Join Our Team!
Building an open, free and healthy digital global ecosystem is central to democracy and as such, is a central focus for us at NDI. But the time and effort it takes to protect democratic values, create tools to empower people and foster transparency takes a dedicated team. NDI’s work on these issues spans the globe and is present in every country in which we work. In our Washington based team, we get to help our colleagues engage partners in monitoring the information space, to use the digital tools and methods that will increase their resilience against malign actors and engage in shaping the information space that they want to build through international norm-setting bodies. You can read about our work here, but believe me, there’s much, much more.
To do this work, we have specialists in disinformation and cybersecurity. We have experts in Human Centered Design and technical tool development. We ask the tough questions about user testing of tools in the most closed information spaces in the world and we engage with social media companies to tell them what’s working, and more often, what’s not. We engage everyday with the robust community of digital activists around the world and governments leading the charge to create an internet that is safe for democracy. NDI’s traditional partners: political parties, parliaments, and civil society groups representing marginalized peoples are all upping their game in protecting themselves against authoritarian forces and creating ways for people to ask for more from their governments. It’s exciting, scary, rewarding and hard.
Here’s the thing: we need more help. Is that you?
Take a minute and meet the members of our team. What’s missing? Well, the specific jobs are at the end of this post but maybe it’s worth explaining how we work. When you join our team –no matter at what level–you’ll find that we value your perspective from day one, as do our colleagues throughout the world. If you have other experiences from living abroad, working on a campaign or building an app, we will put them to good use. We trust your judgment to tell us where we need to dig deeper, or identify what’s working and what’s not. We empower you to share that with others not only on the team, but in public events within the democracy and technology community. We won’t throw you to the wolves–you’ll be trained on how we think about issues big and small, you’ll have guidance from regional and country teams who know better than anyone what our partners need to help them advance democracy in their contexts, and solid partners in your teammates.
You’ll meet people virtually and in person (travel!) and work alongside them to solve big problems. We like each other, so you’ll touch base with us every day, see us in the office (at least a few times a week…maybe more, depending on deadly pandemics) and outside of the office from time to time. Our greatest resource is our people and we work hard to make sure you’re always safe, have the resources you need, and the network of allies to do this challenging work.
So what do we need? First, enthusiasm. Everyone on the team is a die hard fanatic for democracy and has mad respect for the people we work with. Second, you should be a good writer. Not gonna lie, there’s lots of coordination, explaining, and reports. Effective communication is the name of the game. Third, you should have an opinion. We need perspectives that aren’t like ours. Your background doing US or international community building or campaign work is valued. Your upbringing will make us reconsider approaches and cultural perspectives we had not considered. Fourth, you need to be tech curious–does surveillance tech keep you up at night? Fear that algorithms are running your life? Concern that no one sees the power you can gain by bringing transparency to an arcane bureaucratic challenge you worked on while you were in government? This is our language. We want to hear from you.
To be clear, there are requirements. They’re all in the job description but to get it out of the way: you need to be able to work in the United States, and need to live in the DC area for the US based positions. For regional positions, you’ll find the requirements in the job descriptions. Because we value equity and our funding prioritizes our partners, you’ll be paid what your colleagues are being paid. We have a union at NDI that ensures people are paid equitably and their rights are protected, which has made our organization itself more democratic and stronger in the long term.
So take a look at the job descriptions and apply!
We can’t wait to meet you, and when you meet us, you’ll find out why we love our jobs and why we know we’re making a difference.
Program Director - Democracy and Technology
Temporary Project Assistant: Democracy and Technology
Program Officer: Democracy and Technology - Information Strategies