International Elections Researcher

Associated Press•Washington, DC

11d•$53,477 - $85,214

About The Position

The Associated Press seeks a detail-oriented and experienced researcher who is passionate about electoral systems and politics around the world to join the AP Elections team as an international elections researcher. We’re looking for a reporter with an interest in and knowledge of how elections are conducted around the world — from the mechanics of voting systems to the way results are collected and published by electoral authorities. You’re right for this job if you’re curious about the differences between electoral systems and excited by the challenge of building a new product at AP to report on elections for head of government and national legislatures in leading democracies around the world.

Requirements

Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience in political science, international relations, journalism, research or a related field — or at least two years of professional experience in election research, political analysis or journalism covering elections.
Demonstrated knowledge of or strong interest in international electoral systems and democratic processes outside the United States.
Strong research skills with the ability to identify, evaluate and synthesize information from diverse and sometimes unfamiliar sources, including government databases, electoral commission websites and academic datasets.
Experience working with structured data, including proficiency with spreadsheet tools such as Excel or Google Sheets, or database and data storage tools such as MongoDB and AWS S3.
Advanced-level professional competency in written and spoken English.
Professional competency in at least one language other than English.
All applicants must be able to work in the U.S. or be able to gain permission to do so.
The ability and willingness to work at night and on weekends, as AP is a 24/7 operation and international elections occur across all time zones.

Nice To Haves

Experience with SQL, Python or other programming languages is a plus.
Experience conducting systematic research across countries or regions, with a demonstrated ability to navigate foreign-language sources and government websites.
Comfortable working with data in a variety of formats and understand that the quality of AP's election results depends on the quality of the research that supports them.
Experience with international election observation, academic research on comparative politics, or work at an organization focused on democracy and governance is a plus.
Thrive in a collaborative, fast-paced environment and are excited to help build a product from the ground up.
Value clear documentation and believe in showing and sharing your work with others.
Adaptable — comfortable working independently when needed and eager to contribute to the team's collective success.

Responsibilities

Reporting to the International Elections News Manager, you will be part of a team working to launch AP’s coverage of election results in countries other than the United States.
Build and maintain a knowledge base of international election research, including country profiles, data source inventories and election calendars, to support ongoing operations and future election coverage.
Document how elections are conducted, how results are reported and how AP can access data about election results in leading democracies from a single trusted source.
Compile pre-election research for each nation, including government and legislature structure, electoral system, key candidates and parties.
Identify and evaluate official and third-party sources of international election results, assessing their reliability, format, update cadence and accessibility for integration into AP's data infrastructure.
Work with AP’s quality control team to verify elections results and uphold AP's standards for integrity and fact-based, nonpartisan journalism in all research and data efforts.
Collaborate with AP journalists, data scientists, developers and others across text, photo, video, audio, digital, social, interactive and graphics formats to support coverage of international elections.