Democracy Forward seeks a highly collaborative Research Assistant to join its team to help track and assess emerging legal trends at the federal, state, and local levels. The Research Assistant will contribute to all aspects of Democracy Forward’s ongoing tracking and data visualization projects. The role will track these trends, help maintain and develop Democracy Forward’s data systems and databases, and support work across the organization to develop timely and insightful analysis.
The ideal candidate will have a passion for Democracy Forward’s mission, and interest in the law and legal policy, research, data, and analysis. The Research Assistant will work collaboratively across all teams and functions. The ideal candidate will have:
- Familiarity with the legal system, policy, and litigation and federal, state, and local laws
- Experience with legal and policy research and tracking
- Excellent data management skills and attention to detail
- A commitment to Democracy Forward’s values of excellence, inclusion, accountability, collaboration, and impact.
Responsibilities and Qualifications
Responsibilities
- Work with policy and research staff to maintain timely, accurate, and robust information about legal and policy trends across a range of progressive issues.
- Collaborate with all teams across the organization to develop useful analyses and synthesis of data and emerging trends
- Complete special research and oversight projects.
- Maintain internal databases of legal actions and information requests.
- Assist in the preparation of regular reports and analyses.
- Support efforts to collaborate and develop partnerships that enhance and strengthen Democracy Forward’s impact, including those seeking to understand trends in the legal and policy landscape
Qualifications
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent
- Background on issues arising at the intersection of government, law, and policy
- Experience with legal, policy, and media databases and tools, including Westlaw, Docket Alarm, PACER, AirTable, Muck Rack, Twitter, and Google News.
- Familiarity with statistical research tools like Excel, STATA, R, or MATLAB a plus
- Experience working on teams in a collaborative structure
- Demonstrated excellence in organizational and communication skills
- Excellent data management and writing skills and attention to detail
- Ability to manage multiple, competing deadlines and priorities
- Demonstrated commitment to inclusion and accountability
- Demonstrated commitment to democracy and social progress
The salary range for this position is $55,000 – $65,000 commensurate with experience plus excellent benefits.
Democracy Forward is an equal opportunity employer. We value a diverse workforce and an inclusive culture. We encourage applications from all qualified individuals. We strongly encourage people of color; lesbian, bisexual, transgender, queer, and intersex people; women; people with disabilities; and veterans to apply. Please note that all lawyer positions require a law degree and active membership in the bar of a state or the District of Columbia.
Not sure you meet all of our qualifications? Research shows that men apply for jobs when they meet an average of 60% of the criteria. Yet women and other people who are systematically marginalized tend to only apply if they meet every requirement. If you believe that you could excel in this role, we encourage you to apply. We are dedicated to considering a broad array of candidates, including those with diverse workplace experiences and backgrounds. Whether you are new to mission-based legal and policy work, returning to work after a gap in employment, or simply looking to transition or take the next step in your career path, we welcome the opportunity to have you on our radar. Please include in your cover letter the nature of your interest in legal and policy work promoting democracy and progress and what you hope to bring to our team and the role for which you are applying.
