SENIOR ECONOMIST, CENTER ON ECONOMIC AND FINANCIAL POWER

About the Foundation for Defense of Democracies

FDD is a nonpartisan 501(c)(3) research institute in Washington, DC, focused on national security and foreign policy. Since 2001, we've produced independent, non-partisan research and analysis to strengthen U.S. national security and support free societies. FDD's Center on Economic and Financial Power (CEFP) develops strategies to harness American economic power and strengthen the nation's economic security framework - protecting U.S. national security interests, deterring adversaries, and ensuring the integrity of the global trade and financial systems.

Rogue states - including China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea - increasingly deploy offensive economic tools, nonmarket practices, and weaponize corruption to undermine U.S. interests. CEFP's cutting-edge research sharpens the tools of U.S. economic statecraft and advances actionable solutions that leverage America's financial strength in support of national and economic security.

Washington, DC - open to in-person, hybrid, or fully remote | Full-time, exempt | Reports to the Senior Director and Head, CEFP

Salary: $200,000–$290,000 annually, commensurate with experience. This position is eligible for employer-sponsored medical, dental, and vision coverage.

ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

Quantitative Modeling & Scenario Analysis

• Build original economic and data models to develop country-specific risk matrices, evaluate strategic economic relationships, policy shocks, and alternative scenarios, including U.S.-China decoupling, de-risking, and the effects of sanctions, export controls, tariffs, investment restrictions, and other economic statecraft tools.

Trade & Commodity Flows

• Analyze global trade data, FDI flows, customs records, and financial transactions to identify adversary dependencies and chokepoints - and the financial, trade, technological, or market instruments through which the United States and its allies can exert leverage.

Supply Chain Security

• Develop replicable supply chain risk reports that expose vulnerabilities in critical industries, emerging technology sectors, and high-risk trade routes.

Strategic Trade & Economic Influence

• Examine how economic statecraft tools - sanctions, export controls, and positive economic power - shape global power dynamics and assess their effectiveness as instruments of coercion and deterrence.

Policy Modeling & Analysis

• Produce data-driven analyses that test policy options, quantify likely effects and tradeoffs, and give CEFP staff an empirical foundation for developing sanctions, export controls, investment tools, tariffs, and other economic security policies.

Thought Leadership

• Translate quantitative findings into long-form reports, policy memos, and other written products in collaboration with CEFP colleagues.

QUALIFICATIONS AND QUALITIES:

• Advanced degree (master's or Ph.D.) in economics, international political economy, finance, or a closely related field - or equivalent professional experience analyzing trade, financial, and other relevant data.
• 10+ years of experience conducting quantitative economic or financial analysis, ideally involving trade data, customs records, financial transactions, or corporate ownership structures.
• Demonstrated understanding of the U.S. and allied sanctions and export control architecture (OFAC, BIS, and equivalent regimes) and the emerging use of positive economic tools, investment, and economic alliances.
• Fluency with large datasets and the tools to interrogate them (e.g., Stata, R, Python, SQL, or comparable), including the ability to build original models, analytical frameworks, and reproducible research workflows from messy or incomplete data - and the judgment to know when a data pattern is a real finding versus noise.
• An entrepreneurial research mindset with a demonstrated ability to identify consequential questions, build analytical approaches from scratch, and move comfortably across issue areas as policy priorities evolve.
• A track record of producing clear, well-substantiated written analysis for non-technical, policy-level audiences under real-world deadlines.
• The ability to comfortably brief senior government officials, corporate risk teams, and press on complex economic findings in plain, persuasive language.
• High ethical standards and sound judgment handling sensitive, non-public, or classified-adjacent information.
• Prior government, intelligence community, or regulatory experience touching sanctions, export controls, or financial crimes (e.g., Treasury, State, Commerce, or a relevant congressional committee) is a plus.
• Experience with trade, finance, and shipping data platforms (e.g., Bloomberg, Panjiva, ImportGenius, Kpler) or financial intelligence and sanctions-screening tools is a plus.
• Prior work at a think tank, government agency, research institute, or risk consultancy producing public-facing policy research is a plus.
• Experience testifying before Congress, briefing government officials, or engaging with national or international press is a plus.

This role has a projected salary range of $200,000–$290,000 per year, based on the candidate's experience and qualifications. Additional benefits are available, including healthcare coverage based on eligibility.

 

Interested and qualified candidates are encouraged to submit a resume, a brief cover letter, and a writing sample (a report, memo, or brief you authored or substantially contributed to). In your cover letter, describe (1) a quantitative model, dataset, or analytical framework you built from scratch and the insight it generated, (2) how that approach could be applied to CEFP's workstreams, and (3) why the prospect of working at a national security research organization appeals to you. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Please submit to FDD Human Resources (hr2@fdd.org).

 

For more information, please visit FDD.org and follow FDD on X @FDD.

200,000-290,000 per year