One Day, One Job » policy

New America Foundation

Willy Franzen — Sun, 25 Sep 2011 16:01:46 +0000

There’s no question that America’s future is filled with challenges, and we’re going to be the ones who have to rise to them. It’s a huge opportunity, but it’s also a bit daunting. The New America Foundation is a non-profit organization that “emphasizes work that is responsive to the changing conditions and problems of our 21st Century information-age economy — an era shaped by transforming innovation and wealth creation, but also by shortened job tenures, longer life spans, mobile capital, financial imbalances and rising inequality.” They’re based in Washington, DC (and Sacramento, CA), and they’re working to ensure that every American generation is able to live better than the one that came before it.

Are You Part of a New America?

The New America Foundation has ideals that pretty much everyone can get behind, but how do they actually go about achieving their goals? They have a wide range of Programs and Initiatives that cover a number of areas including College Savings, National Security, Open Technology, Economic Growth, and lots more. These programs “combine ongoing research and publications with working groups, conferences and public events” to “bring innovative, cutting-edge policy solutions to the fore of the national debate.” The New America Foundation’s approach is broad, but if you think that you could help them build a better America, then take a look at their Jobs page. They have a number of positions available that look suitable for new or recent grads including A/V Multimedia Producer, Innovation Policy Research Associate, Program Associate – Global Assets Project, Research Associate – Global Assets Project, Schmidt Family Foundation Fellow, Events Associate, Field Analyst – Open Technology Initiative, and Research Associate. There are lots of options, so hopefully one of them will be a good fit for you.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What’s your vision for a New America?

Atlantic Council

Willy Franzen — Sun, 31 Jul 2011 16:45:49 +0000

Our country’s relationship with Europe started off pretty rocky. There were all kinds of conflicts including the French and Indian War, the Revolutionary War, the War of 1812, the Spanish American War, and plenty of others. It wasn’t really until after World Wars I and II that U.S-Europe relations really began to stabilize. That’s why in 1961 The Atlantic Council was founded. They are a Washington, DC based think tank that “promotes constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the central role of the Atlantic community in meeting the international challenges of the 21st century.” Over the organization’s 50 years its mission and programs have evolved, but they remain focused on maintaining a constructive trans-Atlantic dialogue.

Join the Council

I realize that it’s kind of hard to grasp what think tanks actually do–especially when their mission is something as nebulous as promoting “constructive U.S. leadership and engagement in international affairs.” Here are some things that the Atlantic Council is working on that will give you a better idea of what they actually do:

identifying and shaping responses to major issues facing the Atlantic Alliance and transatlantic relations;
building consensus on U.S. policy towards Russia, China, Japan, Korea, and Taiwan;
promoting balanced responses to growing energy needs and environmental protection;
drafting roadmaps for U.S. policy towards the Balkans, Africa, Cuba, Iraq, Iran, and Libya;
engaging students from across the Euro-Atlantic area in the processes of NATO transformation and enlargement

To really get to know more about the Atlantic Council, you can take a look at the Atlantic Council’s Programs and Publications. If you’re interested in getting involved, then head over to The Atlantic Council’s Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for an Outreach and Public Events Assistant – Office of Development and External Relations. Give it a look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you know about the Atlantic Council?

Mobilize.org

Willy Franzen — Sun, 10 Jul 2011 14:46:06 +0000

Looking for a job in the non-profit world? Samaritan’s Purse has a number of great opportunities for you.

Yesterday we looked at an organization called Youth Service America that encourages youth to get involved in their communities. Today we’re going to look at an organization with a similar, but slightly different approach. Mobilize.org is a Washington, DC based non-profit organization that aims “to improve the way democracy works by investing in Millennial-driven solutions.” I kind of hate the term Millennial, but it is important that our generation makes an effort to act together in our shared best interest. It all started with a guy named David Smith who was a student at UC Berkeley. He learned of another tuition increase, and instead of taking it, he mobilized some peers and made some noise. It worked, and David decided to make the movement national by starting Mobilizing America’s Youth, which eventually became Mobilize.org.

Get Mobilized

Often when we look at non-profits, we see that they call themselves “non-partisan.” Sometimes this is true, but often it’s pretty clear that the organization leans one way or the other politically. Mobilize.org describes itself with a term that I’d never seen before: “all partisan.” What does that mean? It’s a little hard to explain, but the best explanation that I could find was here. As far as I can tell, Mobilize.org isn’t as much focused on specific issues as they are focus on equipping our generation to engage in the political process and make things happen. If you want to be part of that, check out Mobilize.org’s Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Community Mobilizer. They’re specifically looking for someone to cover San Jose, CA, but they also have these positions in Detroit, MI, Miami, FL, Charlotte, NC and Philadelphia, PA.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What do you think about Mobilize.org?

Common Cause

Willy Franzen — Sat, 14 May 2011 14:17:30 +0000

It always helps to have someone hold you accountable, whether it’s to keep you from cheating on a paper or cheating on a diet (those are links to this week’s relevant posts on iParadigms and Weight Watchers, respectively). But it’s not only individuals that need to be held accountable. What about our government? That’s what Democracy and a system of elections is all about, but we all know that it doesn’t quite work as planned. I think most would agree that our government is constantly doing things against our interests. Common Cause is a Washington, DC based non-profit (lobbying organization) that is “a vehicle for citizens to make their voices heard in the political process and to hold their elected leaders accountable to the public interest.” Defining “the public interest” can get a little hairy depending on your point of view, but there’s no doubt that our government can do a better job of serving it (whatever it is).

Be Accountable for Your Job Search

Common Cause claims to be nonpartisan, but their Wikipedia page mentions that publications including The Washington Post, The New York Times, Newsweek, TIME, and USA Today have identified the organization as liberal. In other words, they’re all about government accountability when it comes to a certain set of issues that align with their political goals. There’s nothing wrong with that, but they could probably be a little more intellectually honest when describing themselves. The issues that they focus on include:

Increase participation in the political process,
Advance campaign finance reforms that make people and ideas more important than money,
Make certain that government is open, ethical and accountable,
Remove barriers to voting and ensure that our voting systems are accurate and accessible,
Increase the diversity of voices and ownership in media, to make media more responsive to the needs of citizens in a democracy and to protect the editorial independence of public broadcasting, and to
Make certain that public policy on health care, defense spending, climate change and other issues reflects the needs and priorities of our citizens, not special interests.

Obviously, these are simplifications of their positions on each of these issues, so you should go here to get a more in-depth look at what they’re doing to hold the government more accountable. You’ll probably also want to check out Common Cause’s Action Items. If you like what you see, then it’s time to take a look at their Jobs page. Right now they’re looking for a Policy Advocate (Sacramento/Northern California) and a Policy/Advocacy Fellow (California). Both jobs look like good fits for new or recent grads, so give the job descriptions a good look.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

What have you heard about Common Cause?

OPOWER

Willy Franzen — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 15:09:39 +0000

SinglePlatform is our sponsor this week. They’re looking to hire new grads from all majors as Outside Sales Consultants in Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Minneapolis, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington, DC. They’re also building an Inside Sales team out of their New York City headquarters.

Have you ever heard of a company or industry that wants you to use less of their product? Doesn’t really make sense, does it? It does if you’re in the power industry, at least to some extent. Some of the biggest proponents of energy efficiency are the utilities themselves. The reason for this is decoupling, or the “disassociation of a utility’s profits from its sales of the energy commodity.” It’s a tactic used by many states to create positive incentives for energy companies to be more green. Still, promoting energy efficiency to consumers is no easy task. That’s where OPOWER comes in. They’re based in Washington, DC and San Francisco, CA, and they use “cutting edge behavioral science and patent-pending data analytics” to enable “utilities to connect with their customers in a highly targeted fashion, motivating reductions in energy use, increased program participation and overall customer satisfaction.” It’s all about helping consumers make better informed decisions (which usually are also better decisions for the environment).

You Got the OPOWER

If I remember correctly, I had a friend in college whose roommates were some seriously nerdy Electrical Engineers. They spent an entire day using voltmeters (or something similar) to figure out the average daily energy consumption of each roommate. They then prorated the monthly electric bill based on usage. OPOWER takes a way cooler approach to doing something similar. You can get a feel for exactly how they do it by taking a look at their Approach, Products, and Results. Because they work directly with utilities, OPOWER is able to get into the homes of millions of consumers through monthly bills. It’s a pretty cool model, and it seems to be working. If you’re excited about what OPOWER is doing, then you need to check out their Careers page at OPOWERJobs.com. They don’t seem big on entry level positions (they like work experience), but there are a few jobs that you should at least take a look at. The Virginia/DC positions include Software Support Engineer, Consumer Marketing Coordinator, Quantitative Analyst, Software Engineer in Test, Policy Analyst, Associate Product Manager, User Experience Prototyper, and Proposal Writer. There are also some Software Engineerings in San Francisco. Take a look at all the jobs, and see if you can match up with the qualifications.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Does your utility work with OPOWER?

National Bureau of Asian Research

Willy Franzen — Sun, 27 Feb 2011 16:00:47 +0000

I really hope that I get to travel to Asia at some point in my life, especially Japan. I think it would be fascinating to experience a society that is quite similar to the United States in terms of its economy and technology, yet so different culturally. When I think about it, I’m amazed at how far America’s relationship with Asian countries has come over the past 70 or so years. We’ve gone from wars with Japan, Korea, and Vietnam to economic battles with Japan and China. Now our economy is deeply intertwined with that of China, and the fight against Communism is nearly forgotten. Even though our country’s relationships with Asian countries have changed over the years, it’s still extremely important that we work to understand them better. That’s what the National Bureau of Asian Research is all about. They’re a Seattle, WA based non-profit organization that “conducts advanced independent research on strategic, political, economic, globalization, health, and energy issues affecting U.S. relations with Asia.” They were founded in 1989 when the landscape was quite different from what it is today, but their mission is just as relevant.

Explore Everything Asia

By “drawing upon an extensive network of the world’s leading specialists and leveraging the latest technology,” the National Bureau of Asian Research is able to bridge “the academic, business, and policy arenas.” As important as doing their research, another key to NBR’s work is disseminating their research. They do this “through briefings, publications, conferences, Congressional testimony, and email forums, and by collaborating with leading institutions worldwide.” If you want to get a feel for some of NBR’s past work, you can take a look at this history of their first fifteen years. Another part of NBR’s mission is training “the next generation of Asia specialists.” This means that they’re big on Fellowships and Internships. It’s already too late for The Next Generation Leadership in Asian Affairs Program (deadline was January 15), and the Bridge Award Program seems to be limited to recipients of the Boren Fellowship; however, NBR also has a Jobs page. The only position posted is for an Accounts Payable Coordinator, which isn’t all that relevant to what NBR does. However, you can keep an eye out for other opportunities that might appear or you can reach out to them to see if there are any other options. Remember, training the next generation of Asian specialists is part of their mission.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Have you ever been to Asia?

Independent Diplomat

Willy Franzen — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 15:02:32 +0000

Since diplomacy is “the art and practice of conducting negotiations between representatives of groups or states” according to Wikipedia, one would assume that a diplomat is a representative of a group or state. Independent Diplomat is a non-profit organization that is trying to live outside that definition. Their mission is to provide the knowledge and experience of long time diplomats to countries that are disadvantaged or marginalized to the point that they don’t have the resources to effectively practice diplomacy. Started by a former British diplomat, Independent Diplomat has worked with nations that include Somaliland, Western Sahara, Kosovo, and the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus to prevent and resolve conflict. They’re kind of like management consultants for diplomacy.

Working for Diplomacy

If you majored in International Relations, you’re probably already really excited about the possibility of a job with Independent Diplomat. They’re a unique organization that takes a very different approach to foreign affairs. They are currently looking for a Program and Development Assistant in their New York City office. This position is closely intertwined with the Executive Director and the Director of Development, and requires someone who is truly committed to changing the practice of diplomacy. There are certainly some administrative tasks involved with this job, but there’s also a lot of room to grow and learn. You can find an extremely thorough job description here.

This is the only job that Independent Diplomat currently has that looks well suited to new college grads, but it seems like a perfect fit. To apply you should send an e-mail to newyork@independentdiplomat.org with “Program and Development Assistant” in the subject line. Your e-mail should include: a cover letter of no more that one page stating why you are interested in the job and why you believe you are qualified for it; a resume of no more than 2 pages; a sample of your writing of no more than 2 pages; and contact details for 2 references for whom you have worked in a professional capacity and who are willing and available to be contacted.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Does the idea of an “independent” diplomat seem strange to you?

Point Carbon

Willy Franzen — Mon, 08 Sep 2008 13:59:42 +0000

Carbon is everywhere – in trees, air, diamonds, your body, yet it typically seems pretty harmless. For the most part carbon isn’t something that you lock up under the kitchen sink to keep away from the baby, although breathing carbon monoxide will kill you, and there is the fear that we may be using carbon monoxide to cook ourselves. No matter what you think about “global climate change,” you have to recognize that attempts to limit carbon emissions are quickly becoming a major business concern. That means that businesses of all sizes are either going to have to invest significant resources in trading in carbon markets, or they’re going to have to outsource. If they’re going to outsource, Point Carbon is the place to go. They provide “independent news, analysis and consulting services for European and global power, gas and carbon markets” based on the information they get from their “experts in international and regional climate policy, mathematical and economic modelling, forecasting methodologies, risk management and market reporting.” If you’re interested in energy policy or markets, there couldn’t be a better place to work than Point Carbon.

Entry Level Jobs Aren’t Made of Carbon

Point Carbon hasn’t been around very long – they started in 2000. That’s because carbon trading is a relatively new thing. First of all, we haven’t been worried about carbon emissions for very long. Second of all, the idea of trading pollution credits is quite young. That means that both Point Carbon and the environmental market industry have a lot of room for growth. Can you think of a better place to start your career than an industry leader in a rapidly growing market?

Right now, the two job openings at Point Carbon that look most promising for new college grads are Sales Executive and Marketing Coordinator. Both of these positions are located in Washington, DC and require limited experience. Point Carbon also has a number of Analyst and Consulting positions listed on their Careers page that might be good fits for new grads, but they are located in Oslo, Norway. If you’re feeling adventurous, a move over there could be a great way to spend the first few years after graduation. If you’d like to work for Point Carbon, you’ll have to visit the specific job descriptions and scroll to the bottom to find the e-mail address to which you should send a cover letter and resume. Don’t worry, you won’t have to buy carbon credits to breathe in their office – it’s one of their benefits.

Links to Help You Begin Your Research

Heard anything about Point Carbon? Leave a comment.