Overview
The Institute for Defense Analyses (IDA) is a non-profit federally funded research and development center. IDA provides answers to questions posed by the Department of Defense and other agencies that require careful analysis. IDA takes great pride in the high caliber and timeliness of its analyses, which are produced in an atmosphere that encourages independent thinking and objective results.
IDA has an immediate opening for a Research Associate (RA) with a strong interest in national security challenges, demonstrated analytical skills and relevant educational training. Full-time professional staff at IDA are expected to be able to work independently, as a member of a study team, or under the direction of senior study leaders and analysts.
Under direct supervision, the Research Associate provides qualitative and quantitative research support, assisting and supporting work activities of more experienced research staff and other professional staff. This is an entry level position which supports the assigned Research Division.
Research staff are expected to be familiar with standard methods for collecting, compiling, summarizing, analyzing and presenting qualitative and quantitative data/information. They should be able to apply appropriate analytic methods to support the needs of particular studies or analyses. As members of interdisciplinary research teams, researchers must demonstrate strong communication (oral and written) and interpersonal skills with the ability to contribute effectively to a team approach to problem solving.
The national security issues that IDA addresses change constantly, and researchers are expected to be adaptable and self-motivated, and demonstrate a capacity for independent thought, sound judgment, and creativity in analyzing complex policy, operational, and technical problems.
o Training and/or experience in quantitative or qualitative information collection, data normalization, and text analytics
o Experience as a research assistant in an academic or policy research setting
o Experience or coursework in Bayesian statistics, machine learning, predictive analytics, and/or geospatial analyses
o Experience with GPU, high-throughput, and/or distributed computing
We support transparency, equity, and fairness in our compensation program and provide a reasonable estimate of the salary range based on data-driven market analysis for each position. While it is not typical for an individual to be hired at or near the top of the range, a reasonable estimate of the salary range for this role is $68,681-$194,054. Individual salary within this range will be commensurate with the incumbent’s experience, unique skills and qualifications, and other relevant factors.
Successful completion of a criminal background check is required.
IDA (Institute for Defense Analyses) – a not-for-profit corporation headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia just outside Washington, DC – operates three Federally Funded Research and Development Centers (FFRDCs) in the public interest: the Systems and Analyses Center, the Science and Technology Policy Institute, and the Center for Communications and Computing.
Sponsors rely on IDA for dispassionate, fact-based, and scientifically rigorous research and advice to inform their decisions. Since 1956, IDA’s basic mission has remained unchanged – bring the best scientific, technical, and analytic talent to bear on issues critical to U.S. National security, in a research environment free of commercial or shareholder interests where objectivity and the public interest are foremost.
The work produced by IDA’s FFRDCs is characterized by unquestioned objectivity and high quality. Because of our unique relationship with our Government sponsors, IDA enjoys unusual access to highly classified and sensitive government and corporate proprietary information. We adhere to a strict regime for avoiding conflicts of interest. We are thus in the position of offering outsider perspectives on important issues with insider access to information.
Our diverse mix of professionals possesses expertise in a broad range of technologies and systems combined with deep knowledge of costs, policies, operations, and organizational matters. IDA continually renews and evolves its staff, integrating those newly educated in the latest advances in research with seasoned veterans of acquisition management, policy-making, and operational leadership roles in government and defense-related organizations. The exceptional creativity, determination, and commitment to service that IDA researchers bring to their work are the foundation of IDA’s excellence.
