Quant Survey Operations

About Work on Climate

Work on Climate (WoCl) is a leading non-profit focused on building the workforce to solve climate change equitably and justly. You probably know us for our online community that has helped thousands of people find jobs and start companies, highlighted in most major business press, from Fast Company to New York Times. However, our work goes even farther, seeking to mobilize the entire workforce as a force for system-wide change.

Being part of our volunteer team means more than just joining a community. It’s an invitation to create real-world impact by confronting urgent climate challenges with the skilled minds ready to solve them. Together, we’re bridging the talent gap to build the climate-focused economy we envision.

What We Need

We’re currently looking for a Co-Team Lead to join the People and Operations team and work closely with the current Team Lead for a few months before transitioning into the primary Team Lead role. This co-lead model ensures a smooth handoff of responsibilities, shared decision-making, and long-term continuity. When the time comes for you to step away, you’ll follow the same model—bringing on a new co-lead and mentoring them into the role. If you’re energized by team leadership, people-centered systems, and building a strong, inclusive volunteer culture, we’d love to hear from you.

About the team

Simply put, the Research Impact team studies Work on Climate’s impact!

Every single number in the impact report above was this team’s work – this team designed, administered, analyzed, and summarized results of member surveys to produce it. This team is also the reason why we know how exactly we helped these people.

This data is crucial for us in being able to get funding (we report these metrics to funders) and to adjust our programs (we see what is or isn’t working).

Right now the team is mainly operating on morning hours Pacific Time.

Role Summary

We are looking to bring experienced Quant Survey Operations folks who are skilled at designing, administering, and analyzing results of quantitative research surveys.

Time commitment

5 hours/week consistently for the next 6+ months (We’d like a minimum of 6 months, and love it when volunteers stay on longer).

Is it a good use of my time?

Yes, if you want the following:

• To work on interesting and challenging quantitative research that actually matters
• To get a great line on your resume and portfolio – the results of your work will be public!
• To learn a lot – our team is super smart, passionate, emotionally intelligent people who know what they’re doing

What will I do?

You will contribute to some or all parts of the lifecycle of a trustworthy quantitative survey:

• Setting research goals in collaboration with our Executive Director and our program staff
• Designing, test, programming and fielding surveys that can meet these goals
• Crafting survey samples, administering and distributing surveys, coordinating the distribution process
• Performing initial quantitative analysis of survey data such as segmentation, cross-tabs, and data cleanup

What skills and commitment do I need?

The most effective candidates tend to be like this:

• 3+ years of experience programming and fielding quant surveys, ideally in a setting with human subjects (e.g. polling, surveys, A/B testing, etc.)
• 3+ years collecting quant research data, ideally in a programming language like Python or R, in a BI tool like Tableau or Qlik, or in spreadsheets like Excel or Google Sheets
• 3+ years of experience communicating research findings to a range of audiences
• Dependable and communicative. We appreciate your help and know that we’re not entitled to your time – but others on our team need to be able to count on you when you commit.
• High-agency. There will be many times when you need to learn something, talk to somebody in order to get “unstuck”, or roll up your sleeves and do something you didn’t realize was needed. Our most successful volunteers enjoy “doing whatever it takes”.

Common Challenges

Some of the hardest parts about quantitative survey research in our setting are:

• Fielding our surveys to a large community of potential participants.
• Low response rates – even in a community of 30,000+ people, we usually get only 400-600 responses
• Sampling bias – what if the responses mainly come from people who are happy with our work? What if it’s the opposite?