Understanding Threats and Harassment Qualitative Researcher (Contractor Position)

About BDI

The Bridging Divides Initiative (BDI) is a non-partisan research initiative that tracks and mitigates political violence in the United States. BDI supports efforts to grow and build local community resilience through elections and other periods of heightened risk, laying the groundwork for longer-term to bridge the divides we face as a nation.

We do this by 1) producing action-oriented and responsive research to fill existing gaps and empower local leaders; 2) enabling cross-sector collaboration, so individuals and organizations are better prepared to mitigate risk and respond to crisis when it does arise; and 3) helping to drive the policy and community response. Over the past four years, BDI played an essential role in supporting a wide range of actors preparing for and responding to political violence and democratic crisis. Our data, analysis, and tools continue to help a diverse coalition of national and local decision-makers better target their interventions. BDI is based at the Princeton School of Public and International Affairs (SPIA), co-hosted by the Empirical Studies of Conflict (ESOC).

For more information, please visit our website: https://bridgingdivides.princeton.edu/.

About the project

Initiated in 2022, BDI’s Threats and Harassment research aims to fill gaps in reliable data on emerging trends in hard-to-measure incidents against local officials. BDI’s Understanding Threats and Harassment to Local Officials project advances essential understanding of where, who, and how threats are most directly impacting officials and our democracy at its most local level. Longitudinal event data, long-term research partnerships, and regular surveys form a robust evidence base, while trauma-informed interviews reach a wide sample of officials. The research will directly drive policy solutions advanced by BDI and its partners. Taken together, the project provides a model for more participatory and timely measures of violence with wide application – including to long-standing challenges in federal hate crimes collection, rapid identification of intervention options, or other areas.

Contractor Role

We are seeking a contractor to conduct semi-annual interviews with local officials. The UTH Qualitative Researcher will also lead efforts in coding the qualitative information gathered during these interviews, per methodological guidelines established by the team. The UTH Qualitative Researcher will work with the research team to develop research questions in line with BDI’s Understanding Threats and Harassment project, as well as provide qualitative analysis in support of these questions. The UTH Qualitative Researcher will play an integral role in helping to disseminate the findings of the research to a broad array of stakeholders, including local officials themselves, other policymakers, municipal leagues, partner organizations, academics, and more.

This is a part-time, hourly contract happening over one year with a possibility of extension. The number of hours will vary, but is expected to be around 20 hours per month. Work must be performed within the United States and is fully remote.

Key Responsibilities

Conducting Interviews with Local Officials (60%)

• Conduct semi-structured interviews with local officials on a semi-annual basis;
• Maintain accurate and confidential documentation of interviews, including transcripts, notes, and coding;
• Manage communications and logistics with local officials, including initial outreach, scheduling interviews, confirming appointments with participants, and following up as necessary.

Qualitative Coding of Interviews (20%)

• Lead coding and other tasks as needed for the qualitative data project;
• Administrative duties, including the management of project documentation, including methodology documents, codebook updating (as needed), training materials, etc.

Contribution to Research Outputs (20%)

• Deliver written memos or summaries of qualitative findings that directly inform survey design, interpretation of longitudinal data, and mixed-methods reporting;
• Draft or co-draft sections of research products (e.g., reports, briefs, presentations) that synthesize qualitative findings into actionable insights;
• Respond to specific analytic requests from the BDI research team or external partners by preparing targeted, time-bound analyses or briefings.

Qualifications

Required

• Experience with facilitating trauma-informed interviews
• Demonstrated ability to manage administrative tasks such as scheduling, tracking appointments, and handling protected documentation
• Expertise in qualitative analysis of verbal (interview) data, which may include developing research questions and overseeing iterative coding
• Familiarity with or interest in U.S. governance structures, specifically local county or municipal government systems
• Interest in and commitment to supporting civil society efforts to address political violence in the U.S., including work with partner organizations across diverse political affiliations, geographies, and sectors
• Ability to think strategically and creatively around data, including identifying new/emerging trends, gaps, and alternative analysis methods
• Facility with and interest in producing timely research, including gathering data, conducting data analyses, and improving data quality
• Outstanding interpersonal skills and the ability to engage with a multidisciplinary team, collaborators, and interview subjects from diverse backgrounds, and in a remote work setting
• Demonstrated ability to communicate clearly and concisely using qualitative inputs
• 3-5+ years of experience in research, policy, community engagement, or related role
• Bachelor’s degree or higher in a related field

Preferred

• Master’s degree or higher in relevant fields
• Expertise in the nature of and approaches to qualitative research
• Prior experience engaging with U.S. government officials or government systems
• Experience developing and managing datasets, especially qualitative datasets (e.g., data management experience, including data cleaning, wrangling, etc.)
• Expertise in qualitative analysis, specifically in leveraging qualitative analysis software
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office, Google Workspace, Asana, and familiarity with relevant remote work tools (e.g., Slack, Zoom, etc.)
• Experience writing policy-focused memos, recommendations, or reports
• Interest and ability to translate research findings to policy and practitioner audiences

Application Instructions

Interested candidates should submit a resume and cover letter outlining their qualifications and experience as they relate to the role and BDI’s mission. In your application, please highlight your specific experience related to the U.S. political violence landscape—particularly work involving conflict trends, threats and harassment, policy, community engagement, or local democracy. Be sure to note any direct experience conducting trauma-informed, semi-structured interviews using established methodologies, especially when applied to research questions in public-sector or democracy-focused initiatives. Applications can be emailed to bdi@princeton.edu with “UTH Qualitative Researcher” in the subject line. Applications without a cover letter that meet these criteria will not be considered.

Work authorization/visa eligibility: Work must be performed within the United States and is fully remote. This job requires sustained U.S. work authorization and is not eligible for U.S. visa sponsorship.

No matter who you are, BDI is a place you can call home. We know that our unique perspectives make us stronger, smarter, and well-positioned for success. We value and rely on the collective voices of our team to help guide our work on challenging issues.

Princeton University is an Equal Opportunity Employer and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to age, race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. KNOW YOUR RIGHTS