About BDI

The Bridging Divides Initiative (BDI) is a non-partisan research project at Princeton University that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. BDI is working for a future where thriving communities are prepared to respond in periods of risk, empowered to address long-term divides, and supported to build a pluralistic, multi-racial democracy.

We believe that BDI can help make this future a reality by achieving three strategic objectives: 1) producing action-oriented research to enable trend monitoring and early warning; 2) creating space for cross-sector collaboration to foster connections among pro-democracy stakeholders; and 3) building policy frameworks that equip community leaders and decision-makers with the tools they need to advance positive change. Since the project was first established in 2019, BDI has increased awareness and understanding of political violence risk in America, while driving effective interventions to reduce harm. BDI’s research, resources, and policy tools are essential components of the wider risk mitigation ecosystem working to protect our democracy and keep our communities safe.

BDI is based at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA). For more information, please visit our website: bridgingdivides.princeton.edu. 

Position Overview

BDI’s strategy consists of three core objectives, one of which is: Creating Space for Cross-Sector Collaboration. This portfolio includes projects that focus on Convening Within and Between Sectors, Facilitating Early Action and Response, and Concierge Support to State-Level Violence Mitigation. BDI seeks a Senior Research Specialist/State Lead in Ohio to work in and across all of these projects. 

This role focuses on the monitoring of political violence, the development of local/state-based partnerships and networks, and the support of state-based coalitions and coordination tables. This person will help to build out and further develop BDI’s state-based research and monitoring efforts. Key activities include: producing regular state-based Situation Reports (SitReps), issue briefs, and conducting ongoing conflict analysis. Research and monitoring efforts will support BDI’s state-based partners who might encounter instances of political violence in their work. Collaboration with these partners ensures that BDI’s efforts are successfully integrated into the broader mitigation and resilience environment in the state. The SRS/State Lead will be a member of the BDI Collaborations Team – currently a six-person team of other state leads who work in Georgia, Michigan, North Carolina, Arizona, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania– and will report to the State Lead Manager. 

The outcome of this work is reliable and timely monitoring and early warning analysis products, which has proven an essential part of the U.S. early warning infrastructure. Regular reporting, timely issue briefs, and custom memos – drawing on data and collaboration with over a dozen monitoring partners – will provide reliable, trusted, and actionable information to help the entire early warning ecosystem get ahead of and respond to risk.

Work must be performed within the United States and is fully remote. This position must be based in Ohio. This is a full-time, benefits-eligible, 1-year term position with a possibility of extension. 

• Develop state-based research, monitoring, and analysis around incidents of political violence, actors involved, and its connection to broader trends in the state. Understand and communicate the social, political, economic, and other impacts of a given conflict. As appropriate, contextualize trends over time by including quantitative analysis of longitudinal data.
• Build BDI’s state-based partnerships and relationships with key stakeholders representing varying sectors including election protection, racial justice, LGBTQ+ rights, faith-based, government, and others in order to provide monitoring and analysis support across the board and to better inform our research. 
• Actively engage in state-based coordination tables and coalitions by providing monitoring support and analysis.
• Provide customized public and private briefings on state-level risks and trends upon request to key audiences and partners.
• Proactively work to build connections with organizations and groups with a focus on supporting and resourcing communities that are particularly vulnerable to incidents of political violence and harm. 
• Work closely with the broader BDI team and connect state-level work with national efforts to mitigate risk of political violence. 
• Key deliverables for this position will include regular SitRep production for your state, number of meaningful relationships built, building out the state-based SitRep distribution list, briefings with state-based partners, and other research and monitoring products as assigned. 

Required

• Must live in Ohio or in an  adjacent state.
• Must have significant state-specific knowledge, networks, and experience in Ohio.
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field.
• 5-7+ years of experience in research, policy, community engagement, or related role.
• Research experience focused on the U.S. political violence landscape, especially in identifying relevant early warning indicators.Interest in and commitment to supporting civil society efforts to address political violence in the U.S., including work with partner organizations across diverse political affiliations, geographies, and sectors.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively around quantitative and qualitative data, including identifying new/emerging trends, gaps, and alternative analysis methods.
• Excellent writing abilities, especially past experience writing policy-focused memos, recommendations, or reports.
• Outstanding interpersonal skills, and the ability to engage with a multidisciplinary team and collaborators, including a wide array of partners from diverse backgrounds and in a remote work setting.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced environment, including proactivity and agility in response to potential early warning indicators.
• Familiarity with a variety of social media platforms while being able to evaluate source credibility. 

Preferred

• Master’s degree in a relevant field.
• Expertise in conducting OSINT monitoring to track activities of conflict actors, especially via social media and alt platforms.
• Familiarity with ACLED data and/or other relevant quantitative data sources tracking political violence in the U.S. context.
• Interest and ability to translate research findings to policy and practitioner audiences.
• Experience working on a remote team, including familiarity with relevant work tools (e.g. Slack, Zoom, Asana, etc.).
• Familiarity with common research tools (NexusUni, ProQuest, Google News Alerts).
• Experience with spatial analysis, including aggregation of demographic and point data to spatial units alongside data visualization/cartography.
• Experience developing datasets and subsets from various sources, including creating and maintaining documentation for all data and tools and ensuring data integrity.  
• Experience with HTML/CSS, Python, or other programming languages or interest in developing greater fluency.
• Experience with time series and event data, building analytical outputs for description and predictions, such as forecasting models, indices, and multiple linear regressions.

BDI/Princeton offers a comprehensive benefits package. We invite you to review our benefits here.

Application Instructions 

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter outlining their qualifications and experience as they relate to the role and BDI’s mission, including details on their direct ties to, and experience within, the state of Ohio. Applications without a cover letter that meets this criteria will not be considered.

Work authorization/visa eligibility: Work must be performed within the United States and is fully remote. This job requires sustained U.S. work authorization and is not eligible for U.S. visa sponsorship.

No matter who you are, BDI is a place you can call home. We know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well-positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our team to help guide our work on challenging issues.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

The University considers factors such as (but not limited to) scope and responsibilities of the position, candidate's qualifications, work experience, education/training, key skills, market, collective bargaining agreements as applicable, and organizational considerations when extending an offer. The posted salary range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate for a full-time position; salaries for part-time positions are pro-rated accordingly.

If the salary range on the posted position shows an hourly rate, this is the baseline; the actual hourly rate may be higher, depending on the position and factors listed above.

The University also offers a comprehensive benefit program to eligible employees. Please see this link for more information.