Dataset Researcher, Threats & Harassment, Princeton, New Jersey

Dataset Researcher, Threats & Harassment

US-NJ-Princeton

Job ID: 2024-18990
Type: Full-Time
# of Openings: 1
Category: Research and Laboratory

Princeton University

Overview

About BDI

The Bridging Divides Initiative (BDI) is a non-partisan research initiative that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. BDI supports efforts to grow and build local community resilience through elections and other periods of heightened risk, laying the groundwork for longer-term to bridge the divides we face as a nation.

We do this by 1) producing action-oriented and responsive research to fill existing gaps and empower local leaders; 2) enabling cross-sector collaboration, so individuals and organizations are better prepared to mitigate risk and respond to crisis when it does arise; and 3) helping to drive the policy and community response. Over the past four years, BDI played an essential role in supporting a wide range of actors preparing for and responding to political violence and democratic crisis. Our data, analysis, and tools continue to help a diverse coalition of national and local decision-makers better target their interventions. BDI is based at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), co-hosted by the Empirical Studies of Conflict (ESOC).

For more information, please visit our website: https://bridgingdivides.princeton.edu/.

Position Overview

Initiated in 2022, BDI’s Threats and Harassment research aims to fill gaps in reliable data on emerging trends in hard-to-measure incidents against local officials. BDI’s Understanding Threats and Harassment against Local Officials project advances essential understanding of where, who, and how threats are most directly impacting officials and our democracy at its most local level. The quantitative element of this project is the Threats and Harassment Dataset (THD) — an event-based data project soon to be publicly-available and updated monthly. The dataset tracks threats and harassment against local officials, allowing for the monitoring of the variety of risks that they may face.

BDI seeks a full-time, fully remote Threats and Harassment Dataset (THD) Researcher. They will be a member of the Understanding Threats and Harassment against Local Officials project, contributing to the building and maintenance of the dataset and related research products. The role is envisioned as a one-year minimum engagement, with opportunities for renewal. The Threats and Harassment Dataset (THD) Researcher will work closely with other members of BDI’s Understanding Threats and Harassment against Local Officials project team — reporting to the Threats and Harassment Project Manager.

The outcome of your work is reliable data that better defines and reveals the environment of threats and harassment that local officials face – all so decision-makers can make evidence-based decisions to most effectively respond to the threat and harassment landscape in U.S. cities and towns.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to data collection, coding, and other tasks as needed for the Threats and Harassment Dataset (THD), a regularly updated event-based, quantitative data project;
• Administrative assistance, including the management of project documentation, including methodology documents, codebook updating (as needed), training materials, etc.;
• Contribute to data visualization and analysis related to the Understanding Threats and Harassment to Local Officials project;
• Provide real-time support to BDI’s research team to deliver custom analysis and quick, accurate answers to pressing questions and concerns as it relates to the Understanding Threats and Harassment to Local Officials project.

Qualifications

Required

• Research experience focused on the U.S. political violence landscape
• Experience working with large datasets, especially event-based datasets (e.g. data management experience, including data cleaning)
• Facility with and interest in producing timely data, including gathering data, maintaining databases, and conducting data analyses
• Excellent writing abilities
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, and the ability to engage with a multidisciplinary team and collaborators, especially in a remote work setting
• Interest in and commitment to supporting civil society efforts to address political violence in the U.S., including work with partner organizations across diverse political affiliations, geographies, and sectors
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, including agility in response to real time coding schedules
• 1-2+ years of experience in research, policy, or related role
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field

Preferred

• Experience maintaining documentation for data and tools and ensuring data integrity
• Experience working on a remote team, including familiarity with relevant work tools (e.g. Slack, Zoom, Asana, etc.)
• Ability to think strategically and creatively around data, including identifying new/emerging trends, gaps, and alternative analysis methods
• Expertise in conducting OSINT monitoring to track events, especially via traditional and social media

Our benefits package includes:

• 24 paid vacation days with 11 paid holidays;
• 2 paid personal days;
• 8 sick days
• Health insurance policy (Aetna and/or UnitedHealth care as well as Vision, Dental, and employer sponsored short and long-term disability policies and life insurance);
• Flexible Spending Accounts (HFSA, DFSA);
• Princeton retirement contributions (9.3% of annual salary)
• 403(b) retirement plan;
• Robust education support program covers 85% of tuition and mandatory educational fees at accredited U.S. institutions, up to $5,250 annually, eligible after one year of service.
• Employee Assistance Program (EAP) and other wellness resources to support employees and their families;

Work authorization/visa eligibility: Work must be performed within the United States and is remote. This job requires U.S. work authorization and is not eligible for U.S. visa sponsorship.

No matter who you are, BDI is a place you can call home. We know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well-positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our team to help guide our work on challenging issues.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS

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