Political Analyst Job Description, Skills, and Salary
Are you searching for a political analyst job description? Get to know about the duties, responsibilities, qualifications, and skills requirements of a political analyst. Feel free to use our political analyst job description template to produce your own political analyst job description. We also provide you with information about the salary you can earn as a political analyst.
Who is a Political Analyst?
The world today is becoming more political; there are great political issues that keep emerging around the globe and they can be local, national, and international. There is a great demand for politics to be debated or analyzed to conclude with a tangible solution and it is only a political analyst that can fit into such a gap. A Political Analyst is also known as a Political Scientist, Political Activist, or Policy analyst. A Political analyst studies the various political systems, researching diverse political subjects, including foreign relations, ideologies, and policies, and gathering analyzing data to comprehend and forecast political trends in society.
They achieve this by making research and analyzing government political ideas, political trends, policies, and foreign relations. Political analysts are also responsible for assessing the cultures, motivations, history, value, and decision-making process and their impact on the national interest and security of a country. For a political analyst to develop theories, he or she must, first of all, collect data such as census, public opinion, legal proceedings, or surveys for him to interpret and analyze the data. They also keep up with current events or issues that are prevalent in society to forecast economic, political, and social trends. They are also the watchdog of the government. They achieve this by evaluating government policies and their impact on businesses and individuals. Political analysts test the theories they develop by leveraging critical thinking and research and then proceed to build a strong argument for them.
Political analysts are always making research; they communicate their research via presentations. Reporting of briefs with the executives, legislative staff, and leaders. They also publish their research online through articles, statements, and journals. Their publications can be consulted for further research and for them to achieve this; they must master the art of writing. A political analyst travels from one country to another and some analysts learn a foreign language so that they can gather and interpret data.
The Diverse Discipline of a Political Analyst
To comprehend in-depth what being a political analyst is all about, there are diverse fields of a political analyst and they are:
Comparative Politics
Comparative politics is that form of politics that deals specifically with making comparisons between different systems of government such as monarchy, democracy, republic, and communism. It is the study of political science within two or more nation-states for the sole purpose of making exceptional comparisons to see which one is better or which one fits the society perfectly. The role political analysts play in this area is to examine the structure and impacts of political parties.
International Relations
Political analysts who study international relations assess the way different nations interact in terms of political, economic, and social interaction in society. International relations focuses on how countries can build a relationship with one another and how they can help each other’s comparative advantage. This field of endeavor is specifically concerned with foreign policy, military questions, international finance, trade policy, and national security. Some of its focus is on how nations’ statutes cooperate, trade, and go to war.
Political Economy
This branch of political science examines the relationship between politics and the economy and how they affect each other. Political scientists or analysts in this field of endeavor investigate in-depth how a country is managed or governed taking into consideration both political and economic factors that have an impact on the country. This involves analyzing areas such as fiscal policies, public regulation of the industry, and stabilization measures. It can also include examining the impact of economic power on international relations or how different economics function within similar political systems. It can also consider which political revolution could fit into society better and initiate the best transformation.
Political Philosophy
Political philosophy is a branch of political science that is concerned with basic questions about the government, state, liberty, politics, justice, civil rights, and the execution of legal code by authority. It is important ethics applied to a group of people to discuss how a society should be set up and how individuals should act within a society.
Political Analyst Job Description
What is a political analyst job description? A political analyst job description is simply a list of duties and responsibilities of a political analyst in an organization. Below are the political analyst job description examples you can use to develop your resume or write a political analyst job description for your employee. Employers can also use it to sieve out job seekers when choosing candidates for interviews.
The following are the duties and responsibilities of a Political Analysts
- Regulate all national and political trends such as the House of representative proceedings, court proceedings, senate, and presidential races
- Research political systems, foreign relations, government law and regulations, and political ideologies evaluating the effects these on economic, political, and social spheres
- Compile data from diverse sources such as historical documents, public opinion surveys, and election results to develop and test political theories
- Utilize statistical data to analyze and interpret research findings
- Establish contacts and sources for future research opportunities
- Raise public awareness on prevalent political issues
- Stay up-to-date with the local and international political trends and development
- Project political, economic, and social trends
- Monitor current political events (local and international, policy and legislation changes, and other issues important to their work
- Formulate reports, and presentations, and publish articles on research findings on various stakeholders to evaluate
- Predict social and economic trends based on policy and research
- Provide strategic advice on a policy and how to go about it
- Develop public support for an idea or policy
- Write and publish daily political updates
- Generate materials that will be used for national and regional political briefing
- Research, build, and present intelligent products at the operational level for senior leaders
- Interpret research findings for the government and public
- Scrutinize current events, policy decisions, and regulation changes that may affect an organization
Qualifications
- A bachelor’s degree in Political Science, Public Administration, or a related field
- Proven experience in a political or a similar role within a government or political department
- Portfolio of work including a collection of published articles
- Experience using statistical analysis software and qualitative/quantitative research tools
- Highly-organized and detail-oriented
- Multi-tasking and time-management skills, with the ability to prioritize tasks
- Excellent analytical and critical thinking skills
- Superlative written and verbal communication skills
- Public Speaking Skills
- Interpersonal Skills
- A professional attitude
- Familiarity with political and economic terminologies
- Computer Skills
Essential Skills
There are certain skills and competencies a political analyst needs to have to discharge his or her duties effectively and they are:
- Public Speaking Skills: A political analyst must be a good public speaker or must know how to communicate effectively verbally to achieve his or her responsibility. He or she will be mandated to attend public political debates, present research papers, attend conferences, and serve as the voice of the common man or the people. Mastering the art of public speaking is very important to demonstrate his presentation skills.
- Analysis and Critical Thinking Skills: Political analysts must possess a highly critical mindset to be able to analyze trends in society and brainstorm possible solutions to those trends. To analyze trends; they must, first of all, gather data and information about what is happening and also check if the prevalent event is a repeated occurrence. They will be able to give the best suggestions if they think critically political scientists can lead to the rapid development of the society and peaceful coexistence among people of the society.
- Problem-solving: in a society or state, problems will always spring up. The problem can be political, economic, or social. It is the responsibility of a political scientist to analyze these problems and bring about possible solutions to them. Political scientist uses their understanding of politics to enhance political systems and to achieve the goals of their organization. Creative problem-solving skills are mandatory for analysts who want to change policies in society.
- Writing Skills: A political scientist must know how to write official documents such as reports, seminars, symposium papers, or conferences. After a political scientist has conducted research, he or she is expected to publish the research as an article or journal for further consultation by another analyst. A political scientist must be a proficient writer to have a successful career.
- Knowledge of Politics: A political analyst must be highly knowledgeable about politics; he must know both local, national and international politics. The knowledge of politics will help him to bring about a rapid solution to prevalent political issues in society. He should also know political scholars such as A.V Dicey, Hobbes, Aristotle, and other remarkable scholars that have published advanced political theories that are today.
- Project and time-management: A Political analyst may be saddled with the responsibility of carrying out a project such as a campaign. He or she must know how to work with a group of experts to handle that project accurately. A political analyst can also help the government to carry out a campaign that will eradicate corruption in society. The analyst must carry out the project professionally.
In addition, a political analyst must employ time-management skills when carrying out a project because most projects are time-bound, especially camps, and signs; they have a limited time frame.
- Bilingual Skills: A Political Scientist or analyst must be proficient in more than one language especially political scientists that travel from one country to another. They must know how to speak at least two international languages to analyze political, economic, and social trends internationally.
How to Become a Political Analyst
- Acquire a Bachelor’s Degree
The first step to a political analyst is to acquire a bachelor’s degree in Political Science, International relations, or a similar field. This degree usually takes four years to complete and in the course of this degree, you will be exposed to the rudiments of political science. You will learn about political theories, systems, and also fundamental human rights. During this degree, you will get to harness skills that a political scientist should have. Ensure you acquire a bachelor’s degree in an accredited institution. Political analysts are considered scientists because political science is a social science discipline.
- Enroll for an advanced degree
After you have acquired a bachelor’s degree, you need to possess an advanced degree to be able to think critically. Although most employers do not mandate that job candidates have an advanced degree they must obtain a degree To stand out among other job candidates. You can obtain an advanced degree in Political Economy, International Studies, or International relations. Acquiring an advanced degree will broaden your understanding of the political, economic, and social issues prevalent in your society.
- Get Experience
Acquiring a degree is not just enough, you need to gather experience as a political scientist. To acquire experience, you should join a body or a group of political scientist clubs to get the requisite experience. You can also volunteer to work as a freelance journalist for an organization to get the requisite experience. A political scientist can also get experience by working as a political consultant for an organization. In addition, political analyst builds their understanding of policy through internships, research assistance, and independent studies. Acquiring experience will distinguish you as a job candidate. Apply for open vacancies available in your locality.
- Build a Portfolio
A portfolio is a collection of work; a political analyst must have a portfolio of articles he or she has published or research he or she has conducted. He or she should have a collection of research papers he or has presented at conferences or lectures. A portfolio of published articles will impress your potential interviewer because it shows that you are competent for the job. When conducting research, political analysts analyze historical documents, election results, surveys, and economic data.
Where to work as a Political Analyst
A political analyst can work in diverse places such as government organizations, non-government organizations, human right organization, public relations organizations, media houses, and consultancies. They can also lecture at the university or college educating students on how to analyze trends.
Political Analyst Salary
- In the United States, an average political analyst makes an hourly salary of $43.53 and $53,000 per year. The salary varies based on the experience and location of the political analyst.
- In Nigeria, a political analyst makes an average salary of 1,200,000 NGN per year. The salary varies based on the experience of the analyst and it comes with other incredible benefits such as housing, medical, transportation, and other benefits.
