Project Coordinator // Economic Diplomacy Commission, LSE IDEAS

Role Overview

The Project Coordinator for the Economic Diplomacy Commission plays a central role in the planning, delivery and growth of the programme. Working closely with the Director, the Deputy Director and the Centre Manager, the coordinator manages the day-to-day operations of the Commission across its three strands of work: commissioned case-study research, an online observatory on economic diplomacy, and convening. The coordinator supports the monthly operating team that governs the Commission and helps shape the long-term direction of the programme.

This role requires a combination of project management, research commissioning and editorial coordination, stakeholder engagement, events management and communications, with a strong understanding of economic diplomacy and the wider international affairs environment.

This is a part-time role at approximately 10 hours a week. The hourly rate is £21.37 (including holiday pay). The post will be for 6 months, with possibility of extension.

Please apply with your CV and covering letter to Alice Bryant, a.bryant@lse.ac.uk by Friday 23rd October.

Please also direct any queries to Alice Bryant.

About LSE IDEAS & the Economic Diplomacy Commission

LSE IDEAS is the foreign policy think tank of the London School of Economics and Political Science, bringing together academic insight, policy engagement, and international affairs expertise to shape global debates. As one of the world’s leading university-affiliated think tanks, LSE IDEAS connects scholars, policymakers, diplomats, and practitioners to produce impactful research on international relations, diplomacy, security, and global governance.

Within LSE IDEAS, the Economic Diplomacy Commission is a platform for applied, cross-disciplinary work on economic diplomacy, approached from a practitioner perspective and grounded in the realities of decision-making and implementation. It treats economic diplomacy as a practice in its own right, examining how states pursue economic ends through diplomacy and diplomatic ends through economic means in a fragmented global order shaped by national security and geopolitical considerations. The Commission is deliberately international, widening the platform to perspectives from the Global South, including middle powers, smaller states and aspiring middle powers. It works to turn research and practitioner experience into policy-relevant insight, teaching resources and accessible public-facing material, and to inform routes to international deal-making that produce resilient outcomes and durable domestic legitimacy.

Key Responsibilities

Programme Management & Coordination

• Coordinate planning, delivery and reporting across the Commission’s three strands of work: case studies, the online observatory, and convening

• Support the monthly operating team that governs the Commission, and ensure delivery is consistent with LSE policies and the Commission’s operating principles

• Monitor timelines, deliverables and budgets across workstreams, and keep day-to-day operations running smoothly

• Work within the LSE IDEAS team and join fortnightly LSE IDEAS team meetings

Commissioned Case-Study Research

• Coordinate the commissioning of three to four practitioner-focused case studies each year, from author identification and selection through to publication

• Manage authors and referees, including remuneration, the peer-review process, and editorial quality and intellectual independence

• Support the development of selected cases into teaching materials for LSE programmes and for executive and continuous-learning use

Observatory: Newsletter, Podcast & Blogs

• Produce and edit a monthly newsletter monitoring current affairs and recent academic research on economic diplomacy, drawing out what each development means for the conduct of economic diplomacy

• Coordinate a podcast series featuring distinguished practitioners and leaders in the field

• Commission, edit and publish guest blogs and other written outputs, and manage dissemination to extend reach beyond specialist audiences

Convening

• Organise and deliver the Commission’s annual flagship event at LSE, together with smaller roundtables through the year

• Liaise with policymakers, academics, diplomats and institutional partners

• Manage event logistics, including scheduling, speaker coordination, invitations, briefing materials and post-event follow-up

Network, Fundraising & External Relations

• Help build and maintain the Commission’s international network of practitioners and partners, and support the wider brain-trust of guest commissioners

• Support fundraising and modular sponsorship, including donor engagement, proposal development and grant applications, consistent with LSE policies on independence and transparency

• Help identify new funding opportunities, institutional partnerships and international collaborations

Person Specification

Essential

• Strong project management and organisational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities and workstreams simultaneously

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including editorial, commissioning and content-management experience

• Demonstrated interest in economic diplomacy, international relations and global affairs

Desirable

• Experience working within a think tank, academic institution, policy organisation or international affairs environment

• Knowledge of international trade, finance and economic statecraft

• Experience commissioning or editing research and managing referee or peer-review processes

• Experience organising events or convenings and engaging practitioners and policymakers

• Familiarity with higher education, research administration or policy communications

• Familiarity with economics or quantitative data analysis would be an advantage

• An interest in widening participation to Global South and practitioner perspectives