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National Journal is a premier research and insights company committed to helping organizations effectively navigate Washington. Best known as one of Washington’s most trusted media brands for nearly 50 years, our expertise is unmatched with teams of specialists dedicated to government affairs, communications, and political research, in addition to exceptional journalism.
Our mission is to equip the thousands of government and business leaders in the nation’s capital with the intelligence, insights, and connections they need to save time, increase efficiency, and deliver success.
Position Overview
We are seeking a highly analytical, intellectually curious self-starter to support the Associate Director of New Product Development and the SVP of Product at National Journal to help identify, scope, and scale new product offerings for the Government Affairs community.
We are especially interested in candidates who have demonstrated exceptional performance in academics, research, entrepreneurship, journalism, competitive debate, consulting projects, coding, data analysis, student leadership, or other intellectually demanding pursuits. We care less about the specific domain and more about evidence that you consistently seek out difficult problems and solve them well.
The strongest candidates are fascinated by how products succeed or fail. They naturally ask questions like:
Why do people behave this way?
What job is this product really helping them accomplish?
What would have to be true for this idea to scale?
How could AI change this workflow entirely?
We should meet if you’re the kind of person who…
Enjoys sifting through noise for tiny signals that could lead to the next big idea
Gets genuinely excited when a pattern emerges in a messy dataset
Considers challenges to be fascinating puzzles to be solved
Picks up new tools—spreadsheets, databases, AI agents—with confidence
The role will have a dual focus:
First, you will contribute to recently launched intelligence service that monitors hundreds of influencers in the Make America Healthy Again (MAHA) movement. Your job will be to translate the outputs of our sophisticated AI listening engine into relevant content for clients in the health sector. It requires keen analytical judgment to recognize when something small could become the next front line of a major policy battle.
Second, you will play a key role in our new product development process, including discovery of unmet needs, product design & testing, and business model scaling.
Key Responsibilities
For our recently launched product, the Analyst will…
Translate AI-generated intelligence reports into concise briefings on the most significant, novel, and impactful developments
Identify emerging narratives, language, and influencer dynamics that represent meaningful opportunities or threats for client organizations
Regularly test AI automation tools and providing feedback on new processes and prompts to support efforts to improve output quality and efficiency
Investigate quantitative and qualitative inputs for an (in-development) Influence Power Index, and contribute to executing the creation and rollout of the Index into the existing alternative media intelligence product suite
For new product exploration, the Analyst will…
Support primary research with government affairs professionals: synthesizing interview findings, clustering pain points, and building frameworks for evaluating product opportunities
Conduct secondary research to characterize client pain points, map the competitive landscape, and assess market size and differentiation potential
Prepare clear, compelling research synthesis that translates complex findings into recommendations for executive decision-making
Leverage AI tools and agents as a core part of daily work—and bring informed judgment about how AI could be part of the products we build
Build lightweight prototypes, workflows, and experiments to test product ideas quickly, using AI tools, spreadsheets, no-code platforms, or code as appropriate
Maintain spreadsheets, databases, and analytic tools to evaluate product concept and keep product development initiatives on track
Qualifications
Undergraduate degree with strong academic achievement; up to two years of post- graduate experience preferred but not required
Demonstrated habit of building things independently—research projects, student publications, software tools, businesses, AI workflows, data analyses, newsletters, or other self-directed work
Prodigious intellectual curiosity and analytical instincts—equally comfortable in qualitative and quantitative work, and skilled at knowing when to go deep versus when to synthesize
Demonstrated tendency to pursue questions beyond what is required. You read broadly, investigate topics deeply, and frequently teach yourself new concepts, tools, or skills without formal instruction.
Excellent writing and communication skills; proven ability to distill large amounts of information into concise, well-organized insight
Enthusiasm for AI tools, including generative AI and agents; a track record of figuring out new tools independently
Competence in Microsoft Excel and PowerPoint; experience with databases, data visualization tools, and task automation a plus
Some exposure to Python or demonstrated willingness to develop basic coding fluency on the job
Experience with primary research, including interviews and surveys
Outstanding time management; ability to manage competing priorities without losing quality or missing deadlines
Background in political science, public policy, journalism, economics, or a related field that has provided some familiarity with how Washington works
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