The Center for Election Science is hiring for a Director of Applied Data & Research

Location: Remote

Salary: $61,500 + Benefits

https://electionscience.org/ces-updates/were-hiring-a-director-of-applied-data-and-research/

The Center for Election Science is currently hiring a Director of Applied Data and Research! This is a completely remote role with competitive salary and benefits. Please review the job posting below and share with anyone you think might be interested.

The deadline to apply is April 18, 2021.

About The Center for Election Science

The Center for Election Science is a completely virtual 501(c)3 nonprofit that empowers voters with voting methods that strengthen democracy. We do research and work directly with communities to bring approval voting to cities and states across the country. We work to fundamentally improve the voting method in US elections so that we have the responsive government we all deserve. We are a high-impact organization seeking talented employees to advance progress on this challenging mission.

Job Description

As an essential member of the executive leadership team, the Director of Applied Data and Research (DADR) will lead data-centered projects. This includes managing research and collecting data to help measure our impact and guide our strategy. Data analysis and research will be used to present to key stakeholders, prospective funders, and inform the public about the impact of voting methods.

In this role, you will be responsible for design and analysis of data collected for key elections. This research will compare different voting methods, measure key outcomes, and capture the public’s experience. You will also collaborate with members of the CES team on other data and research-oriented tasks related to advocacy, public outreach, and fundraising.

You will report to the Executive Director who will also be there for support and providing access to key relationships.

In this role, you will:

• Manage polling firms
• Identify and manage additional contractors and graduate students
• Build relationships with key collaborators
• Prioritize automation and delegation wherever possible
• Design and monitor study design for polling projects
• Collaborate with Director of Campaigns and Advocacy on country-wide strategy
• Collaborate with Director of Philanthropy on communications to funders
• Collaborate with Director of Operations and Programs on research dissemination
• Translate your data and research into everyday language to be shared with diverse lay audiences
• Create data visualizations to communicate your research as clearly and simply as possible
• Give presentations in which you communicate your research to both expert and non-expert audiences

Experience/Skills

• Understanding of voting methods and theory (strongly preferred)
• Ability to set up and run experiments with polling firms
• Strong statistical skills and ability to analyze election data
• Statistical analysis dealing with weighting and different sampling approaches such as stratified sampling
• Ability to create visualizations using complex data, including geographical data
• Ability to communicate complex data to a layperson audience
• Ability to effectively work on diverse teams or with a diverse range of people
• Commitment to the ideas of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and ability to apply them in your work

Salary & Benefits

• Starting salary is exactly $61,500; to promote equity, all directors receive the same salary
• Up to $5,250 individual or $10,600 family QSEHRA (maximum allowed) reimbursement for health, vision, and dental insurance and claims
• 401K with 9% employer contribution and immediate vesting [*after 1 year]
• Unlimited PTO with 21 days annual minimum
• $50K group term life insurance [*after 6 months]
• Short and long-term disability insurance [*after 6 months]
• Annual continuing education allotment [*after 3 months]
• $40/month reimbursement for phone
• $50/month reimbursement for high-speed internet
• $1,500/year home office reimbursement
• Laptop and office supply allowance
• Flexible hours
• Work remotely (always unless traveling for an event; we have no physical location)
• Integrated severance package [*starts at 3 months, caps at 1 year]
• Parental leave (6-weeks fully paid, then staggered for remaining 10 weeks) [*after 1 year]
  [*requires waiting period]

Additional Information

• Some travel: ~2+ weeks/ year (in non-pandemic years)
• Occasional night and weekend availability for conferences, special events, and monthly board meetings
• Growth potential if organization continues to be successful
• Opportunity to interact with leaders in the field of political science and game theory
• Access to an amazing academic network

Application Process

How You Can Be A Competitive Applicant

Be familiar with our work, read up on our blog, and see what we’re up to through social media. You should love what we do and convey in your application that you understand our work. We also place a lot of weight on the work product section of the application process, so you should take it seriously.

What You Can Expect In the Application Process

• We attempt to shield ourselves from your name as long as possible to avoid bias on gender and ethnicity. Please use only your three-letter initials in attachments. If you feel the reviewers may recognize your initials, please change them. You are encouraged to use a throwaway email that does not reveal your name and an account that does not preview your image.
• We will actually tell you whether you advance in the process. If you don’t, we’ll always notify you either way as a courtesy. As you can imagine, we do not have the capacity to provide each applicant a rationale for our decision.
• Our process has four rounds:
  • (1) resume & cover letter with anonymous survey
  • (2) evidence-based questions and work product
  • (3) interview
  • (4) accuracy confirmation and background check
• We will pay $50 via Visa e-gift card to each applicant at the work product round who makes a reasonable submission attempt and an additional $50 to each applicant who completes the interview.
• We’ll contact you after the entire hiring process is complete to fill out a quick survey about the hiring process. You’ll receive $10 via Visa e-gift card for completing the survey. While this survey is optional, this helps us analyze the diversity of our applicant pool and improve the experience for future applicants.
• If you do not feel comfortable with performing the labor of a related work sample, then please do not apply. We do, however, promise that this work sample will not take advantage of you. It is truly an attempt to see your skills at work—not to steal your ideas.
• We do multiple verification checks on applications. Misleading applications will be removed from current and future consideration.

We care about our employees. You can tell from our benefits that this translates across the board. We believe that CES is a place that you can be truly proud of and happy to work for.

We believe that a team with diverse experiences and backgrounds generates richer discussions and more nuanced thinking, and we strive to be an inclusive workplace where everyone feels welcome and respected. We are an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status.

We actively encourage applications from those whose identities reflect the diversity of our nation, those who have lived experience with racism or other forms of oppression, and those whose identities are traditionally underrepresented in the field of research and data analysis.

We are committed to the full inclusion of all qualified individuals. As part of this commitment, we will ensure that persons with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations. If a reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact our Director of Operations & Programs at caitlyn@electionscience.org.

What You Can Expect Working with Us

Be prepared to change the world. You will be joining four other full-time employees along with contractors; collectively, we are a highly motivated and effective team.

Let us show you what we mean.

• Within the first year of the organization having staff, we helped bring approval voting to its first US city of Fargo with 120,000 people.
• Now in our fourth year of having full-time staff, we have helped bring approval voting to St. Louis with over 300,000 people.
• We are now collaborating with city and state opportunities each with populations over 700,000.
• We’ve cultivated nine independently-run approval voting chapters, with requests in over 80 cities across the country waiting to be next.
• We collaborate on research with some of the best academics in the world on voting methods.
• We are well positioned to grow in the coming years; our current annual budget is just over $1M.

We have a number of academic connections as well as data waiting for you to look at. This is your opportunity to use data and research to make an impact.

We have a culture of teamwork. We treat each other with empathy and compassion. We value transparency. We value diversity and strive to create an equitable environment where all voices are valued. We are outcome-oriented. Your skills and intelligence are valued. You have the space to lead, and we will do everything in our power to help you be successful.

How To Apply

Submit your tailored CV/resume and cover letter in a single PDF file via our application form no later than April 18, 2021 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. 

Your cover letter must at minimum address:

1. why you want to work for us
2. why you believe you are qualified
3. what you have done that demonstrates how you’re qualified

Please limit your cover letter to no more than two pages and your cv/resume to be as compact and tailored as possible.

Do not include your name or personally identifying information on the document. You can replace your name with your initials.

Your PDF attachment should be named: “DADR_App_R1_XYZ” where “XYZ” are your initials. 

We will use an intermediary to avoid the main reviewer from seeing accidental identifying information. We do this anonymized review to avoid any implicit bias during the application process. Although we’re a small team, we take hiring seriously and are methodical about it.

Applications due by April 18, 2021 at 11:59pm Pacific Time. Position open until filled. Late applications may not be reviewed.

Submit your application here: https://electionscience.org/application-director-of-applied-data-and-research/