Date posted: April 23, 2021

Closing date: N/A

Term: 20 hours a month (not necessarily every week) on an ongoing basis

Reports to: Interim Communications Director

Location: Remote

Public Agenda, a nonpartisan research and engagement organization, seeks a web developer to assist with website management. While Public Agenda is based in New York, this position will be fully remote. The position will approximately require 20-30 hours per month.

Primary Responsibilities

• Someone who will be on call to help with more advanced website aspects and troubleshooting
• Needs experience in WordPress, preferred experience with Blackbaud
• Help the organization think about and plan toward the next iteration of its website
• Help explore changes to the general structure/site map and help implement those changes
  • Organizing the pages we currently have in a better way that’s easier to navigate and showcases all our work
  • Building out a wireframe for site reconfiguration and site map
  • Designing and implementing the layout of new pages and ensuring consistency across pages

Skills and Qualifications

• Dedication to our mission of building a more informed and inclusive democracy that works for everyone
• Understanding of UI/UX best practices and standards
• Understanding of accessibility standards and requirements for websites
• Previous experience collaboratively developing website content strategies
• Web design/layout experience
  • Optimizing page layout
  • Helping make sure pages are consistent
    • Templates for project page vs. resource collection
• Familiarity with SEO + Google Analytics
• Strong understanding of WordPress CMS and plugins
• Previous experience working with Blackbaud preferred
• Familiarity with Blackbaud Builder a plus

Application

Please send resume and brief cover letter to careers@publicagenda.org.

About Public Agenda

Public Agenda is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and public engagement organization headquartered in New York City. We strive to strengthen democracy and expand opportunity for all Americans. Learn more about us at https://www.publicagenda.org/

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Our organization is committed to equal employment opportunity and diversity in the workplace. We will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally-recognized basis [“protected class”] including, but not limited to: veteran status, uniform service member status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law.

Date posted: April 16, 2021

Closing date: May 14, 2021

Term: A 10-week contract, with an approximate start date of May 25 (dates flexible)

Reports to: Associate Director for National Engagement Programs

Location: Remote

Introduction

Public Agenda, a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and public engagement organization focused on strengthening democracy, is currently seeking two (2) graduate students with experience in civic engagement, public participation, or participatory democracy to conduct international qualitative case study research as a part of the Healthier Democracies initiative. Students may come from a range of disciplinary backgrounds including Communications, Political Science, Sociology, Public Policy, or other degree programs. 

This is a remote, short-term, part-time position for Summer 2021. Students will work a total of 250 hours, approximately 25 hours a week for 10 weeks, however hour allocation can be flexible according to students’ scheduling needs. Compensation will be $30/hourly, or about $7500 total for the summer. 

Healthier Democracies is a new initiative by Public Agenda to gather promising global examples of democratic innovation, assess their strengths and weaknesses, and identify practices and reforms that improve democracy in the United States. The goal is to identify examples of innovative participatory democracy practices embedded in local and state government systems, then bring back learnings and strategies to American public officials as examples of what can—and should—be done to strengthen democratic practice in the U.S. Supported by a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the initiative seeks to help us understand how to establish more equitable, deliberative and collaborative relationships between citizens and governments. 

Responsibilities

• Schedule and conduct interviews with public officials in locations around the world 
• Participate in thematic analysis of interview transcripts
• Compile, read, and provide reviews and summaries of existing literature 
• Author case study documents for a professional/scholarly audience 

Desired Qualifications

• Master’s Degree required (communications, public policy, political science, sociology, economics, or related fields) 
• Some doctoral-level graduate work preferred 
• Coursework or research experience in the civic engagement field, including around participatory democracy and public participation 
• Experience in qualitative case study research, particularly with document review, semi-structured interviewing, data analysis, and writing
• Comfort conducting interviews and writing academic papers in English 
• Ability to attend some virtual meetings in Eastern Standard Time (EST)

Additional Qualifications

• Bilingual fluency in Spanish or Portuguese is preferred, but not required
• Please highlight if you speak any other languages

 Compensation and Opportunities

• Compensation of $7500 for the summer ($30/hourly)
• Mentoring around how to conduct qualitative research in international contexts
• Opportunities to publish work with Public Agenda, as well as in scholarly journals and national media outlets
• Networking opportunities with public participation professionals across the world 
• A chance to explore working in a grant-funded research nonprofit environment

How to Apply

Please submit a brief cover letter, a CV, a writing sample, and the names and contact information for 3 references, via email, to Ms. Mikayla Townsend, mtownsend@publicagenda.org, no later than May 14, 2021.

Students from international or U.S. based universities are eligible to apply. 

About Public Agenda

Public Agenda is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit research and public engagement organization headquartered in New York City. We strive to strengthen democracy and expand opportunity for all Americans. Learn more about us at https://www.publicagenda.org/

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual(s) assigned to this position. They are not intended to be an exhaustive list of all duties, responsibilities, and skills required. Management reserves the right to modify, add, or remove duties and to assign other duties as necessary. In addition, reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions of this position.

Our organization is committed to equal employment opportunity and diversity in the workplace. We will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally-recognized basis [“protected class”] including, but not limited to: veteran status, uniform service member status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law.

About Public Agenda

"It takes more than just voting to make democracy work. All Americans should be conscious of how precious—and fragile—our democracy is. Participating in making it a more just and effective problem-solving institution is a privilege." - Dan Yankelovich, co-founder Public Agenda

Public Agenda works to strengthen democracy and expand opportunity in America by fostering thoughtful public opinion, meaningful public participation, and responsive public institutions. Founded in 1975 by the social scientist and public opinion research pioneer Dan Yankelovich and soon-to-be secretary of state Cyrus Vance, Public Agenda is a nonpartisan, nonprofit research and public engagement organization. 

Public Agenda is founded on the belief that a strong democracy requires informed citizens, engaged communities, productive public conversations, and policies that reflect the public’s concerns and values. Through nonpartisan research and public engagement, Public Agenda works to make these essentials a reality while fostering progress on the issues people care about most, particularly those essential to expanding opportunity for all Americans.

Position

Public Agenda seeks an experienced, mission-driven leader to oversee the organization’s next phase of growth and service. The President must be a leader who inspires both external partners and the talented Public Agenda team.

The President will oversee all aspects of the organization, working closely with the professional staff and Board to create and fund programs and projects, manage the organization’s finances, increase its influence and impacts, and strengthen the organization’s mission-driven culture that strives toward excellence, growth, respect, caring, fairness, humor, communication, and collaboration.

At a time when the American democratic experiment faces daunting challenges, Public Agenda’s mission and unique capabilities are more important than ever. Public Agenda seeks a visionary leader who will maximize Public Agenda’s ability to elevate public discourse and strengthen democracy.

Responsibilities

Strategic Vision and Leadership

• Develop and implement strategic plans that meet objectives aligned with the organization’s nonpartisan mission and created in partnership with the organization’s staff and Board.

• Represent the organization externally to bolster its relationships with partners, organizations with symbiotic goals, and to develop new relationships to increase its visibility and influence.

• Provide inspirational leadership and direction to the senior team, and ensure the continued development and management of a professional and efficient organization.

• Establish effective decision-making processes that will enable Public Agenda to achieve its long- and short-term goals and objectives.

Fundraising and Financial Management

• Ensure that funding allows for Public Agenda to make continuous progress towards the achievement of its mission and that those funds are allocated properly to reflect present needs and future potential.

• Develop a strong, nonprofit business plan that increases and diversifies revenues, strengthens productivity, and empowers creativity.  

• Maintain, develop and deepen relationships with donors including individuals and foundations. The President will be expected to be a fundraiser with a demonstrated track record of success.

• Ensure sound financial systems and practices that support efficient cost management.

Management and Operations

• Facilitate cross-departmental collaboration and increased internal communications among staff  members throughout the organization.

• Create and promote a positive, productive, enjoyable work environment with clear, equitable and compassionate HR policies and practices.

• Ensure programmatic excellence and consistent quality of financial management, administration, fundraising, strategic communications, and work systems.

• Support, develop and manage the senior leadership team, including conducting annual reviews and setting annual goals with direct reports.

• Ensure commitment to and compliance with all applicable laws and regulations across the organization.

• Ensure the delivery of high-quality services while managing for current and future growth.

Board Governance

• Cultivate a transparent and effective working relationship with the Board of Directors and ensure open communication about the measurement of financial, programmatic, and impact performance against stated milestones and goals.

• Support the building of a diverse and inclusive Board of Directors representative of the community that is highly engaged and willing to leverage and secure resources.

Desired Qualifications

• Passionate commitment to Public Agenda’s nonpartisan mission of strengthening democracy and expanding opportunity for all Americans.

• Visionary, entrepreneurial leader who can imagine and enable Public Agenda’s place in the world in the years to come.

• Substantial nonprofit managerial experience, ideally at the Executive Director, Executive Vice President, or COO level, or equivalent position, and a demonstrated ability to develop and implement strategic plans, manage organizational finances, and undertake successful fundraising.

• Significant familiarity with the fields of deliberative democracy, democracy reform, civic engagement, and public opinion research.

• Strong interpersonal skills and a demonstrated ability to support professional development of individual employees and a healthy, productive organizational culture with a deep commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

• Significant experience and networks relevant to foundation- and donor-based fundraising.

• An intellectual field-leading expert with a reputation for work around democracy and civic engagement.

• Excellent written and oral communication skills.

• Experience, knowledge and networks in the fields of K-12 education, higher education, health care, journalism and/or other current social and political issues. 

• An extrovert who enjoys getting out in the community, is able to galvanize excitement from the outside world, and has experience engaging with the news media. 

• A great team motivator and inspirational leader.

• A sense of humor.

Public Agenda is committed to equal employment opportunity and diversity in the workplace. We will not discriminate against employees or applicants for employment on any legally-recognized basis [“protected class”] including, but not limited to: veteran status, uniform service member status, race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, physical or mental disability, genetic information or any other protected class under federal, state, or local law.

Apply online with DRG Talent Advisory Group.