Employment Opportunities


Administrative Staff

Director of Administration

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China is a bipartisan, bicameral commission with a legislative mandate to monitor the human rights record of the People’s Republic of China and the development of the rule of law in China. The Commission consists of Senators, Members of the House of Representatives, and senior officials from the Executive Branch. The Commission holds hearings, conducts research to support legislation, issues an Annual Report, and maintains a database of political prisoners in China, among other activities. For more information on the Commission, see www.cecc.gov.

The Commission is seeking a Director of Administration to oversee all administrative, budget and contract operations.  Preference will be given to candidates with expertise related to these functions. Previous experience in a Congressional or other government office is preferred but not required.  Interest in China policy and human rights is encouraged but not required. 

Main duties:

  • Administer personnel matters including pay, benefits, leave, and onboarding.
  • Prepare and track the Commission’s budget, including drafting the annual Appropriations Request and Operating Plan.
  • Help organize Commission events (hearing, roundtables, press conferences), including with hearing documents, witness travel, official transcription, room and virtual set up.
  • Assist in production of Commission’s Annual Report, including with text scrub and page turn, design decisions, and distribution to all Members of Congress.
  • Liaise with offices in the House of Representatives, Senate, the Joint Committee on Printing and the Government Accountability Office. 
  • Handle office supplies, subscriptions, IT services, Telecommunications services, and other vendor matters.
  • Assist staff with domestic and foreign travel, including reservations and reimbursements.

Required qualifications:

  • Exceptional attention to detail, time management, and organizational skills.
  • Ability to manage multiple tasks and meet deadlines, and to respond promptly to inquiries and challenges.
  • Demonstrated ability to work independently and problem-solve, as well as to contribute as part of a team.
  • Experience with standard office platforms, particularly Microsoft Office applications such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Teams and Outlook, and Cisco Webex. 

Desired qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree (preferred).
  • Experience with administrative and operational support in Congressional or other government office.
  • Experience with human resources processes.

Application Procedure:

  • Please submit a brief cover letter, resume, and the names and contact information for two references to via e-mail at CECC.Resumes@mail.house.gov.  PLEASE NO PHONE CALLS. The deadline for applications is February, 13 2023 by 11:59 PM, EST. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.
 

Professional Staff

Multiple Positions

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China is a bipartisan, bicameral, dual-branch commission with a legislative mandate to monitor the human rights record of the People’s Republic of China and the development of the rule of law in China. The Commission consists of Senators, Members of the House of Representatives, and senior officials from the Executive Branch. The Commission holds hearings, conducts research to support legislation, issues an Annual Report, and maintains a database of political prisoners in China, among other activities. For more information on the Commission, see www.cecc.gov.

The Commission is seeking multiple professional staff to monitor and report on substantive issues pertaining to the mandate of the Commission. Professional staff will assess China's compliance or noncompliance with international human rights standards and Chinese domestic law, assist in the development of legislative and advocacy initiatives, and draft oversight letters. Preference will be given to candidates with expertise related to one or more of the following areas:

  • Freedom of Expression (e.g., censorship, press freedom, internet freedom, etc.)
  • Criminal Justice (e.g., extralegal, extrajudicial, and otherwise arbitrary detention and other issues related to political prisoners)
  • China’s Human Rights Violations in the United States and Globally (e.g., transnational repression, economic coercion, political influence activities, engagement in international institutions, etc.)
  • Business and Human Rights (e.g., corporate complicity with forced labor, censorship, surveillance, and worker rights violations; the use of forced labor in supply chains and compliance with the provisions of legislation such as the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act; etc.).

Main duties:

  • Monitor and research Chinese and English language sources (media, government, NGO) for developments relating to issue areas as assigned based on candidate expertise and the team’s division of issue portfolios.  
  • Identify and analyze key developments and report on their significance orally and in writing, including drafting sections of the Commission's Annual Report, short analysis pieces, legislation, public statements, press releases, and oversight letters.
  • Research political prisoner cases and create and maintain case records in the CECC Political Prisoner Database.
  • Assist in organizing CECC public hearings and roundtables.
  • Possible travel to U.S. cities or foreign locations on official business.

Qualifications:

  • Demonstrated ability to perform research in Chinese at an advanced level is required.
  • Candidates will preferably have a law degree or a Ph.D. or M.A. Other candidates with very strong credentials will also be considered.
  • Strong oral and written communication skills, and the interpersonal skills and enthusiasm to work under tight deadlines as part of a team.

Application Procedure:

  • Please submit a brief cover letter, resume, short writing sample (5 pages or less), and the names and contact information for two references to CECC.Resumes@mail.house.gov. The deadline for applications is March 13, 2023 by 12:00 a.m, EDT. Applications received after this deadline will not be considered.
  • The Congressional-Executive Commission on China is an equal opportunity employer. The Commission does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or military status. The Commission strongly encourages applications from candidates who have lived or worked in mainland China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, who have relevant lived experience and/or have been directly impacted by issues related to the Commission’s mandate.

 

Liu Xiaobo Fellowships

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China (CECC) is offering paid Fellowships to graduates of accredited Bachelor’s, Master’s, J.D. Programs, or current graduate-level students. CECC Fellowship positions are filled twice a year. The Summer term (full-time, 32-40 hours per week) begins approximately in mid-May and ends in August/September. The Spring term (part-time, 15-20 hours a week) begins approximately in early February and ends in mid-May. The Commission may recruit additional Fellows during the year based on internal needs. The precise start and end dates are determined based on the Commission’s schedule, and the end dates can be negotiated based on Fellows’ needs.

The CECC’s Liu Xiaobo Fellowship was created in honor of renowned Chinese Nobel laureate and prominent political prisoner Liu Xiaobo, who died in state custody in July 2017, just weeks after officials reported that he was battling late-stage liver cancer. A writer, former literature professor, and human rights advocate, Liu Xiaobo was among the chief authors of Charter 08, an open statement calling for political reform and greater protection of human rights in China, which was released on December 10, 2008, to coincide with the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Human Rights Day. Liu was detained on December 8, 2008 and later arrested on the charge of “inciting subversion of state power” in connection with his work on Charter 08 and several political essays he wrote. At the time of his death, he had served nearly 8 years of an 11-year prison sentence.

The Liu Xiaobo Fellowship provides significant professional experience for individuals with a background in Chinese politics, law, and society, in addition to strong Chinese language skills. Fellows work closely with the Commission and its staff on the full array of issues concerning human rights, the rule of law, and governance in China (including criminal justice, institutions of democratic governance, environmental issues, religious freedom, freedom of expression, ethnic minority rights, women’s rights, etc.).

Fellows perform important research support tasks (often in Chinese), attend China-related events, meet human rights advocates and other professionals whose work is focused on China, and assist staff in the drafting of Commission analyses, in addition to other tasks. (Click here for CECC analysis of recent developments in the rule of law and human rights in China.) Fellows may also perform research for the Commission’s Political Prisoner Database, which has been accessible to the public since its launch in November 2004 (click here to begin a search).

CECC Fellows will be paid $18/hour. Fellows are not eligible for any additional federal benefits.

REQUIREMENTS AND QUALIFICATIONS:

  • Fellows must be U.S. citizens.
  • Fellows must be a graduate of an accredited Bachelor’s, Master’s, or J.D. program, or a current graduate-level student.
  • Fellows 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.
  • Chinese language skills: Fellows should be able to read Chinese well enough to assist with research in newspapers, journals, and government documents. More advanced Chinese language capability would be a plus. A successful candidate for a fellowship will often have lived or studied in mainland China, Hong Kong, or Taiwan.

APPLICATION INSTRUCTIONS:

Interested applicants should send a cover letter, resume/CV, writing sample, and the names and contact information of two references (please assemble application materials in one PDF file, if possible) to the CECC via e-mail to CECC.Resumes@mail.house.gov. NO phone calls, please.

Application Deadlines:

  • Summer Term: Applications must be received by our office no later than 11:59 P.M. (Eastern time) on February 15.
  • Spring Term: Applications must be received by our office no later than 11:59 P.M. (Eastern time) on November 5.

Cover Letter:

  • 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.
  •  Please briefly address how your research skills, knowledge, and experience make you a suitable candidate for the CECC Liu Xiaobo Fellowship.
  •  Please indicate in your cover letter whether you are able to read Mandarin Chinese for research purposes. If yes, please indicate your level of fluency, i.e., beginner, intermediate, advanced, or native fluency. If you have taken a Chinese language proficiency exam, such as the HSK or ILR, please indicate the highest score you have obtained.
  • Please indicate how you heard about this fellowship position.

 Resume:

  • Please include relevant work history, coursework, educational achievements, honors/awards received, translation experience, and anything else that you feel will help our evaluation.

Writing sample:

  • Please provide a writing sample (in English) of no more than two pages and no more than 500 words (double spaced). Your submission must be your own work, and can be an excerpt of a longer piece.

 References:

 Please include their names, titles, phone numbers, and email addresses. Please do not include recommendation letters.

 

 

 

 

 

 ABOUT THE COMMISSION:

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China is an equal opportunity employer. The Commission does not discriminate on the basis of an individual's race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, age, or military status. The Commission strongly encourages applications from candidates who have lived or worked in mainland China, Taiwan, or Hong Kong, who have relevant lived experience and/or have been directly impacted by issues related to the Commission’s mandate.

The Congressional-Executive Commission on China was created by Congress in October 2000 with the legislative mandate to monitor human rights and the development of the rule of law in China, and to submit an annual report to the President and the Congress. The Commission consists of nine Senators, nine Members of the House of Representatives, and five senior Administration officials appointed by the President.