Careers

Director, External Affairs and Public Opinion
Location: New York, NY or Washington, DC

The Manhattan Institute (MI) is a community of scholars, journalists, activists, and civic leaders united by a shared commitment to advancing economic opportunity, individual liberty, and the rule of law in America and its great cities.

About the Role

MI is seeking a Director, External Affairs and Public Opinion to support our government relations, polling, and outreach initiatives. This role sits at the nexus of policy, politics, and persuasion—playing a major role in crafting original political/policy analysis and thought leadership, facilitating public opinion surveys and focus groups, and managing strategic collaborations with lawmakers at all levels of government, think tanks, grassroots organizations, and other institutions.

The ideal candidate is a sharp, capable generalist—politically fluent, socially adept, and an outstanding writer—equally comfortable in policy deep-dives, high-profile events, and even on-camera media. This person will help ensure that MI’s scholars, ideas, and research have maximum impact with policymakers, opinion leaders, and the public.

Experience in conducting public opinion polling is essential.

Key Responsibilities

• Polling & Focus Groups: Help design, field, and analyze opinion research; run focus groups to inform MI’s policy work and public positioning.
• Writing & Presentations: Draft sharp, compelling polling briefs, op-eds, memos, and slide deck presentations for diverse audiences, from elected officials to general readers.
• Lawmaker Engagement: Organize and deliver briefings for local, state, and federal lawmakers, providing technical policy guidance based on MI scholarship.
• Strategic Partnerships: Liaise with think tanks, advocacy organizations, and grassroots groups to build coalitions that advance MI’s priorities.
• Public Affairs Projects: Advise MI leadership and scholars on strategic communications and outreach informed by public opinion data.
• Event Representation: Represent MI at conferences, policy forums, lawmaker gatherings, and other high-level events. Become a master networker.
• Media & Public Speaking: Be prepared to articulately represent MI in on-camera media appearances, panels, and public presentations.
• Rapid Learning: Quickly master complex policy issues across MI’s core focus areas and translate them for nonexpert audiences.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of experience in public affairs, government relations, political campaigns, or a related policy field—some of which must have been specifically focused on polling/public opinion research.
• Deep familiarity with U.S. politics, public opinion trends, and MI’s issue areas.
• Exceptional writing and presentation skills; proven success explaining complex topics clearly and persuasively.
• Team player. Willing to work in close partnership with MI’s Vice President of External Affairs—providing support on research, writing, and analysis tasks—and also providing mentorship to junior members of MI External Affairs team. Need to also work collaboratively with other members of the MI team: policy scholars, communications, development, content/social media, etc.
• Self-driven and entrepreneurial. Comfortable working independently and without handholding.
• Outgoing, socially skilled, and able to cultivate high-value relationships across the political spectrum.
• Knows the lay of the land on X/Twitter.
• Experience with social video production (Reels, TikTok, YouTube Shorts, YouTube, etc.) a plus.

Compensation and Benefits

The salary range for this position is $100,000 to $200,000/year. The salary offered to a candidate will depend on skills, experience, and education.

MI offers generous benefits, including four weeks paid vacation, a Flexible Fridays program, paid paternity/maternity leave, medical and dental coverage with HSA options, medical and dependent-care FSA, mental health benefits, remote medicine, a paid company cell phone, life insurance, and a 401(k) with a company-funded match. MI staff also benefit from the opportunity to collaborate with prominent scholars and policymakers in our space.

To apply, please fill out the form below. Be sure to include a resume and cover letter explaining both your interest in MI and your qualifications for the role. A strategy memorandum may eventually be required, with specifics to be determined during the initial interview.