Campaign DIgiDem - Political Technology Specialist
IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
Title: Campaign DigiDem (Political Technology Specialist)
Compensation: $85,000/annual equivalent (salaried)
Term: 6/13/22 - 11/18/2022
Classification: Exempt, Full-time
Location: Multiple, based on the location of campaign placement within a state or congressional district (Note: you may see this role posted in multiple cities, which is due to the posting requirements for many recruitment sites, but ultimately this role will be located where the assigned campaign is located)
Reports to: Political Director, DigiDems Program. On a day-to-day basis DigiDems will be managed by an assigned supervisor with their campaign organization.
Benefits: We provide the option of enrolling in medical, dental, and vision coverage plans for both the primary employee and applicable dependents. Time off is dependent on the campaign and tasks performed.
Housing: If you are placed in a campaign that is not near your current location, we can in most cases provide reasonable housing accommodations for this role by connecting you with available supporter housing.
Travel (subject to change based on public health recommendations): 3-4 days of travel in mid-June for employee onboarding and training program. Half a week of travel in November for a retrospective event. Additional travel throughout the assigned state or district as required by individual campaigns.
DigiDems/Zinc Collective/Blue Leadership Collaborative have a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy.
DESCRIPTION:
What if the device you're reading this on could help power a Democratic majority in the 2022 midterms? 2022 will be a critical year for the Democratic agenda and your tech expertise could help secure a needed majority.
The Campaign DigiDem will act as an on-site technology liaison and administrator for a Democratic political campaign or state party program. You will be assigned to one campaign or state party for the duration of the 2022 election cycle where you will serve as a campaign staff member. You will assist on all aspects of your campaign, but your primary focus will be to provide expertise and guidance on technology implementation and execution.
As a DigiDem you must be passionate about Democratic politics and willing to roll up your sleeves, embrace adventure, work long hours, and temporarily relocate to support your campaign or state party. You will learn and contribute to fundamental aspects of the campaign on a daily basis. This is an opportunity to develop career-making skills, gain contacts in politics and technology, and have a positive impact on the world.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
In this role, you will join a campaign or state party to assist with tech best practices, implementation, integration, and execution for a range of projects. This work may include but not be limited to information security, technical support, data integration and database management, digital voter contact, and social media planning and execution.
Specific campaign responsibilities will be dependent on the needs of the campaign and will likely fall into the categories listed under requirements below.
Anyone who works on a campaign wears many hats, and in addition to technical tasks, you need to be prepared to help with whatever non-technical tasks are required to win the election. This may include door-to-door canvassing, phone banking, volunteer training, and more.
General Competencies
- Self-directed, flexible, able to work independently, and capable of succeeding in the face of competing or unclear priorities.
- Excellent problem solver: Able to identify and debug technical issues, research solutions, seek help, and resolve problems with clear communication.
- Eager learner: Ability to, and interest in, learning new skills and technologies.
- Excellent time-management skills and ability to work to tight and short timelines.
- Team player: Keeps a positive attitude and constructive tone in a constantly evolving, sometimes chaotic, environment.
Technical Competencies
The ideal candidate will have knowledge and experience in at least one of the following technology disciplines:
- Technical Support: Helping others resolve their technical problems and benefit from the use of technology in their work or lives.
- General IT and cybersecurity: Account and device office and internet networking, user and account management, device set-up and management, software installation and configuration, etc.
- Data Management, Data Engineering or Data Analytics: This includes a range of tasks from data collection, data cleaning, data analysis, modeling, and data use.
- Social and Digital Media Communications: Developing and executing digital strategies to engage audiences online and via organic and paid social media campaigns
- Software Development and Scripting
Preferred Qualifications
- Several years experience in a technology role either as a career or as a combination of a career and supplemental education. Along with an interest in learning more about how to build a technical career in progressive politics.
- Experience in a role which required providing direct support to non-technical audiences on a regular basis, especially ones involving troubleshooting, e.g. IT support, customer service.
- Our most successful DigiDems approach each problem, technical or personal, with a high level of empathy. To succeed in this role, applicants should understand that they must foster relationships and coalitions in order to build innovations.
IMPORTANT CONSIDERATIONS:
Temporary Assignment: This position is classified as full-time temporary employment. It will conclude 2-3 weeks after the conclusion of the November 8th, 2022 election.
Placement/Location will be determined by the Company: Placement is at our discretion. We work with campaign partners as well as newly hired DigiDems and consider all variables involved, but we cannot guarantee a specific campaign or location.
Housing and Relocation: Appropriate travel to/from assigned placement/campaign will be arranged. If you are placed in a campaign that is not near your current location, we can in most cases provide reasonable housing accommodations for this role by connecting you with available supporter housing with campaign volunteers. Any additional relocation support you require may be considered on an as-needed basis, but is not guaranteed.
Transportation: A valid driver's license and auto insurance as well as access to a vehicle you are comfortable driving are requirements of the position (for travel to and from campaign offices and events across your district).
Political Alignment: Though we deploy DigiDems to Democratic races across the country, prior campaign experience is not a requirement. There is, however, an alignment to Democratic culture and values that is imperative and will be discussed during the interview process. The Democratic Party consists of a wide spectrum of backgrounds and policy positions, and any given candidate may not share all of your views on a particular issue. The DigiDems program is focused on supporting Democratic nominees as chosen by the voters in their district or state, and you should be enthusiastic about working in support of Democrats who are seeking to represent a wide range of constituents.
WHO WE ARE:
We elect Democrats!
DigiDems was founded in the wake of the 2016 election with a mission to elect a Democratic majority by helping campaigns use technology effectively. In 2018 and 2020, we've placed over 150 technologists on critical Democratic campaigns across the country. These technologists, called 'DigiDems' by their campaigns, used their skills to assist their campaigns in many ways-implementing cybersecurity defenses, deploying digital organizing tools, and even fixing the occasional jammed printer.
During both cycles, the DigiDems became integral members of their campaigns, often spending the weekends canvassing before heading back to the office to create and implement complex technical projects. Since then, our DigiDem alumni have gone on to work the tech teams for Congress and the White House, at committee organizations like the DCCC and DSCC, as well as political tech vendors like Act Blue and Civis Analytics.
In 2022, we will once again embed DigiDems on Democratic campaigns across the country, where they will implement best practices in the tech space, optimize platforms, utilize resources, and elect Democrats! We are committed to building a new, reliable pipeline of high-skilled tech talent that Democratic campaigns can deploy in 2022 and beyond.
DigiDems is powered by Zinc Collective, an organization focused on building programs that recruit, develop, and retain high-potential talent, and that address technology gaps in the democratic ecosystem.
For any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at jobs@digidems.com.
DigiDems, Blue Leadership Collaborative, and Zinc Collective provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, hair texture, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws, and strongly encourages women, LGBTQIA+, BIPOC and all qualified candidates to apply. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training
REQUIREMENTS:
Minimum Requirements
- Digital, data, or tech experience as shown by at least one of the following:
- Work experience in web development, software engineering, product management, social and digital media communications, data engineering, data analytics, or similar fields,
- Intensive coding Bootcamp training,
- Bachelor's degree in STEM or a related field.
- Demonstrated use of technology to pursue your passions and to creatively solve real-world problems for yourself or others.
- Interest in Democratic politics and desire to work collaboratively in a team driven environment as part of a targeted campaign.