Job Title: Research Analyst
Location: Olympia Washington
Submitted on: 22-Sep-04
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The legislature employs many attorneys and research analysts in non-
partisan capacities to provide professional research, bill drafting and
oral presentations of unbiased information.
Positions report to staff directors, who have hire/fire authority.
However, staff works for all 147 members of the legislature and may be
asked by them to provide support directly to any one of them. Staff are
assigned to policy or fiscal committees of either the house or the
senate, and specialize in subject areas, though the areas are so broad
that no one person could be expert in all aspects (i.e. the human
services committee covers child welfare, welfare, developmental
disabilities, mental health, vocational rehabilitation, aging, etc.).
Hires must be able to check opinions at the door, to discern the biases
inherent in information sources, assemble and interpret factual
information. Hires tend to be generalists, who are comfortable with
rapidly switching between topics with which they may be only marginally
familiar. Hires also need to be able to accept that they can do only
the level of work that is permitted by the time available.
Washington has a part time legislature. During legislative sessions,
the pace is very fast, with quick turnarounds, long days and formal
business dress during week days (and weekends, if they are holding floor
sessions). Various options exist to compensate for overtime through
time off, but none include increased compensation. At certain crucial
periods in the process it is not uncommon to work 2 weeks straight.
In the interims between legislative sessions, members do not hold office
hours. Staff is permitted to dress casually and is encouraged to take
time off, and has a lot of flexibility in setting work schedules. Work
varies tremendously; some years a staff person may be very busy
supporting a task force; other years the work is very much self directed
and aimed toward field visits and building depth and/or breadth in the
policy areas for which they are responsible.
These jobs are not for people who need a lot of direction or a year
round, day in day out stability in their work load. Analysts/counsels
are guided by the requests of members, and the staff director or senior
staff is always available to assist with problem solving, but staff are
largely on their own in executing their responsibilities.
Opportunities for advancement are quite limited. The staff
organizations are practically non-heirarchical. In terms of diversity,
genders are appropriately represented, but persons of color are
underrepresented.
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