Data & Society is an NYC-based research institute dedicated to addressing social, technical, ethical, legal, and policy issues that are emerging because of data-centric technological development. D&S brings together researchers, entrepreneurs, activists, policy creators, journalists, geeks, and public intellectuals to gather, debate, and engage one another on the key issues introduced by the increasing availability of data in society.

About Data & Society’s Labor and Technology Initiative

The Labor Initiative at Data & Society is a multi-year research stream, generously supported by the Kellogg Foundation, the Ford Foundation, and the Workers’ Lab.

The goal of Data & Society’s labor and technology initiative is to ensure that the use of technology in labor contexts does not increase or advance inequality, bias, or discrimination, particularly in relation to low-income workers, or those from vulnerable populations. To this end, our objectives are:

• To produce ground-breaking research that reframes assumptions about the role of technology in the workforce, and the impact technology will have on workers in a range of sectors.
• To ensure that decision-makers weighing choices about the use of technology in labor contexts are well-informed of the trade-offs and implications of algorithmic controls.
• To work closely with advocacy and civil rights organizations engaged in labor and workers’ rights issues to ensure our research and findings are available to them, and that their priorities are informing our research agenda.
• To normalize in policy discussions and media, through the visibility and impact of evidence-based work, the rejection of a narrative of either hype and fear (“the robots are taking our jobs”) or utopian future (“maximum productivity through algorithmic controls”).
• To engage technology companies on labor and technology issues, and work with them to create pathways towards internal practice that protects workers based on our research findings.
• To engage and expand the field of researchers working on this topic outside of Data & Society.

Building on these objectives, we are seeking to fill a new role at the organization, the Labor Engagement Lead, focused on driving the organization’s engagement on all aspects of labor and technology.

About the Labor Engagement Lead

You are the bridge and translator between research focused on the impacts of technology on labor, and civil society, industry, and government.  You are excited to work with computer scientists, social scientists, economists, and legal scholars to understand, translate, and broadly communicate their findings. You understand the incentives and concerns of policymakers and advocates while also appreciating the goals and structures that shape industry practice. You are a natural connector. As a result, you can move seamlessly between worlds and bridge different frameworks, knowledge, and values. You are excited about leading an evidence-based, field-level discussion about the trade-offs and future implications of data-driven systems on labor and workers’ rights.  You are excited to help research experts learn how to convey what they know. And you know how to put the right people in the right rooms for the issues to be heard well. You come to the role with a deep understanding of the tensions and players shaping the future of labor, but you are thirsty to use research and knowledge to help push for a more holistic solution to address divergent concerns.

Responsibilities will include:

• Develop and own the engagement strategy for our labor research with the goal of producing concrete impacts emerging from research.
• Act as a bridge and translator between external stakeholders and researchers, using a variety of approaches and methodologies to build meaningful exchange, including regular convenings that bring in actors outside of academia working on these issues.
• Be deeply involved in communicating external stakeholders’ concerns back to researchers in ways that may shape their research agenda.
• Work closely with our research, programs, and communications teams to ensure that our research is being strengthened through engagement with stakeholders, and disseminated in appropriate formats to key decision-makers.
• Develop a trusting relationship with scholars, knowing when to shine a spotlight on them and their work and when to step in to help with translation.
• Build and maintain a map of academic work happening within and beyond the D&S network on these issues, and track the academic arguments and discussions taking place in various academic venues.
• Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholder groups.
• Identify opportunities for impact, and respond to them.
• Organize convenings and participate in civil society and industry events.
• Present and write on Data & Society’s research findings for a wide variety of audiences.
• Serve as Data & Society’s front-line public representative on labor and technology issues, knowing when to pull in researchers as appropriate and strategic.

Qualifications:

• Deep experience and connections in labor/work policy-making and/or policy advocacy.
• Demonstrated ability to convene working groups and facilitate productive, outcome-oriented discussion.
• Experience using research findings to shape advocacy and/or policy outcomes.
• Expertise in the major policy issues and conversations around labor/work and the future of work in an increasingly automated world.
• Comfort and experience working between business/tech industry actors, government, civil society, and research.
• Excellent communication skills: public speaking, editing, and writing
• Willingness to play a visible leadership/interlocutor role in presenting Data & Society’s work and broader research network to other audiences.

We expect that the right candidate for this position is mid-career and has spent a minimum of 5 years in a government agency, technology company, or high impact think tank actively translating research into policy or technology development.

Practical Considerations

• This is not a remote position. You must be able to work full time from Data & Society’s offices in the Flatiron District.
• You will be offered a generous benefits package including health insurance, vacation time, and paid holidays.
• You must be eligible to work in the United States. We are unable to sponsor visas.

1. A cover letter explaining your interest in this role, how you learned of this opportunity, how you’ve approached multi-stakeholder engagement in the past, and how you see the issue of work and labor unfolding at the intersection of technology and society. 
(Please also include the names, affiliations, and email addresses of two references.)
2. Your resume/CV

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. Please feel free to contact us at jobs@datasociety.net should you have any questions about the position. Questions about the opportunity or process will not reflect negatively on your application.

The work and well-being of Data & Society is strengthened by the diversity of our network and our differences in background, culture, experience, national origin, religion, sexual orientation, and much more. We welcome applications from people of color, women, the LGBTQIA community, and persons with disabilities.