
• Knowledge of government policy-making processes;
• Strong ability to organize and execute medium and long-term research projects;
• Strong writing and presentation skills in at least one of the official languages;
• The ability to engage in meetings that are held in either official language
• Knowledge of quantitative methods and of statistical analysis tools such as R is an asset.

Location

Remote or at our head office in Montréal. Once pandemic restrictions are fully lifted, the research associate will be expected to travel to Montréal periodically for meetings.

Working with us

The IRPP is a bilingual, independent, not-for-profit think tank with a mission of improving public policy in Canada by generating research, providing insight and informing debate on current and emerging policy issues facing Canadians and their governments.

We offer a competitive salary and benefits package, and a collegial work culture that is rooted in creativity and inclusivity. Employees have the opportunity to work on a fascinating range of different initiatives across our operations, and to develop their own projects and innovative ideas.

The IRPP is committed to equity and inclusion in its hiring practices. We encourage applications from women; from Black, Indigenous and other racialized persons; and from persons of all sexual orientations, gender identities and expressions.

In addition to your CV, please submit a cover letter describing your motivation to be a candidate for this position and summarizing your qualifications for it to smcintyre@nullirpp.org before October 18. The salary range for this position will be disclosed to candidates whose applications have been retained for an interview.

We thank all applicants for their interest, but only those selected for an interview will be contacted. Please note that applications will be considered as they are received.