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Job Opportunities

The Ash Center is a vibrant and values-driven community. We are committed to diversity and welcome people of varied backgrounds, cultures, experiences, and disciplines. We actively seek applications from people of color, women, the LGBTQIA+ community, military veterans, persons with disabilities and underrepresented backgrounds. If you are interested in joining our team to advance excellence and innovation in governance and public policy, please view our current staff and student job openings below. Note that all applicants to staff positions must apply through the Harvard Human Resources online system, which can be found here.
 

Course Assistant, Spring Course on American Democracy 

Professor Alex Keyssar seeks a Course Assistant for his Spring 2021 class, DPI 306 “Understanding What Happened on January 6.” This new course offering takes a critical look at the events that transpired on January 6 and the conditions that led to that day. Class meets Tuesdays and Thursdays from 4:30-5:45 pm. The weekly commitment is 10-15 hours per week. 

Responsibilities include: Research, retrieve materials for syllabus, prepare materials for class meetings, maintain research database, create a composite set of reports produced through a collective research by fellow students of details related to the January 6 event (e.g. details about who the participants in the event were, who the key members of congress were, the media, etc.) 

Skills required: Organized and fluent with platform sharing technology.

If you are interested, please send your resume and writing sample as soon as possible to teresa_acuna@hks.harvard.edu.  
 

Program Assistant and Faculty Assistant, Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development  

The Program Assistant and Faculty Assistant is responsible for many parts of the operations and success of the Harvard Project on American Indian Economic Development and its flagship program, Honoring Nations. Candidates must demonstrate excellent organizational and multi-tasking skills, a friendly, personable customer service orientation, and have knowledge of Indian Country. For more information and to apply click here.

Digital Government Student Research Positions

Professor David Eaves is hiring a number of paid research assistants to work on projects related to digital government, civic technology, and public-sector innovation. Selected students will work with Harvard faculty and industry practitioners on a variety of projects that analyze the impact of growing digital trends on government organizations. In addition to overseeing their assigned project(s), students will attend regularly scheduled reading groups as a cohort. These reading groups will allow students to discuss their work, receive input from other student researchers, and learn about ongoing digital government initiatives. 

Examples of Upcoming Projects 
Government Code Sharing 
Governments are increasingly sharing and jointly managing code bases for critical systems with other government entities. While numerous technical questions arise from this practice, questions of collective governance will be equally important and have not been closely examined. If such shared code bases should, or are to, emerge as a common practice it is important governments make informed decisions about how to set up governance structures that will facilitate sharing, address concerns of privacy, security, and sustainability along with a possible host of other issues. This work has been generously sponsored by the Rockefeller Foundation. 

2021 Digital Services Convening 
Every year the Harvard Kennedy School welcomes public-sector digital service groups from around the world. Participants convene to share success stories, talk about lessons learned, and discuss challenges. Students will have the opportunity to shape the 2021 convening and lead the follow-along research that stems from group discussions. 

Key Responsibilities 
Writing and Editing 
Students will write articles or reports to be shared with a variety of audiences (public & private sector practitioners, academics, students). 

Data Collection and Research 
Students will be expected to interview industry experts, conduct independent research, and/or collect data to support any quantitative or qualitative claims they make. 

Interested? 
Send your resume and a brief statement explaining your interest in digital government to David Eaves (david_eaves@hks.harvard.edu). 
 

Course Assistant – SUP-601 Quinton Mayne – Urban Politics, Planning, and Development 

Key duties include:
Maintain metrics of student participation and engagement; help design and develop asynchronous course materials; hold virtual office hours; ensure smooth running of in-class simulations; facilitate short small-group discussions in class.
 
Course Description:
In the face of failures and dysfunction at the national level, the welfare- and democracy-enhancing potential of cities has come into focus in recent years. Yet, not all cities are able to realize their promise as democratic engines of economic growth and human development. Why some fail, while others succeed depends crucially on the politics and governance practices that shape cities and metropolitan regions. Understanding the politics of urban planning and development is therefore fundamental to unlocking the potential of our cities to boost the wealth, health, and well-being of citizens and communities in ways that are sustainable and equitable. This course focuses on urban politics in the United States and Europe. Key topics include U.S. and European urban politics viewed in the large, and more specifically the politics of land-use, economic development, housing, water, policing, and transit. Cross-cutting themes include: the role of business and non-profits in local governance; citizen participation and urban social movements; the importance of race, ethnicity, and class in shaping group conflict and co-operation at the local level; as well as the costs and benefits of local government fragmentation. The course involves in-class exercises, group work, and simulations, as well as guest lectures. Most class sessions build off single-city case studies, including written and multi-media cases on Atlanta, Copenhagen, Detroit, Madrid, Naples, New Orleans, New York, Pittsburgh, San Juan, Seattle, and Stuttgart.

To apply, please fill out the TA application here: https://harvard.az1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Aneb3Wbescd9Zz and send your resume and contact information to sarah_mclain@hks.harvard.edu.