Testing Assistant

The Equal Rights Center (ERC) is a nonprofit civil rights organization that identifies and seeks to eliminate unlawful and unfair discrimination in housing, employment, and public accommodations in its home community of Greater Washington, D.C. and nationwide. The ERC’s core strategy for identifying unlawful and unfair discrimination is civil rights testing. When the ERC identifies discrimination, it seeks to eliminate it through the use of testing data to educate the public and business community, support policy advocacy, conduct compliance testing and training, and, if necessary, take enforcement action. More information about civil rights testing is available on the ERC’s website at www.equalrightscenter.org.

The ERC is hiring a Testing Assistant. This position will be responsible for providing administrative and coordination support to ERC’s testing program and test coordinator team, including planning, research, and coordination as necessary. The Testing Assistant will report to the Deputy Director. Because the Testing Assistant will be providing support on investigations in nationwide locations, some travel is required for this position.

This position features core job duties that require regular work in the ERC’s office, so a successful candidate must live in the greater Washington, D.C. region.

The ERC follows Covid-19 related public health guidance. The ERC requires all staff members to certify that they have been fully vaccinated against Covid-19. Exemptions to the vaccine requirement will be granted in accordance with applicable federal, state, and/or District laws.

Specific duties will include the following:

• Assist in coordination of testing contracts and/or investigations designed to assess compliance with various civil rights law and policies, including, but not limited to, fair housing laws;
• Coordinate tests as directed;
• Support ERC’s testing program with reporting, data entry, record keeping, file maintenance, tester communication, and tester appreciation;
• Complete administrative tasks to assist in testing investigation preparation and test data analysis, including, but not limited to, equipment and file management which may require presence in the ERC’s office;
• Conduct background research and information gathering for civil rights investigations and reports as required;
• Provide administrative support for webinars, trainings, and meetings;
• Assist with drafting reports to communicate testing outcomes; assist with test analysis as requested;
• Other duties as assigned.

An ideal candidate is committed to civil rights, continuous learning, and will display the following:

• A Bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution or equivalent experience;
• One year of professional experience;
• Demonstrated interest in social justice, civil rights, and/or public interest law-related issues;
• Openness and ability to learn new skills, accept constructive feedback, and ask for help and guidance when necessary;
• Self-motivation and the ability to problem solve;
• Working knowledge of civil rights laws a plus;
• Great organizational and time management skills and attention to detail;
• Exhibited research skills. Must be comfortable with conducting research online and contacting people directly via phone and/or email to gather information;
• Ability to follow strict project protocols and detailed instructions and carefully handle sensitive confidential information;
• Sensitivity toward cultural, racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic diversity;
• Comfort working in a fast-paced environment with lots of change and collaboration with a diverse team;
• Willingness to learn and follow best practices for creating accessible documents;
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, and Excel; experience logging data and time into a database a plus.