Disinformation Expert & Lead Researcher

Location: Anywhere in the Continental U.S.

Disinformation Expert & Lead Researcher

• Full-Time
• Starts ASAP through Dec 2020
• Competitive Pay
• Excellent Benefits
• Work from Anywhere in the Continental U.S.

MoveOn is a community of millions of members working together to create progressive change in America. We organize to challenge entrenched power and push back against right-wing policies, while pursuing economic, racial, and social justice and a vision of a country in which everyone can thrive.

MoveOn has a particularly important role to play in the Trump era. We are working to defeat Donald Trump and the GOP in 2020 by building a powerful, multiracial, and economic populist movement that will give voters something to vote for, not just against and we’re also working to defend communities that are on the front lines of Trump and GOP attacks, including immigrants, people of color, the LGBTQ community, and women. In service of that mission, in 2019, 2020, and beyond, MoveOn will drive impactful, movement-connected, multichannel, nimble campaigns aimed at impact.

We are looking for a disinformation expert and researcher to help design a program to combat disinformation that is harming frontline communities and eroding our democracy. This person will be responsible for leading research work for this program, therefore we are looking for someone with deep expertise in leading research in the specific area of disinformation. This person will be instrumental in helping to test tactics and shape the program for the future.

Responsibilities:

• Advising on the design of the disinformation pilot and program
• Daily monitoring and logging voting disinformation content on social media platforms (particularly Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter)
• Creating and regularly update monitoring lists of social media accounts that push voting disinformation
• Identifying prominent bad actors that are central to the spread of voting disinfo
• Monitoring message boards and Facebook groups for planning of voting disinformation and voter suppression campaigns on other platforms
• Mapping out national-, state-, and local-level social media networks that push voting disinformation content
• Using social media engagement data to analyze virality trends with voting disinformation content
• Analyzing narrative patterns with voting disinformation and crossover with other disinformation narratives and with the mainstream and news-cycles
• In addition to monitoring current voting disinfo, research historical patterns of voting disinformation in the 2018, 2016, and 2014 election cycles
• Producing short-term monitoring reports and long-term studies on how voting disinformation operates on social media platforms systematically and narratively
• Teaching MoveOn staff and close partners how to use monitoring tools to identify bad actors and monitor networks
• Helping to write fundraising proposals and memos

Qualifications:

• Must be an established disinformation expert, and have at least 5 years of experience specifically related to researching disinformation
• Deep understanding and experience with identifying disinformation, dissemination patterns, and networks spreading disinformation
• Experience working closely with researchers to uncover disinformation and networks spreading disinformation
• Deep understanding and experience with the full suite of tech tools that can be used to identify and monitor disinformation
• Deep understanding of social media platforms’ terms of service and guidelines, and how to work with platforms to get content, accounts, pages, and groups removed
• Deep understanding of and commitment to organizational equity and applying an equity lens in this work
• Acts with high integrity, professionalism, low ego, and camaraderie
• Inclusive, consultative decision-maker with demonstrated commitment to listening to team members and changing course when needed based on feedback

Reports to: Kate Scully, Grassroots Training Director

Location: MoveOn is a virtual organization. The Disinformation Expert and Researcher can live anywhere in the United States. Must be willing to travel domestically for up to 25% of their time.

Classification, Salary, and Benefits: This is a temporary staff position for a start date of ASAP through December 2020. Full-time. Competitive salary including benefits such as 100%-employer-paid premiums for medical, dental, and vision insurance for all staff and their children; employer-paid premiums for life insurance for all staff; four weeks accrued paid vacation time per year; 12 weeks of paid maternity or paternity leave; 10 days accrued paid sick time; and reimbursement of home office expenses.

MoveOn.org Civic Action and MoveOn.org Political Action provide equal employment opportunities (EEO) to all employees and applicants for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran, in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws.