Research Associate

About The Position

More in Common’s mission is to understand the forces driving us apart, find common ground, and help bring Americans together to tackle our shared challenges. We work with leaders across fields and across the ideological spectrum to support effective problem-solving, strengthen democratic institutions, and better navigate the dynamics of a polarized society. More in Common US works alongside teams in other major democracies. Globally, More in Common is comprised of a team of more than 70 people working in national offices in the US, UK, Germany, France, Poland, Spain, and Brazil. Our work is built on More in Common’s unique audience and opinion research, grounded in social psychology. We promote a better understanding of Americans’ perspectives, providing fresh insights about not just what Americans think, but why. We find Americans’ views are more complex and varied than is often assumed, and while the most divisive are often the loudest, they rarely represent most Americans. Our work cuts through the ‘ perception gaps’ —the false impressions that Americans hold about each other—to highlight common ground, identify the areas of genuine difference, and reveal ways Americans can come together to tackle our shared challenges. Deploying our people-centered insights, we engage with hundreds of organizations and leaders across sectors—including community groups, government, media, business, philanthropy, corporations and faith communities—on a range of public issues. We partner with leaders and institutions to help them navigate the challenges of polarization, communicate in ways that reach new audiences, and execute strategies that bring Americans together across differences. In taking on the challenge of uniting a divided America, More in Common is grappling with a daunting problem that has many dimensions. We believe that we have a better chance at success if our team reflects a broad range of disciplines, social and cultural backgrounds, beliefs, political persuasions, and life experiences. For this reason, we strongly encourage people with backgrounds from across the political spectrum (including conservative, libertarian, centrist, liberal, progressive and Independents), those with disabilities as well as candidates from all genders, races, ages, religious, ethnic, socio-economic backgrounds and of all sexual orientations to apply for this role. For more information on More in Common, please visit our global website and U.S. website .

Requirements

Demonstrate a commitment to understanding the forces driving us apart, finding common ground, and bringing people together to tackle shared challenges.
Possess a deep curiosity about how other people think, a strong sense of respect for people whose views may be very different from your own, and an interest in utilizing the social psychology and political science insights underpinning More in Common’s work.
Are passionate about elevating the voices of the ‘ exhausted majority ’
Have an ability and desire to work across the ideological spectrum
Hold a strong conviction that you personally can make a difference in making America a less divided nation, with the humility to understand how hard that’s going to be. Big ideas and low ego!
Are keenly interested in politics and public issues, but you are not deeply partisan. Instead, you enjoy the challenge of finding common ground among people with differing views and those who are disengaged.
Enjoy getting into the details of data analysis and data presentation, to generate insights from public opinion research and make those insights compelling and engaging for others.
An appetite for and understanding of public opinion research and insights into how public attitudes change
Can sift through both small and large quantitative and qualitative datasets to identify important trends and synthesize the findings.
Comfort with navigating complex data sets (e.g., in Excel and R) and creating polished data visuals (e.g., in R, Flourish, Canva, PowerPoint, etc.)
Experience designing surveys and programming surveys (e.g., via tools like Qualtrics, Google Forms)
Ability to conduct quantitative data analysis (e.g., in Excel, R, Python)
Experience with social media analysis or social listening
Experience conducting message testing research
Can craft compelling and fresh data visuals that resonate with partners
Can build stories and insights from quantitative and qualitative research, creating clear and compelling memos, presentation decks, and reports
Know how to use AI tools to power your research analyses but also understand AI’s limitations.
A broad range of interests and a record of impact in relevant areas such as democracy, elections, politics, social psychology, advocacy, campaigning, social history, polling, and/or academia
An exceptional ability to execute and achieve rigorous results in the face of strong headwinds
A predisposition for candor in moments when many might be scared to say what they think
Outstanding verbal and written communication skills
Have strong interpersonal skills and can represent More in Common well with its partners
Strong attention to detail in communications with stakeholders
Are passionate about helping inform, serve, and grow the nonprofit, nonpartisan democracy, and social cohesion fields
Experience with and a capacity to understand people from different backgrounds, to see the world from others’ perspectives and inspire trust among diverse audiences
Are strategic, rigorous, restless, energetic, and creative
Are able to think ahead and get big stuff done
Are committed to a process of ongoing learning and experience of a ‘test and learn’ approach
Act with humility, generosity, and integrity towards others
Are excited to work with heart as well as head
Feel comfortable and excited to dwell on the edge but not on the margins
Want to be part of an effort to turn despair into hope
An agile and entrepreneurial mindset
A drive to make a measurable difference to society and a track record to prove it
Curiosity and creativity
Demonstrable empathy and great listening skills
Strong collaboration and field-building skills
The capacity to embrace complexity and find a way through it, taking others with you along the way
Able to set priorities, meet goals, and evaluate both process and results
Resilience under pressure
A strong familiarity with a diverse range of communities in the US
Belief in the power of a good sense of humor
have or soon-to-have a 4-year university degree

Responsibilities

Designing and programming quantitative and qualitative surveys
Designing and facilitating focus groups and interviews
Managing a qualitative online research panel of 300+ Americans
Conducting mixed-method analyses of survey and qualitative data, including longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses
Conducting literature reviews
Social media and social listening analysis
Visualizing data (e.g., in R, PowerPoint, Flourish, Canva, etc.)
Regularly writing up research findings, including in memos and reports
Crafting and conducting presentations of data insights for wider audiences
Developing new project ideas
Drafting concept notes and grant proposals to support new projects
Designing and facilitating webinars and workshops to help practitioners integrate research insights into their program design and delivery
Mentoring research interns