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Senior Research Manager, Extremism

  • On-site, Remote, Hybrid
    • Washing D.C. / Remote within U.S., District of Columbia, United States
  • $85,000 - $110,000 per year
  • ISD-US

Job description

ISD is an independent, non-profit organisation dedicated to safeguarding human rights and reversing the rising tide of polarisation, extremism and disinformation worldwide.


Why work for ISD?

ISD is not your ordinary think tank. We turn research into action that changes the world. Our insights don't gather dust on shelves - they power the fight to protect democracy and human rights on the front lines. We're committed to delivering real change, from the grassroots to the highest levels of global institutions. And we're looking for passionate individuals who share our commitment to making a difference. Join us and be part of an organisation that's making an impact.


ISD's Guiding Principles of  
integrity, collaboration, agility and courage  define who we are as a team and an organisation. These principles reflect our culture and guide the way we work and the choices we make.


Our benefits for full time employees

  • Flexible and remote working.

  • Generous PTO and sick leave policies, as well as 1 week of additional paid time off over Christmas, outside of your PTO entitlement.

  • Health insurance subsidized at 80% through Blue Cross Blue Shield.

  • Generous dental/vision/life insurance and supplemental insurance policies.

  • 401k policy with company match.

  • Remote working budget.

  • Dedicated counsellors for those working with potentially traumatic content.

Salary

$85,000 - $110,000k per annum


Location

Fully remote, hybrid work encouraged if you are DMV-based. 

Hours

This is a full-time position, 40 hours per week Monday thru Friday.


Start Date
No later than October 1. Preference will be given to candidates who can start immediately following a background & reference check.

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

ISD is committed to promoting diversity throughout its workforce and aims for its team to be truly representative of all sections of society. We make a concerted effort to ensure our workplace, employment policies and organisational culture creates an inclusive, positive and progressive environment in which all members of our team are treated with dignity and respect. For further information about this policy or our recruitment practices, please email vacancies@isdglobal.org.


We strongly encourage applications from people of colour, the LGBTQ+ community, people with disabilities, neurodivergent people, carers, and people from diverse socio-economic backgrounds.

The role

The Senior Analyst will be responsible for independent quantitative and qualitative digital research as well as supporting the Senior Research Manager in their editorial and project management responsibilities. They will produce and edit “quick-turn” analytic outputs as well as long-form materials geared towards informing policy and practitioner stakeholders. While this position is primarily  focused on domestic extremism in the US, the Senior Analyst will also work on transitional issues including the activities of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs) both online and abroad.  

Key responsibilities include:

  • Collect, process, and analyze open-source information to provide ISD leadership and project partners with multidimensional threat analysis including the activities of foreign terrorist organizations (FTOs), domestic extremist groups, and other threat actors. 

  • Serve as a subject matter expert on Salafi-Jihadi and Islamist violent extremist groups. 

  • Monitor the platforms, channels and forums used by FTOs and domestic extremist groups operations on a range of online platforms.  

  • Regularly write and edit short analytic briefs and public products on emerging events or incidents. 

  • Write and edit long-form analytic briefs on significant incidents, trends, or tactics. 

  • Provide project coordination support, including managing relationships with key partners. 

  • Assist the Senior Research Manager with editing and managing day-to-day operations of the team.

You can review the full criteria for the role here.

Job requirements

The ideal candidate 

The successful candidate will have a strong interest in the issues we work on, and will be able to quickly grasp the nuance and context of our work. They will have demonstrable subject matter expertise in foreign terrorist organizations, and Arabic language capability (DLPT 2/2+) is a must. This person should be comfortable quickly understanding and being guided by the expertise of the research, policy and programming teams at ISD, and able to fluently communicate ISD’s work across the breadth of ISD’s stakeholders. Strong knowledge of counter-extremism policy and legal landscape is a plus.

Please review our  job description  for essential criteria, and keep in mind that no candidate will meet every requirement in the advert. If your experience looks a little different from what we've identified, but you think you can bring value to the role, we'd still love to hear from you.

How to apply

Please submit your application by September 15th. ISD reserves the right to interview and appoint candidates prior to the advertised closing date. 

If you have any further questions about this vacancy or want to speak to a member of our recruitment team, please contact vacancies@isdglobal.org.

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