Data & Media Insights Lead

Middesk•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

You'll own Middesk's data-driven storytelling for national media. This role turns real-time news cycles, government and fraud trends, and Middesk data into timely, credible insights that earn coverage in top-tier outlets. This is not a content marketing role or a PR generalist role. It's an investigative research and analytical storytelling role for someone who can read the news, spot where data adds clarity, conduct original research, and work closely with a data scientist to produce insights journalists actually want. Your output is clear: original data stories backed by rigorous research that land in national media and build Middesk's credibility in high-visibility conversations.

Requirements

8+ years in data storytelling, investigative journalism, investigative reporting, research, or insight-driven content roles
Proven experience conducting original research including filing FOI/FOIA requests, analyzing public records, and synthesizing academic or regulatory sources
Experienced interviewing academics, experts, regulators, customers, and subject-matter experts to build depth and credibility
Proven experience turning research and data into stories that land in national or top-tier media
Strong instinct for news value: you know what's interesting now
Comfortable working closely with data scientists and questioning assumptions
Clear, disciplined writer who can explain complex findings without oversimplifying
Calm under pressure and comfortable working on tight timelines
Calmly opinionated: you can defend narrative choices without being rigid
Motivated by clarity, credibility, and long-term impact, not content volume or trends

Responsibilities

Original research & investigations: Lead deep, proactive research that uncovers novel insights, including:
Filing and tracking Freedom of Information requests to surface public data others aren't using
Researching and synthesizing academic studies, regulatory filings, and government reports
Interviewing subject-matter experts, academics, regulators, and industry practitioners to build context and credibility
Identifying emerging patterns in fraud, business formation, and enforcement before they hit the news cycle
Building ongoing relationships with researchers and experts who can validate or challenge findings
Data-driven media storytelling: Own Middesk's external, data-led media narratives, including:
News-cycle-driven data insights
Original data analyses tied to fraud, business identity, and government trends
Media-ready narratives, charts (in collaboration with our brand designer), and story angles
Translate complex data into clear, defensible insights that journalists can quickly understand and trust
News cycle & trend intelligence: Proactively identify moments where Middesk data can add signal, context, or counterpoint to the public conversation. Be the first at the company to spot and react to:
Fraud trends
Government enforcement actions
Regulatory changes
High-profile cases and policy moments
Broader business and economic news tied to entities and identity
Partnership with data science: Work in tight partnership with a dedicated data scientist to:
Shape hypotheses based on news, research findings, and emerging trends
Define analyses that are fast, relevant, and defensible
Pressure-test findings before they go external
Turn raw outputs into clear storylines, headlines, and talking points
Media narrative packaging & pitching: Develop complete, media-ready story packages, including:
Clear story angles and headlines
Key findings and takeaways
Supporting charts or data points
Quotable context journalists can reference
Credibility & quality bar: Act as the final editorial checkpoint for all external data stories, ensuring Middesk earns trust through rigor and evidence. Do this by:
Maintaining a high bar for accuracy, defensibility, clear sourcing and methodology, and non-promotional, insight-first framing
Ensuring Middesk's data stories can withstand journalist skepticism, public scrutiny, and regulatory or policy-aware audiences