Jobs Available

All these positions are currently open. Listings are removed when jobs are filled.

Conference Registrar

The Cato Institute is seeking a Conference Registrar. Responsibilities include handling the registration processes for over 100 forums, seminars, conferences and special events ranging from 20-1000 attendees, maintaining the master calendar by scheduling 750+ internal and external events, coordinating staff travel and assisting the department with various tasks related to meeting planning and office support.

The qualified candidate will have a minimum of one year professional work experience and exceptional proofing and computer skills, specifically Microsoft Excel. Attention to detail and accuracy is essential. Candidate must work well in a team environment, be capable of setting and shifting priorities to meet deadlines and have a strong customer service mentality with a positive attitude. A Bachelor’s degree is preferred and some weekend work as well as work beyond normal business hours is required.

Qualified applicants should send their cover letter, salary requirements and resume to:

Anthony Pryor
Director of Administration
Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001
Fax (202) 842-3490
Email: apryor [at] cato [dot] org

Development Assistant

The Institute’s development department is in search of an assistant who will provide support to the vice president of development and the development department. Responsibilities will include to assist with the scheduling of fundraising appointments, organize mailings, manage travel arrangements for development activities, data entry, prospect research, and to support the executive assistant to the Institute’s president and executive vice president.

The qualified candidate will have a minimum of one year of work experience. Must be a self-starter with a high attention to detail and possess excellent oral and written communication skills. Candidate must be able to consistently demonstrate sound judgment, problem solving techniques, and the ability to manage multiple tasks on a tight schedule. The successful candidate will share a commitment to the values that inspire the Institute’s mission. A Bachelor’s degree is preferred.

Applicants should submit resume and cover letter to Harrison Moar at hmoar [at] cato [dot] org.

Research Assistant, Center for Educational Freedom

The Cato Institute seeks a research assistant for its Center for Educational Freedom, to start on or shortly after July 1st, 2013. Responsibilities include assisting Center scholars with their projects and events, conducting literature reviews, editing manuscripts, supervising the work of interns, and administrative duties. The individual should have a Bachelor’s degree in economics or public policy or equivalent work experience in those fields, and an interest in education policy. The ability to write well-structured, readable prose is essential, as are an understanding of free markets and expertise with Microsoft Word and Excel. Bonus skills include the ability to conduct regression analyses, fluency in a foreign language (particularly Korean, Japanese, Spanish, or Dutch), and a Master’s degree in economics.

Applicants should submit a resume, salary requirements, essay writing samples, and a cover letter via e-mail. No phone calls please. This is an entry-level position.

Submissions should be directed by e-mail to:

Neal McCluskey and Jason Bedrick
nmccluskey [at] cato [dot] org and JBedrick [at] Cato [dot] org

Defense and Foreign Policy Studies, Pre-doctoral/Post-doctoral Fellows

The Cato Institute is accepting applications for a pre- or post-doctoral fellow position in its defense and foreign policy studies department. Candidates either should be A.B.D. PhD candidates or recent PhDs.

Applicants should be rising scholars in political science, history, or a related field, with demonstrated interest in U.S. foreign and defense policy, and eligible to work in the United States. Candidates should share the Institute’s commitment to moving U.S. foreign policy toward restraint and prudence. For more information on the nature of Cato’s work on these issues, please visit http://www.cato.org/research/foreign-policy-national-security.

Fellows will write one scholarly paper (8,000-10,000 words) for the Institute on a public policy issue (the paper may or may not be part of the fellow’s dissertation), as well as organize at least two events, author op-eds and blog posts, and take media requests on international security issues. Ideally, the fellow’s work at Cato would overlap considerably with his or her dissertation, making the fellowship useful both for policy research and finishing or refining the candidate’s dissertation.

Fellows will work from the Institute’s Washington, DC offices for the 2013-2014 academic year. Pre-doctoral fellows will receive $35,000 and post-docs will receive $45,000, in addition to health care coverage.

Applicants should submit a C.V. and a journal article length writing sample (as well as an op-ed length sample, if available) to jlogan [at] cato [dot] org. Applications will be reviewed as they are received, but not after July 1st, 2013, for the 2013-2014 academic year.

Cato Institute Summer Post-Doctoral Fellowship Summer 2013

The Cato Institute, a non-partisan, non-profit think tank, is welcoming applications for the position of a summer post-doctoral fellow.

We are looking for completed Ph.D.s or advanced ABD students who have been accepted for teaching positions in the Fall of 2013. Length of fellowship would run roughly June to August, with flexibility depending upon the candidates. Fellowship would be located at Cato’s Washington DC location.

The objective of the Summer Post-Doc Fellowship is to encourage recent Ph.D.s to turn their dissertation research into policy-relevant publications that are accessible to the general public. Accordingly preference will be given to candidates whose research interests bear directly on current public policy questions.

Applications for all fields are welcomed. Those from Economics, Public Policy, Philosophy and History are particularly encouraged. Cato will pay fellows a stipend of $6,000 for the summer.

Interested applicants should submit CV and writing sample, by May 1st, to Dr. Mark Calabria, Cato Institute, mcalabria [at] cato [dot] org.

Policy Analyst, Telecommunications and Internet Governance

The Cato Institute seeks a policy analyst to work on telecommunications and Internet governance issues. The suitable candidate will have several years of work experience in the field of telecommunications and Internet law and policy. An advanced degree in law or economics is preferred

Sought-after qualifications include: familiarity with or practice before the Federal Communications Commission; familiarity with the technical and governance bodies of the Internet; familiarity with and/or work experience on Capitol Hill; a solid background in the First Amendment and other civil liberties; familiarity with classical liberal history and scholarship; strong analytical reasoning skills; the ability to simplify complex issues in oral and written communications; and good interpersonal skills. Responsibilities include monitoring developments in government regulation and oversight of telecommunications and Internet governance at all governmental levels; researching and writing on these topics in all formats (research papers, policy briefs, editorials, blogposts, etc.); and public speaking. Candidates must support Cato’s mission of promoting individual liberty, free markets and limited government.

Applicants should send their resume, cover letter, and writing samples to:

Jim Harper
Director of Information Policy Studies
Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001
Fax (202) 842-3490
Email: jharper [at] cato [dot] org

Legal Associate Program

Use Your JD to Work for Liberty!

Many law firms are asking their incoming first-year associates to defer their start dates and are offering stipends for these associates to work at public interest organizations. Some law schools are also offering their graduates funding for a number of months under similar conditions. And plenty of new law grads are looking to get their feet in the DC policy door.

To that end, the Cato Institute invites graduating law students and law school graduates to work at our Center for Constitutional Studies. This is an opportunity to assist projects ranging from Supreme Court amicus briefs to policy papers to the Cato Supreme Court Review. Interested students and graduates should email a cover letter, resume, transcript, and writing sample, along with any specific details of their circumstances (availability, deferral terms/stipend, etc.), to Jonathan Blanks, jblanks [at] cato [dot] org.

If you don’t have your own firm/school funding and cannot work unpaid, please apply to our highly competitive internship program (see directly below for short description and application instructions). Legal associates accepted through our internship program receive double the normal intern stipend and are responsible for all normal intern duties on top of responsibilities for the Center for Constitutional Studies.

Jonathan Blanks
Center for Constitutional Studies
Cato Institute
1000 Massachusetts Ave. NW
Washington, DC 20001
Email: jblanks [at] cato [dot] org

Intern

The Cato Institute is seeking interns for the summer, fall and spring terms. Responsibilities include research assistance to Cato’s policy directors, assisting at Cato events, some clerical chores, attendance at Cato events, and weekly seminars and readings. Candidates should be undergraduates, regardless of major, recent graduates, or graduate students who have a strong commitment to individual liberty, private property, free markets, peace, toleration, and limited government. The monthly stipend is $700 paid in two monthly installments. Information on the program is available online. If you require additional information, please e-mail intern [at] cato [dot] org.

[ For additional information on employment opportunities with free market organizations, see job banks at Institute for Humane Studies.]

Cato Calls for Papers

The Cato Institute seeks papers and proposals on a wide range of policy issues. The Institute’s publications include books, the Cato Journal, Regulation Magazine, Cato Policy Report, and the Policy Analysis, Briefing Papers, Foreign Policy Briefings, and Social Security Choice series. A review of the documents at www.cato.org should give you an idea of the subjects that interest us and the style and tone appropriate for policy studies.

Manuscripts should be typed double-spaced, preferably in 12-pitch or pica, on 8 1/2 x 11 paper. Leave extra space around the title and byline. Margins on all four sides of the page should be at least 1 inch.

Notes should be done per the Chicago Manual of Style (Style A). They may be typed at the bottom of each page or preferably at the end of the manuscript. Notes should be double-spaced.

Please send hard copy: At this time, Cato does not accept submissions by fax or email. Manuscripts will be returned if a self-addressed, stamped envelope is enclosed.

Send proposals or papers to Submissions Editor, Cato Institute, 1000 Massachusetts Ave., NW, Washington, DC, 20001.