Russian Language Intern - Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism Program (Fall/Winter 2025)

JOB SUMMARY:   The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) is a non-profit, bipartisan public policy organization established in 1962 to provide strategic insights and practical policy solutions to decision makers concerned with global security and prosperity.  Over the years, it has grown to be one of the largest organizations of its kind, with a staff of some 250 employees, including more than 120 analysts working to address the changing dynamics of international security across the globe.   The CSIS Warfare, Irregular Threats, and Terrorism (WITT) Program seeks candidates for a full-time (35 hours per week), three-month (with the possibility of extension to six-month) internship beginning in late fall 2025. The intern will directly support a project analyzing cooperation between Russia, China, Iran, and North Korea. This position requires Russian language skills.   To learn more about the WITT Program, please visit: https://www.csis.org/programs/warfare-irregular-threats-and-terrorism-program   The ideal candidate for this job thrives in a fast-paced environment, is highly organized, fluent in Russian and English, and enjoys a wide variety of research, analytic, and logistics work. Interns will gain first-hand experience in public policy and national security by assisting in research tasks, event planning and execution, and general administrative support. Interns also participate in professional development activities.   The hired candidates will be paid hourly, commensurate with experience ($18.00/hour for current undergraduate hires, $19.00/hour for hires with a bachelor’s degree, and $20.00/hour for hires with a master’s degree).   ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: Essential functions may include, but are not limited to the following:   • Conducting qualitative and quantitative research to analyze Russia’s warfighting ability, military capabilities, and evolving relationship with China, Iran, and North Korea.  • Analyzing Russian-language primary sources including government statements, social media posts, and academic writings to understand Russia’s strategic partnerships. • Using cutting-edge research methods to support written analysis, including but not limited to creating original maps, analyzing satellite imagery, and building original datasets. • Creating, maintaining, and utilizing datasets to perform data analysis and create data visualizations. • Assist in the publications process, including liaising with the CSIS Dracopoulos iDeas Lab, drafting webpage language, and assisting in social media promotion. • Other similar duties as needed.   KNOWLEDGE, EDUCATION, AND EXPERIENCE:   The position requires the following skills and experience:   • In pursuit of a bachelor’s or master’s degree, or recent graduate. • Native or advanced proficiency in Russian. • 0-2 years of relevant work experience (including internships). • Prior academic or professional experience conducting research on the irregular and/or conventional military activities of Russia and other U.S. competitors. • Excellent writing skills. • Demonstrated success working in collaborative team environments. • Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects and priorities simultaneously under strict deadlines. • Availability to work full-time (35 hours a week) starting in late fall 2025.   Highly competitive candidates typically have one or more of the following experiences: • 1-3 years of experience in a professional office environment. • Quantitative data research experience, including creating, maintaining, and analyzing large Excel spreadsheets. • Experience copyediting and reviewing long-form (10-50 pages) written products such as commentaries, op-eds, and reports. • Overseas travel or academic/professional experience in Russia or any of the former Soviet republics.    All candidates must be U.S. citizens.     PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS AND WORK CONDITIONS:   The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee working in an office environment.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential job functions.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.   Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability or protected veteran status.   Equal Opportunity Employer.     HOW TO APPLY:    Please note that all application instructions must be closely followed, otherwise your application will be rejected. Interested applicants should submit the following as separate PDFs through the CSIS online portal: resume, cover letter, college transcripts (official or unofficial).   The hiring committee will invite a subset of applicants to take a short test of their Russian reading comprehension skills. The hiring committee will then select applicants for interviews from that subset.