Policy Analyst - Trade and Sustainable Development

About IISD

The International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) is a globally recognized think tank with more than 30 years of experience working to solve today's greatest sustainable development challenges. We combine deep expertise across critical policy areas with a collaborative approach to research, advice, and hands-on support that delivers real-world results. Headquartered in Winnipeg, Manitoba, we are a diverse team of over 300 experts working from offices in Canada and Switzerland as well as other locations around the world.

Overview

IISD’s Trade policy team is recruiting a Policy Analyst to support research implementation and outputs, provide analysis for evidence-based policies grounded in scientific research, and deliver and develop program projects.

Responsibilities

Strategy, Vision, and Team Leadership

• Contribute to identifying challenges, emerging issues, and solutions within the program.
• Within all projects and more widely, promote a culture of high performance and continuous improvement that values learning and a commitment to quality.
• Manage own time and inputs into projects so as to deliver research outputs on time and to budget.

Fundraising and Communications

• Participate in fundraising efforts for the program, including by contributing to written proposals for funding and other business development materials.
• Identify fundraising opportunities based on existing work or new ideas.

Communications and Outreach

• Assist in communicating the work of the program and its components to a broader audience, including attending events and developing outreach materials, such as blogs and brochures.
• Maintain contacts with domestic and international project partners.

Operations and Program Management

• Collaborate with IISD staff, affiliates, partners, and consultants in the design and implementation of projects.
• Participate in project missions, arranging elements of missions as appropriate.
• Lead on the organization and documentation of webinars, meetings, and public consultations as required.

Research

• Conduct primary and secondary research and write reports for the program, working with contractors as required.
• Draft research and other project outputs to the required standard, including research reports, policy briefs, and technical reports.
• Undertake analysis and evaluation of policies and programs, such as their objectives, impact, and cost-efficiency, incorporating social, economic, and environmental considerations.
• Keep up to date regarding emerging issues related to the program.
• Develop evaluation criteria, methodologies, and systems and implement them in research studies.
• Prepare, present, and communicate high-quality research findings to a variety of audiences.

Requirements

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years of relevant work experience in policy research and project implementation.
• A master’s degree or equivalent in international development, environmental studies, or another similar area.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Experience coordinating projects including a range of partners.
• Experience undertaking qualitative and quantitative policy analysis and developing draft research and communication outputs.
• Understanding of trade policy (either from an economic or a legal perspective, or both).
• Understanding of the broader context of trade policy developments.

Skills (Essential)

• Strong research skills and the ability to become familiar with new topics quickly.
• Ability to use AI to conduct reliable, high-quality qualitative and quantitative analysis.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills in English.
• Desirable: The ability to work in French and/or Spanish is a strong asset.

Behavioural Competencies (Essential)

• Results-focused; able to work quickly and accurately to meet tight deadlines without compromising the quality of the results.
• Strong interpersonal skills; ability to work comfortably across different cultures and be inclusive, positive, and a good communicator.
• Curious and committed to learning and working to understand the people, concepts, and issues that drive our work. Asks questions and seeks answers.

Location: Winnipeg, Canada. Office-based, with hybrid options possible.

Salary: The target hiring range for this position is CAD 48,072- CAD 65,614 annually, with the ability to progress to a maximum of CAD 78,112 annually. Placement in the salary range will be based on factors such as market conditions, internal equity, and candidate experience, skills, and qualifications relevant to the role.

Employment Type: Full-Time

Job Type: Newly Created Role

Duration: The position is a 1-year contractual position

Application deadline: November 18, 2026 at 4 PM CST. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis until filled.

Candidates must hold appropriate work authorization for locations where they expect to be based without any sponsorship from IISD.

Application Procedure

All submissions must be in English. Applications will only be accepted through Bamboo HR.

• A CV (no longer than two pages)
• A one-page letter of motivation
• IISD Voluntary Self-Identification Questionnaire (optional)

Only those candidates we wish to interview will be contacted. Resumes will be kept on file for one year.

IISD is committed to fostering a more equitable and sustainable world and welcomes candidates who uphold our values of diversity, equity, and inclusion. In addition, to correct the conditions of social injustice and disadvantage in employment around the world, we encourage candidates from historically marginalized groups, including women, Indigenous Peoples, people with disabilities, people from different racial and ethnic backgrounds, and those who identify themselves as 2SLGBTQIA+ to apply for this position. Preference will be given to the equity-deserving groups during the hiring process. We offer reasonable accommodations in our recruitment process and seek applicants’ advice on how best to accommodate their needs. Please self-identify and answer our employment equity questionnaire on our applicant tracking system when you apply.

IISD does not discriminate on the basis of age, gender, caste, ethnicity, religion, colour, disability, marital status, pregnancy, gender expression or identity, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.