Researcher (Contract)

Hard Yaka; Austin (TX); Remote; USD 20,664 - 25,485; Part time

Job summary

A civic technology organization seeks a Researcher to explore election topics and candidate qualifications. Responsibilities include researching various election-related topics across the U.S., mentoring new researchers, and contributing to data collection processes. Candidates should possess strong attention to detail, excellent communication, and time management skills. The role is project-based, with varying hours, and offers compensation of $15 - $18.50 per hour, with option for remote work until December 11, 2026.

Qualifications

• Strong attention to detail required for accurate research.
• Excellent time management skills for meeting tight deadlines.
• Ability to communicate clearly when needing assistance.

Responsibilities

• Research elections and candidates at all levels.
• Assist with novel data collection processes.
• Mentor new researchers to improve efficiency.

Skills

Attention to detail

Time management

Proactive communication

Comfort with ambiguity

Strong written communication

Strong verbal communication

Tools

SQL

GIS

Job description

Overview

Civitech is a public benefit corporation dedicated to creating a fairer and more equitable democracy by building the tools and infrastructure needed to increase civic participation, empower Democratic candidates to win, and support the success of progressive causes. Since its founding in 2019, over 500 partners — a range of nonprofit organizations, national political committees, and individual campaigns — have utilized Civitech’s tools to reach tens of millions of voters to help create a more equitable and progressive democracy.

Responsibilities

Researchers, who can be based anywhere in the U.S., are responsible for researching a wide range of topics, including elections at all levels from national races to local special districts, candidates for selected elections (including their experience, qualifications, incumbent status, and issue stances), elected positions (such as the roles and responsibilities of offices like the Bergen County Clerk, eligibility requirements, and how to run for a position), and current office holders, including their years in office.

Who You Are

• Strong attention to detail—our work relies on the accuracy of your research!
• Excellent time management and personal organization that allows you to meet deadlines.
• Skill in communicating clearly and proactively as needed (e.g., if you are unsure about something or need an extension).
• Comfort navigating ambiguity (e.g., if finding the details about a local office requires you to go down a rabbit hole of creative research methods, which is not unheard of, you’re ready and able to dive in).

Responsibilities (Continued) – Advanced/Lead Work

• Highly skilled researchers in this role may be expected to assist with:
• Experimenting with novel data collection processes and working with developers to give feedback on new internal data tools.
• Problem-solving a pain point in existing research processes with your teammates.
• Assisting full-time and part-time employees on the Research team with the creation of training materials.
• Mentoring new researchers and helping them become more efficient.

About You

• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and excellent time management skills.
• Committed to leveraging technology and data products to increase civic participation.

Additional Qualifications (desired but not required)

• Experience working with political data
• Proficiency with SQL and GIS

Civitech's Values

• We act with Integrity – At Civitech, we hold ourselves to the highest standards and value open and transparent communications with all of our stakeholders. Our rigorous approach to product design, testing, and data science leads to accurate assessments of our outcomes and challenges us to constantly improve our tools.
• We are Changemakers – As a team, Civitech seeks to make transformational change in our democracy by eliminating obstacles meant to hamper contribution from every member of the community.
• We are Collaborators - Buoyed by our mission, we look for opportunities to partner with everyone committed to making democracy easier to participate in. We seek to understand the challenges our partners face and use our skills and creativity to help them solve them.
• We are Bold – We recognize that disruptive change won’t come with doing business as usual. Civitech seeks to revolutionize civic participation by bringing innovation and creativity to politics.

Compensation and Terms

$15 - $18.50 an hour

Project scope and hours may vary week to week based on program needs and contractor availability. There is no guaranteed minimum number of hours, and contractors determine their own availability.

This is a project based contractor role expected to run through December 11, 2026, with scope and duration subject to change based on program needs.

About our Data Acquisition Team

The Data Acquisition team is focused on building processes to extract, normalize, ingest, and regularly refresh large volumes of civic data. This includes data relating to current positions, officeholders, and candidates for office from the federal level to local special districts. This team also collects geospatial data to power our products and direct users to useful voting resources.

Immigration/Visa

Civitech is not able to provide visa sponsorship at this time.

Equal Opportunity

Civitech provides equal opportunity to all qualified applicants and contractors without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.

Independent contractors are responsible for maintaining their own authorization to work in the United States and for complying with all applicable tax and legal requirements.