Political Analyst Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

Political Analyst Job Description, Key Duties and Responsibilities

This post provides detailed information on the job description of a political analyst; it presents the key tasks, duties, and responsibilities that mainly constitute the political analyst work description in most organizations.

It also provides the major requirements recruiters for the political analyst role commonly set for applicants to meet to be considered for hiring.

Please, continue reading:

What Does a Political Analyst Do?

A political analyst researches political systems, develops political theories based on analysis of historical documents and statistics, and advises national leaders or senior management about a foreign government’s goals/policy and their implication for the government or the company.

Political analysts may work for government institutions like CIA; non-governmental organizations, media houses, political parties, or multinational organizations that want to stay abreast of political trends and foreign policy that may impact their organization.

The political analyst job description may entail working with clients to design survey programs, set research goals, and manage the logistics of projects, and report results.

It may also involve analyzing and interpreting opinion data and advising clients on how to apply the findings of survey to improve their businesses.

Political analysts are responsible for research and providing report on U.S. political trends and events, or U.S. foreign policy to executives of the organization.

They also conduct periodic briefings and seminars on U.S. political trends and/or foreign policy for audiences to include colleagues and clients.

Political analysts working for a government agency like the CIA will be required to produce and deliver written and oral assessments of the domestic politics, foreign policy, stability, and social issues of foreign governments and entities to support policymakers.

They are also responsible for analyzing the goals and motivations, culture, values, and history; society, decision making processes, and ideologies of foreign governments to provide an understanding of effect of these elements on US interests and national security.

Political Analyst Job Description Example/Sample/Template

Political analysts perform various functions, which majorly involve research and analysis of political trend, foreign policies, and public opinions that may affect the organizations they represent, and their responsibilities will vary depending on the organization they work for.

However, the major tasks, duties, and responsibilities political analysts usually perform are listed in the sample job description below:

• Monitor national political trends as well as House, Senate, and Presidential races
• Responsible for writing political updates daily
• Responsible for generating materials to be used in national and regional political briefings
• Required to provide briefings to regional political staff
• Uphold contact with national party committees
• Research, build, and present intelligence products at the operational level for senior leaders
• Research, analyze, and produce evaluation and briefings on current and anticipated military and foreign policy, security strategy, doctrine, regional relations, and leadership structure
• Stay current on the political and military capabilities and intentions of individuals, groups, and governments within the country/region
• Gather data from various sources, including public opinion surveys, and election results
• Conduct statistical analysis and interpret research findings
• Apply research and historical documents to develop political theories
• Responsible for the forecast of political, economic, and social trends
• Scrutinize current events, policy decisions, and legislation changes that may affect the organization
• Stay up-to-date with international trends and developments.

Political Analyst Job Description for Resume

If you are writing a resume as someone who has worked or are presently working as a political analyst, you will need to add the professional experience section to your resume to show to recruiters that you have been successful on the job.

The professional or job experience section is written by stating the duties and responsibilities you have carried out or are performing as a political analyst.

You can make this section by applying the political analyst duties shared above with appropriate editing to perfectly suit your work experience.

Political Analyst Requirements – Skills, Knowledge, and Abilities for Career Success

When hiring for the political analyst position for your organization, recruiters’ major goal is to attract candidates who can effectively perform the obligations, purpose, and objectives of the political analyst role that will be assigned to them.

They can achieve this goal by presenting specific skills, abilities, knowledge, and other requirements that prospective candidates must fulfill to be considered for the job.

Shown below are major political analyst requirements most recruiters may expect you to meet if you are seeking the role:

• Education: To work as a political analyst, applicants are required to have a minimum of Bachelor’s degree in International Relations, Political Science, or Security Studies or Military History, preferably with a strong regional focus or expertise
• Knowledge: It is crucial that applicants have a strong political background or understanding of politics. Also, depending on the needs of the recruiter, they may be required to have some years of 3-5 campaign or political experience. They may also be required to have foreign policy interests/experience in areas such as Latin America, the Middle East, and/or Europe/Russia
• They are also required to have extensive knowledge of survey research, including the ability to perform fieldwork and analyze large-scale surveys and survey experiments using statistical techniques and software. It is also vital that they are familiar with relational databases such as Postgre, SQL
• Analytical skills: It is crucial that they can scrutinize issues, policies, and legislations, and public opinion critically both on a strategic and tactical level to determine their implication for the government or organization they represent. They must be able to work with large data sets and separate important information from irrelevant ones
• Interpersonal skills: Applicants should be able to establish, build, and preserve relationship/contact with individuals from various backgrounds and the political class
• Time management skills: Some of the responsibilities of political analysts may be time-bound, e.g., working for campaign. So, it is crucial that applicants can prioritize tasks and make sound decisions under tight deadlines
• Research skills: It is important that applicants can gather data from multiple sources and carry out data analyses using statistical tools or software, including SPSS, R, Python, etc.
• Communication skills: It is essential that they have exceptional writing skills and can comprehend and convey statistical information to people without a technical background. Also, they may also be required to explain the survey methodology utilized in a research; hence, it is crucial that they have great verbal communication skills
• Computer skills: Applicants are required to have computer skills, especially skills to work with Microsoft Office applications, including Word, Excel, and Outlook and PowerPoint. They must also obtain skills to work with relational databases and statistical software to perform their duties successfully
• Strong project management skills and attention to detail: It is also important that they can work with others to achieve a goal within stipulated time-frame and also ensure a high degree of accuracy at all times.

Conclusion

If you are a recruiter or HR manager hiring for the political analyst position in your organization and need to make a description of the role, this post provides you the information you need to make a detailed description of the available job.

You will also find this post helpful in learning about the duties and responsibilities of a political analyst if you are interested in the career.

Having a deep knowledge of the job will enable you to make the best decisions concerning your career choice.

Did this article increase your knowledge of what political analysts do? Please, leave a comment in the box below. You may also discuss your job description if you work as a political analyst.