Research Fellow

THE OPPORTUNITY 

More in Common is looking to hire up to two Research Fellows experienced in quantitative and mixed-method full-scope research. Research Fellows will support More in Common’s work across a range of projects related to democracy, public policy, political primaries, polarization, topical political events, social connection, and social cohesion in the U.S. context. 

This is a 6-month contract role. Ideally, these Research Fellows will be able to work 25-40 hours per week beginning in June/July 2026. This is a US-based role, and the Research Fellow must be authorized to work in the United States. 

Despite its limited term, this is a fully embedded role working across multiple project teams, with meaningful involvement in research design, analysis, interpretation, and communication. The exact mix of responsibilities for the role will vary depending on the Research Fellow’s background, strengths, and project assignments. The role typically involves:

• Designing and programming quantitative and qualitative surveys, including survey experiments 

• Conducting mixed-method analyses of survey and qualitative data (e.g. from focus groups), including longitudinal and cross-sectional analyses 

• Segmentation analyses of survey data (e.g., hierarchical cluster analysis, latent class analysis, k-means)

• Social media and social listening analysis

• Visualizing data (e.g., in R, PowerPoint, Flourish, Canva, etc.) 

• Synthesizing and communicating findings through memos, reports, presentations, and partner-facing discussions 

• Developing focus group and interview protocols; leading focus groups and interviews 

• Communicating findings effectively to nonacademic audiences through presentations and written communications 

• Meeting with project partners to ascertain needs, incorporate feedback, and deliver results

This role reports to one of our Senior Research Managers. The Research Fellows will work closely with other research and communications team members on our U.S. team.

Project areas these research fellows will work on include a combination of the following: 

• Understanding who is connecting across differences through volunteerism/service in their communities, and why 

• A segmentation of Americans’ policy attitudes 

• A segmentation of election primary voters 

• Topical political polling

• Other potential projects should funding arrive, including on Americans’ attitudes toward universal national service and political accountability, a political attitudes segmentation of American youth, democratic resilience

This opportunity is flexible in terms of location, and remote work will be considered. This role may include occasional U.S. travel.

CANDIDATE PROFILE 

Throughout our journey as an organization, we know one thing for certain: our team is our greatest asset.

Research Fellows should have or be working towards a Ph.D. in a related field or equivalent research experience. We know that, sometimes, qualified candidates do not apply for roles based on not meeting all of the criteria; if you are interested in our work and our mission, but unsure if you are the right fit, we encourage you to submit an application. As an organization, we look for great people before we look for specific qualifications and experience.

Our work encompasses many substantive areas and uses multiple methodologies, and we anticipate that different candidates for this role will bring different strengths—we value complementary skill sets and perspectives. The list below outlines a range of skills that would benefit our organization and contribute most to our work. If you have experience in one or more of these areas, please emphasize and explain this in your application materials.

If the following describes you, we’d love for you to apply.

PERSONAL PASSION AND AMBITION FOR OUR MISSION

We look for people who: 

• Possess a deep curiosity about how other people think, a strong sense of respect for people whose views may be very different from your own, and an interest in utilizing the social psychology and political science insights underpinning More in Common’s work. 

• Have an ability and desire to work across the ideological spectrum 

• Are keenly interested in politics and public issues. You enjoy the challenge of finding common ground among people with differing views and with those who are disengaged. 

• Hold a strong conviction that you personally can make a difference in making America a less divided nation, with the humility to understand how hard that’s going to be. Big ideas and low ego!

QUANTITATIVE AND MIXED-METHODS RESEARCHER

We look for people who have some combination of the following skills of a quantitative and mixed-methods, full-scope social science researcher. While the Research Fellows will contribute across collaborative research projects, the specific balance of methods, issue areas, and responsibilities will vary by your interest and expertise. 

• Can sift through both small and large quantitative and qualitative datasets to identify important trends and synthesize the findings 

• Comfort with navigating complex data sets (e.g., in Excel and R)

• Experience designing surveys and programming surveys (e.g., via tools like Qualtrics, Google Forms) 

• Experience conducting quantitative data processing (e.g., weighting survey data) and analysis (e.g., in Excel, R, Python) 

• Experience conducting segmentation analyses of survey data 

• Ability to build data dashboards 

• Can craft compelling and fresh data visuals that resonate with partners (e.g., in R, Flourish, Canva, PowerPoint, etc.) 

• Can build stories and insights from quantitative and qualitative research, creating clear and compelling memos, presentation decks, and reports 

• Experience with social media analysis or social listening 

• Experience conducting message testing research 

• Know how to use AI tools to power your research analyses but also understand AI’s limitations 

JOINING MORE IN COMMON 

Each member of our team makes a vital contribution to our work, and we put a strong emphasis on character, culture, and values in hiring. We look for people who: 

• Are strategic, rigorous, restless, energetic, and creative 

• Are able to think ahead and get big stuff done 

• Are committed to a process of ongoing learning and experience of a ‘test and learn’ approach 

• Act with humility, generosity, and integrity towards others 

• Are excited to work with heart as well as head 

• Feel comfortable and excited to dwell on the edge but not on the margins 

• Want to be part of an effort to turn despair into hope 

Here are some additional things we look for: 

• An agile and entrepreneurial mindset 

• A drive to make a measurable difference to society and a track record to prove it 

• Curiosity and creativity 

• Demonstrable empathy and great listening skills 

• Strong collaboration and field-building skills 

• The capacity to embrace complexity and find a way through it, taking others with you along the way 

• Able to set priorities, meet goals, and evaluate both process and results 

• Resilience under pressure 

• Highly collaborative 

• Comfortable iterating quickly, incorporating feedback, and working across several projects at once 

• A strong familiarity with a diverse range of communities in the US 

• Belief in the power of a good sense of humor 

COMPENSATION 

The hourly rate for this role is in the range of $60 per hour. 

ABOUT MORE IN COMMON 

More in Common’s mission is to understand the forces driving us apart, find common ground, and help bring Americans together to tackle our shared challenges. We work with leaders across fields and across the ideological spectrum to support effective problem-solving, strengthen democratic institutions, and better navigate the dynamics of a polarized society. More in Common US works alongside teams in other major democracies. Globally, More in Common is comprised of a team of more than 70 people working in national offices in the US, UK, Germany, France, Poland, Spain, and Brazil. 

Our work is built on More in Common’s unique audience and opinion research, grounded in social psychology and political science. We promote a better understanding of Americans’ perspectives, providing fresh insights about not just what Americans think, but why. We find Americans’ views are more complex and varied than is often assumed, and while the most divisive are often the loudest, they rarely represent most Americans. Our work cuts through the ‘perception gaps’—the false impressions that Americans hold about each other—to highlight common ground, identify the areas of genuine difference, and reveal ways Americans can come together to tackle our shared challenges. 

Deploying our people-centered insights, we engage with hundreds of organizations and leaders across sectors—including community groups, government, media, business, philanthropy, corporations and faith communities—on a range of public issues. We partner with leaders and institutions to help them navigate the challenges of polarization, communicate in ways that reach new audiences, and execute strategies that bring Americans together across differences.

In taking on the challenge of uniting a divided America, More in Common is grappling with a daunting problem that has many dimensions. We believe that we have a better chance at success if our team reflects a broad range of disciplines, social and cultural backgrounds, beliefs, political persuasions, and life experiences. For this reason, we strongly encourage people with backgrounds from across the political spectrum (including progressive, conservative, libertarian, centrist, liberal, and Independent), those with disabilities as well as candidates from all genders, races, ages, religious, ethnic, socio-economic backgrounds and of all sexual orientations to apply for this role. 

For more information on More in Common, please visit our global website and U.S. website. 

DAY-TO-DAY AT MORE IN COMMON US 

More in Common US is collaborative team of about 20 people working across the United States. We primarily work together virtually, but with several in-person opportunities to collaborate together—often in office space in NYC or DC. The pace is fast and the work is varied. Team members regularly wear many hats and move quickly across projects. We stay connected through Slack, weekly all-team and research team meetings, regular project-specific check-ins, and one-on-ones with supervisors. Most day-to-day work is U.S. focused, though some projects involve collaboration with our international teams. We come together as a full team a few times a year and regularly cross paths at conferences and in-person partner meetings. Our research portfolio spans three types of work: externally facing projects developed in partnership with mission-aligned organizations, internally generated research initiatives, and grant-funded projects we develop and pursue proactively. 

HOW TO APPLY 

APPLICATION STEPS 

Candidates will submit in JazzHR: 

1. A resume 

2. Responses to the following prompts: 

• Please describe 1) your quantitative research skills, including any segmentation analysis skills you have (specify methods used), and 2) any experience you have working with public opinion data. 

• If you have any experience studying inter-group contact, social connection, social trust, or belonging, please specify (not required for the role). 

• What is one recent trend, discourse, phenomenon, or moment in the U.S. that you think is misunderstood or overlooked? Why does it stand out to you? 

• How soon would you be able to start, how many hours per week would you be able to commit to working with More in Common? 

TIMELINE 

We will review applications on a rolling basis, with a preference for candidates who apply by May 31, 2026. The application portal will close June 7, 2026. We plan to make final decisions in June.

PROCESS 

We are conducting a limited search for the Research Fellow role. Invited candidates can expect 1-2 interviews and possibly a quantitative analytical case. If you have interviewed with More in Common before, we may opt for one instead of two interviews. 

• Submit Application 

• First Round Interview

• Quantitative Analytical Case 

• Final Round Interview