Research Fellowship, Remote

Jones Mandel, a Democratic political research firm, is seeking to hire Fellows for a six-month Fellowship program. These Fellows will gain valuable experience working for state and federal political campaigns, issue-based groups, and corporations. Our clients range from candidates for federal office like the U.S. Senate to statewide offices such as Governor, issue groups, and some companies. 

At Jones Mandel, our core values are central to conducting our business, building our work environment, and fostering relationships. Adherence to these values will be one part of your ongoing feedback and evaluations while on staff. 

• Cultivate Compassion: We expect all employees to treat others with kindness, decorum, and respect. 
• Initiate Communication: We trust that employees will proactively communicate with their coworkers and clients to ask questions, offer advice, and provide feedback. 
• Practice Honesty: We believe in candor in the workplace. We expect our employees to be realistic about their deadlines and workloads. 
• Nurture Curiosity: We are committed to lifelong learning and employee growth. Furthermore, we believe in tackling research projects with open minds and the desire to fully uncover information for our clients. 
• Be Accountable: We expect our employees to take ownership of their work and to be accountable to clients and our teams 

Our Fellows receive consistent and ongoing research training, work in small teams, have an assigned mentor, and are given significant assignments.

Daily life includes various research assignments such as analyzing news articles, reviewing social media, analyzing public records, and researching legislative history.  All Fellows receive training on public record research strategies and learn how to contribute to concise deliverables for clients.   

We're looking for applicants who have the following qualities: 

• Enjoys rigorous study and work to dive deep and make connections with information 
• Is a capable writer and enjoys writing summaries of information in a clear manner 
• Has a track record of meeting deadlines 
• Follows directions well and pays close attention to detail 
• Ability to manage time effectively across three assignments each day  
• Works well both independently and collaboratively in a small team  
• An interest in American politics and campaigns, especially Democratic candidates 
• Willingness to dive in, make mistakes, learn quickly, and have some fun. Our team will be here to support you! 

Jones Mandel encourages applicants with various levels of prior experience to apply.  This could mean someone with a well-suited background who is looking for a career change or someone right out of college looking for a great first place to work post-college.   

Jones Mandel has had the pleasure of working with diverse clients across the country and is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment. Candidates who identify as members of historically underrepresented groups are highly encouraged to apply. 

Fellowship details: 

• Fellowship begins on June 2, 2025, and will end on November 7, 2025.   
• Fellows work a full-time schedule of 40 hours a week. 
•  Hourly pay of $15/hour unless a higher rate is mandated by local, state, or federal law. 
• Paid Federal Holidays, Summer Fridays, accrued PTO.   
• The Fellowship can be fully remote. If you are in the DC area, we have an office in Alexandria, VA. In-person attendance is welcome but not required. 
• Fellow managers will host monthly meetings to provide feedback and open dialogue. 
• At the conclusion of the Fellowship, JM will provide career counseling and support for the Fellow to find a new position. In some cases, promotion to an Associate position may be possible.  

Your cover letter should explain why you believe you are well-suited for this position. To that end, it should emphasize how your skills and experiences align with the qualities listed above that we are looking for in this position. It should also introduce motivations to become involved in Democratic politics and campaigns. Our hiring committee usually ignores generic/boilerplate cover letters. Please use the cover letter as an asset to your application process to show your writing ability and your desire for this specific position.

Jones Mandel encourages all applicants to submit a resume and cover letter by April 4, 2025, on BambooHR.  JM will respond to applicants by email using the BambooHR application portal. JM will evaluate applications on a rolling basis, and all applicants will receive communication by email between March and May. Writing tests and interviews will be granted to selected applicants.  

A Note to Women, Nonbinary & BIPOC Candidates: Studies have shown that women, nonbinary folks, and People of Color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they believe they meet every single one of the qualifications as described in a job description. We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive organization and are most interested in finding the best candidate for the job. That candidate may be one who comes from a background less traditional to our field of work, and that’s okay. We would strongly encourage you to apply, even if you don’t believe you meet every one of the qualifications described. 

Thank you for your interest in Jones Mandel!