Employment Opportunities

POSITION ANNOUNCEMENT

PROFESSIONAL STAFF MEMBER

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) is a 23-member panel of Senators, Representatives, and Executive Branch officials tasked by Congress to monitor the Chinese government's compliance with international human rights standards and the development of the rule of law in China.  The CECC reports annually on these issues to the President and the Congressional leadership, making recommendations for policy action and legislation when appropriate.  The CECC is also charged with maintaining a Political Prisoner Database.  The CECC conducts hearings and staff-led issue roundtables throughout the year.  The CECC and its support staff serve as a resource on China-related human rights and rule of law issues for Capitiol Hill offices, the NGO community, the academic community, and the general public.

DESCRIPTION:  The professional staff member will conduct research and complete writing assignments, including short analyses, topic papers, and annual report sections on topics within the Commission's mandate.  In addition, the staff member will assist wth researching individual political prisoner cases and updating and maintaining case records in the CECC Political Prisoner Database.  The staff member will be called upon to sponsor CECC hearings and issue roundtables, and attend events relevant to CECC issues that other U.S. government and private sector organizations hold in Washington, D.C. and elsewhere.  The staff member may be asked to travel to U.S. cities, China or other foreign locations, on official business.  Staff members with special desirable skills (e.g., media relations, Internet design) may be asked to undertake special responsibilities in these areas.

QUALIFICATIONS:  The successful candidate must be a U.S. citizen.  Candidates will preferably have a law degree of a Ph.D. or M.A. in political science, history, business, economics or other social sciences, but B.A. candidates with very strong credentials will also receive serious consideration.  In particular, the Commission seeks candidates with expertise in any of the following areas:  China's legislative , judicial, or law enforcement institutions, elections, labor issues, envrionmental problems, or information and technology.  Very strong demonstrated capacity to speak, read, write and perform research in Chinese (Mandarin) is REQUIRED.  The successful candidate will likely have lived or studied in China.  Other special skills such as media/external relations, Internet design, database design, quantitative analysis, etc., though not required, may be highly desirable, and the applicant should note them in their cover letter.  In addition, the successful candidate must demonstrate excellent interpersonal and analytical skills, exceptional written and oral communications skills in English, and the ability, energy, and enthusiasm to work on a team.

SALARIES are competitive and will be commensurate with experience to start.  CECC staff members qualify for health and life insurance, a retirement program, a METRO transit subsidy or Capitol Hill parking, and generous annual and sick leave.

Review of applicant will begin as soon as initial applications are received and continue until position(s) is/are filled.  Candidates should send a brief cover letter, current resume, and a short (10 pages or fewer) writing sample to Judy Wright, CECC Director of Administration, via e-mail at judy.wright@mail.house.gov or via FAX on 202-226-3804.  Please do not telephone us about this vacancy.

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China is an equal opportunity employer.

Internships at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China

We welcome your interest in working as an intern at the Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC). We value the contribution that interns make to our work, and we have benefited from the intellectual and practical contributions of the interns who have worked with us so far. We are also gratified about the number of very highly qualified people who apply to work with us as interns each year.

To better understand the work of the Commission and its areas of most intense focus, we invite potential applicants to visit the other sections of this CECC website (www.cecc.gov).

The CECC seeks interns for three periods of the year:

	Duration (approximate)	Applications Must Be Received By Our Office No Later Than 11:59 P.M. Eastern Time
Fall Semester	September 15- December 15	July 15
Spring Semester	February 1- May 1	December 1
Summer	June 15- August 15	February 1

Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for two references, to the CECC via e-mail to Judy Wright, Director of Administration. Please discuss in your cover letter how your professional goals, interests, and background relate to the Commission's legislative mandate regarding human rights and the rule of law in China.

Those who wish to apply for internships should understand the following:

• CECC interns receive a salary of $10/hour;
• Interns must be U.S. citizens;
• We regret that interns are not eligible for federal benefits.
• During the fall and spring semesters, CECC internships are part-time, and we expect interns to work between 15 and 20 hours per week;
• During the summer, CECC internships are full-time, and we expect summer interns to work between 32 and 40 hours per week;
• Interns should have completed at least some China-related coursework. It is also desirable that they have some background in one or more of the specific human rights and rule of law issues in the CECC legislative mandate.
• Interns should be able to read Chinese well enough to assist with research in newspapers, journals, and on websites. More advanced Chinese language capability would be a plus. The successful candidate for an internship often will have lived or studied in mainland China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan.
• Interns will conduct research and writing projects on human rights and rule of law issues in China under the supervision of Commission staff. Interns may also assist with researching and updating records on the Commission’s Political Prisoner Database. Interns may also be invited or required to attend some of the many rule of law and human rights events organized by the Commission and other organizations in Washington, D.C.
• Although our interns are usually students pursuing an undergraduate or graduate degree, others are also welcome to apply.