Jones Mandel: Research Fellowship

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JOB DESCRIPTION

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. They are:

- 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. Since this is a full-time 40-hour-per-week position, 9-5, it is not suitable for applicants who cannot work 40 hours per week. Applicants must reside in, and be legally authorized to work in, the United States.

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 January 12, 2026, and will end on July 10, 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.

- If a Fellow lives outside the DC metro area, the fellowship will be fully remote. If a fellow lives in the DC area, they will be required to work in the VA office two days per week. DC area Fellows are welcome in the office on additional days if they choose.

- Fellow managers will host ongoing meetings to provide feedback and open dialogue.

- At the conclusion of the Fellowship, JM will evaluate its client needs and each fellow's performance. In some cases, a promotion to an Associate position may be possible. If not, JM provides career counseling support to our Fellows as they depart.

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 November 7, 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 November and January. 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!