Director of Research and Policy

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom, abipartisan Federal governmental body headquartered in Washington, DC,is interviewing prospective candidates to join our senior executiveteam.

 

The Director of Research and Policy position requires excellentinterpersonal skills, the ability to produce polished written product,management ability, high level analytical thinking, and the ability towork effectively in a balanced, bipartisan manner.

Further, the position requires strong research skills, policyexperience, a terminal degree (JD or PhD), and substantive knowledge inthe area of foreign affairs and human rights including religiousfreedom.

About the Commission

The impact of religion in international affairs and U.S. foreign policyhas grown markedly in recent years. The U.S. Commission onInternational Religious Freedom, a bipartisan independent federalcommission created by Congress in 1998, is the only independentgovernment body in the world focused principally on monitoring andadvancing the internationally recognized freedom of thought,conscience, religion or belief and related human rights. It is also theonly international human rights commission in the United Statesgovernment.

Established by Congress as part of the International Religious FreedomAct of 1998, the Commission's primary responsibilities are to makeforeign policy recommendations to the President and Congress related tothe status and impact of freedom of religion or belief around theworld. Since its establishment, the Commission has generated key policyrecommendations that have been incorporated into U.S. foreign policywith respect to dozens of issues and countries, includingrecommendations concerning the newly drafted constitutions of Iraq andAfghanistan; the global exportation of an ideology of hatred andintolerance by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia; human rights abuses andrepression by China, Russia, Burma, Iran and others; and the long-termconflict in Sudan. The Commission's activities include disseminatinginformation to the public and to policymakers through op-editorials,press statements and policy briefs; participating in Congressionalhearings; convening public hearings and expert briefings; engaging inoverseas diplomatic visits and inquiries; engaging with Administrationofficials, members of Congress, think tanks and policy experts;participating in multilateral fora such as the UN and OSCE; andgenerating expert studies on critical issues, such as a recentaward-winning study on the expedited removal process for U.S. asylumseekers and the first study of religious freedom conditions in NorthKorea based on refugee interviews.

The bipartisan Commission is comprised of nine private citizens who areappointed for their expertise in law, human rights, and internationalaffairs by the President and the leadership of both parties in theSenate and the House of Representatives; the Ambassador at Large forInternational Religious Freedom at the U.S. State Department serves asan ex-officio, non-voting member.

The Commission is an equal opportunity employer.

Candidates are encouraged to send or fax a cover letter, a resume, a writing sample and three references.