About the position
The North Carolina Office of Strategic Partnerships (OSP) develops, launches, and enhances partnerships
between state government and North Carolina’s research and philanthropic sectors. This includes elevating the
State’s internal capacity to use and generate evidence in its policy and programmatic functions.
OSP accomplishes this in part by building and enhancing collaborative networks of public officials, research
partners, and partners from philanthropy and the nonprofit sector broadly. We prioritize partnerships that are
scalable, sustainable, and develop public, open-source resources. OSP is housed in the NC Office of State Budget
and Management, which includes data-driven and evidence-based decision making among its priorities.
OSP seeks a Doctoral Associate for the 2022-2023 academic year. The ideal candidate will have ideas for how
to apply their training and expertise to state government in alignment with OSP’s core work developing and
launching partnerships among state government and North Carolina’s research and philanthropic sectors, and
elevating the State’s internal capacity to use and generate evidence in its policy and programmatic functions.
The Doctoral Associate will contribute to OSP’s ongoing work in ways that complement the Associate’s
expertise and interests. The Associate should be interested and able to work across agencies and diverse
policy areas.
The Doctoral Associate should be a currently enrolled PhD student or candidate in any field. Prior experience
conducting policy-relevant research or otherwise working with government is not required.
Qualifications:
– NC resident currently enrolled in a PhD program (any field)
Responsibilities:
– Identify opportunities in state government to apply their own interests and expertise in ways that are
aligned with OSP’s core work
– Assist OSP and partners (state agencies, colleges and universities, others) with analyzing and
interpreting data
– Help develop and strengthen partnerships between state government and academia
– Help generate evidence for use in state government decision-making
– Other duties as assigned
Core Competencies:
– Knowledge of common research methodologies
– Strong written and verbal communication skills
– Self-motivated and able to work independently
– Able to work with diverse people with range of perspectives
– Adaptable and able to succeed in fast-paced environment
– Excellent interpersonal skills
– Able to synthesize disparate information effectively
– Effective project management skills
Additional Competencies:
– Experience cleaning, analyzing, and interpreting data
Time: Ideally a candidate would be able to commit to a full-time (40 hours/week) position for the 2022-2023
academic year. OSP will also consider candidates who are able to commit to the position for one semester
and/or part-time for a year.
Pay: This is a paid position. Details depend on available sources of funding, which may include OSP and the
candidate’s college/university
How to apply
Apply by sending a cover letter and CV to partnerships@osbm.nc.gov, with the subject line “Doctoral Associate
application [Last name] [First name].” Please also contact that email with any questions.