Elections Analyst

Position Summary

About Down Ballot Climate Partners

Down Ballot Climate Partners, LLC (DBCP) is a new political startup focused on the premise that in order to reach our climate goals, we must start electing pro-climate candidates at the local level. We advise organizations and donors on local elections that can have outsized impacts on the deployment of clean energy. Identifying and understanding these elections is tough, so we are looking for an analyst to join our team to help us intelligently expand our work. 

Our Premise: Local Politics Are The Weak Link

It’s clear that we must embark on a radical retooling of our energy system that simultaneously solves for creating good jobs, environmental justice, and reducing carbon emissions. The good news is that we already know how to meet many of these challenges. The bad news is that we need to move really fast. In the words of Energy Secretary Granholm, we must “deploy, deploy, deploy.”

America needs to build a lot of clean energy all over the country. This is the Deployment Decade. We help political donors make smart investments that deliver new clean energy and bring local economic development to rural communities across our country. 

Position Summary

We’ve found that many of the most exciting and highest impact elections are for offices that few people have ever heard about. Finding these needles in the haystack requires a unique combination of detailed research work, understanding of local politics, and relationships with organizations on the ground. So, we’re looking for a motivated researcher to help us identify and prioritize the most important down ballot climate and environmental justice elections in the US. This position will report to the CEO.

Your key responsibilities will be:

• Analyzing potentially interesting decision-making venues and elections across the country to determine the suitability for our portfolios. This entails a combination of internet-based research, engaging in discussions with local allies, and conducting in-depth examinations of the electoral dynamics. The research will focus on both political dynamics (the likelihood of success) and the carbon and environmental justice consequences (the impact of winning).
• Utilizing our data models to gain insights into the political dynamics of the most important “deployment hotspots.” These hotspots represent key areas for expanding clean energy initiatives and preventing the expansion of polluting energy sources. Your role will involve assisting us in tailoring our political strategy to align with these dynamics.
• Regularly communicating findings through well-crafted written memos, informative slides, and engaging presentations to our team, allies, and donors. 
• Working with outside stakeholders and managing communication with allies in the field.

Here’s what we’re looking for:

• 3 to 5 years of demonstrated experience working in US elections and political research, showcasing a strong understanding of data-driven campaign strategies. This experience could include: rapid response, vetting, self or opposition research, or campaign policy research. We are also open to other research backgrounds.
• Passion for local politics and a strong desire to support dynamic local champions who drive positive change within their communities.
• Excellent analytical, quantitative and qualitative research skills. Rigorous attention to details. 
• Ability to dissect complex and fragmented information, synthesizing it into clear and compelling narratives that effectively convey key insights. 
• Tech savvy, experienced working with large spreadsheets (pivot tables, vlookup, etc). Motivated to quickly learn new skills in this domain.
• Strong ability to communicate–written and verbal–clearly and effectively. 
• Startup-mind: ability to thrive in ambiguous environments, motivated to learn and get things done, and always seeking opportunities to improve current systems. 
• Firm belief in the importance of clean energy deployment for a just and sustainable future, recognizing the significant role that local governments, regardless of political affiliation, play in driving this transition. Enthusiasm and eagerness to dive into this critical work.

Our Team

DBCP is an early-stage startup with a fully remote and distributed team. This position would be the 5th staff member.  Our founding team is comprised of Matt Ewing, Co-Founder & CEO (former Managing Director at Swing Left), Eric Heitz, Co-Founder & Sr Advisor (former CEO at the Energy Foundation & Energy Foundation Action Fund), Cliff Walker, Sr Political Advisor (former Deputy ED at the Texas Democratic Party), Samantha Russo, Chief of Staff (former programs manager at Techstars & AWS), and Yujia Sun, Data Product Manager (former Data Lead at Bloomberg Government). Together, we bring decades of experience in politics, climate philanthropy, and private sector cleantech. 

Work Environment, Compensation & Benefits

This is a remote position and can be done from anywhere in the US. The starting salary range for this position is $85,00 – $100,000, depending on experience. DBCP also offers comprehensive healthcare benefits that includes medical, dental, and vision coverage. Additionally, a work-from-home stipend is provided to support your remote work environment. We have a strong belief in the importance of taking time to recharge, so vacations and other down time are very much part of our culture. We expect that you’ll take a minimum of 4 weeks off annually.

We encourage all interested folks to apply. We are an organization that deeply cares and understands the importance of diverse voices, and we strongly encourage applications from individuals in historically marginalized and underrepresented communities.

How to Apply:

If you’re interested, we encourage you to apply by filling out this short application.

Our interview process will look like:

• Initial screening video interview: 30min
• At-home exercise: 2-3hrs
• Two additional video interviews: 1hr, each
• Reference checks
• Decision notification

We’re looking for someone to start as asap, but this position is open until filled, with an initial plan to make an offer by September 2023. We’ll be looking at applications on a rolling basis with priority review given to earlier applications.

For any questions, feel free to reach out to  

Down Ballot Climate Partners, LLC does not discriminate on the basis of class, race, color, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran status, political ideology, age, creed, religion, ancestry, national origin, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability.