We’re hiring a Director of Operations & Outreach!

The Center for Election Science is currently hiring a Director of Operations & Outreach! 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 Monday, August 22, 2022 by 8PM Pacific. Late applications may not be reviewed. (Read: Apply anyway but no guarantee we’ll review it if it’s late.)

About The Center for Election Science

The Center for Election Science is a completely virtual 501(c)3 nonprofit that empowers people 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 Operations & Outreach (DOO) will run internal operations and external communications. This person will provide the strategic leadership and direction in the development and implementation of strategies for their department’s short and long-term goals. This also includes managing accounting and HR contractors as well as PR and advertising firms.

The DOO reports to and works in concert with the Executive Director. The person in this position must be comfortable working entirely remotely. 

Responsibilities:

Operations

• Work with Executive Director to plan, coordinate, and execute the annual budgeting and planning process
• Oversee financial record-keeping, including coding through Quickbooks (basic ability is sufficient, and you will have help learning if needed)
• Oversee accounting firm
• Maintain payroll (note that we use a redundant system for checks and balances as a matter of policy)
• Maintain organizational paperwork, record keeping, general operations, and compliance
• Collaborate with Executive Director on benefits administration, policy creation, hiring processes, and other human resources-related tasks
• Prioritize automation and delegation wherever possible
• Lead effective attainment of qualified contractors for outsourced work

Communications and Outreach

• Develop strategy and content for the organization’s communication channels, including email, social media, website, and digital ads
• Oversee the digital marketing firm and collaborate with them on social media content strategy and both Facebook and Google ads
• Oversee PR firm and coordinate media opportunities
• Conceptualize, facilitate, and promote organizational events, particularly virtual events and chapter meetings
• Coordinate logistics for in-person events and conferences. Attend occasional conferences and tabling opportunities (~2 per year)
• Send weekly email blasts to supporters
• Collaborate with the fundraising department on donor communications, fundraising campaigns, and strategies for attracting new supporters and donors
• Collaborate with campaigns team on educational advertising campaigns around approval voting ballot initiatives

Experience/Skills

• Strong organizational skills and an eye for detail
• Strong ability to communicate with diverse audiences (internal staff, external contractors and partners, supporters, donors, etc.) and to adjust your communication based on the medium and the audience
• Strong writing skills and ability to write for a variety of media (email blasts, social media posts, blog posts, op-eds) 
• Ability to solve problems, prioritize, and minimize multi-tasking
• Must feel comfortable working with Google Docs, Zoom, Google Hangouts, and other online platforms
• Ability to learn to navigate WordPress and Salsa Engage (email and supporter engagement platform)
• Ability to effectively work on diverse teams and with a diverse range of people
• Commitment to the ideals of equity, diversity, and inclusion, and the ability to apply them in your work

What You Can Expect Working with Us

Be prepared to change the world. You will be joining three other department directors along with their staff and 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. In our third year, we worked with the people of St. Louis to bring approval voting to their city.
• Now in our fifth year of having full-time staff, we are working with the people of Seattle to bring it to their city, a population of 750,000. 
• We are now preparing campaigns to bring approval voting to its first US states. 
• 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 has grown from $600K to $2M in under five years.

Salary & Benefits

• Starting salary is exactly $71,500; to promote equity, all directors receive the same salary. [Note that this is an increase from the original posting. Yes, this also means everyone got a raise.]
• Unlimited PTO with 21 days annual required minimum 
• Up to $5,450 individual or $11,050 family QSEHRA (maximum allowed) reimbursement for health, vision, and dental insurance and claims
• 401(k) with 9% employer contribution and immediate vesting [*after 1 year] 
• $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 [*after 3 months]
• Flexible hours
• Work remotely (always unless traveling for an event; we have no physical location)
• Integrated severance package [*accumulation starts at 3 months, caps at six weeks’ pay after 1 year]
• Parental leave (6-weeks fully paid, then staggered for the remaining 10 weeks) [*after 1 year]

[*requires waiting period]

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 (not required) 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 an 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.
• Our intended start date is September 29 (if you’d like to go on an in-person retreat with us in Seattle for the weekend). Or it will be Wednesday, October 5 for your first day at wherever location you like to work. We can be flexible here. Also, we prefer to start you mid-week so your first week isn’t as overwhelming.

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.

How To Apply

Submit your tailored CV/resume and cover letter in a single PDF file to caitlyn@electionscience.org. 

Your cover letter must at minimum address:

(1) why you want to work for us,

(2) why you believe you are qualified, and

(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.

Your PDF attachment should be named: “DOO_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.