Gravity Research is hiring a Research Intern to support Gravity Research’s Political and Reputational Vetting Service.
Gravity Research, born of National Journal, is a premier custom research and insights organization supporting corporate, association, and nonprofit clients. Our mission is to empower organizations to anticipate risk, spot opportunities, and rationalize reputational concerns against a backdrop of evolving public pressures.
What is Gravity Research's Political and Reputational Vetting Service?
The Political and Reputational Vetting service provides corporate offices with custom analysis to help inform giving decisions. The service provides corporate Political Action Committees with custom analysis on candidates and officials to help inform their giving decisions. The service also provides corporate marketing offices with custom analysis on celebrities and influencers to help inform their partnership decisions and manage reputational risk. We are looking for curious and innovative entry-level researchers and consultants interested in helping corporations smartly navigate the corporate risk landscape.
The role:
Interns on the Political and Reputational Vetting team use a range of qualitative methods to research candidates’ policy positions and potentially controversial behavior and use our media monitoring tools to track rapidly changing situations. Interns will also use a range of qualitative methods to research individuals’ suitability for brand campaigns and potentially controversial behavior.
Your responsibilities will include:
Conducting thorough research on candidates’ policy positions and potentially controversial actions, statements, and affiliations
Conducting thorough research on individuals’ potentially controversial conduct, previous brand affiliations, and alignment with client’s brand identity
Writing clear, succinct summaries of large amounts of data
Drafting deliverables, including PowerPoint presentations, Excel spreadsheets, and other formats, to communicate findings to clients
Managing research for multiple client accounts and internal initiatives; taking responsibility for the timely delivery of all work
Collaborating with team members to develop research methodologies
Contributing to product development by crafting new and innovative approaches to producing the analytic work, optimizing operations, and perfecting the research product
Qualifications of the ideal candidate:
An excellent academic record
Professional or academic experience in qualitative research required
Experience in a detail-oriented role (i.e. copyediting) preferred
Strong research skills and an unflagging commitment to objective, thorough work
Excellent writing skills; ability to distill large amounts of information into concise summaries and analytic conclusions
Ability to quickly adjust to evolving timelines and priorities; ready to learn new systems and adapt research and writing to product-specific guidelines
Outstanding time management and judgment; demonstrated proficiency in managing competing project priorities and adhering to timelines
Proficiency in Microsoft PowerPoint
Demonstrated interest in public policy and politics and outstanding client-service ethic
Employment Type: Part-Time Internship (19 hours/week)
Term: March 2025 - June 2025
Compensation: $20.00/hour
Location: Hybrid schedule based in Washington, DC. National Journal is based in Washington, DC. and operates on a hybrid schedule, with employees required to be in the office every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.
About Us
Across National Journal, generally, the firm looks for two “pillar gifts” in you, and everyone else. In all of us, these are more aspirational than actual, but they are central in our intentions –
Force of Ideas: At the center of National Journal’s work are the ideas within our work. We believe that ideas—the good and not—have consequences. Our ultimate objective is to bring rigor, insight, and intellectual honesty to the goal of separating the bad from the good, and giving voice, argument, and flight to maintaining the latter.
Spirit of Generosity: National Journal **** seeks in its ranks a spirit of generosity: a natural disposition in each colleague toward service and selfless conduct. Our writing should be cut from the same cloth—critical on the merits, but informed by charity and forbearance in measuring motive and personal character.
National Journal is an Equal Opportunity Employers. We do not discriminate against our applicants because of race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, disability, veteran status, genetic information, or any other status protected by applicable law.