MORE IN COMMON: Senior Associate, Research Insights – European Elections

Location:                  Anywhere in the EU or UK (remote work possible)

Contract:                  Part-time, fixed term for 12 months to June 2024.

More in Common is seeking an experienced Senior Associate to help our team develop, capture and share applicable insights and lessons from our research on polarisation and social cohesion in Europe in a way that will be most helpful to partners in civil society, philanthropy, government, politics, the media and business in the run up to the June 2024 European Elections. The successful candidate will have experience working in government (either at EU or national level), politics, civil society, research or the media. The successful candidate will also have experience with and a strong appetite for comparative analysis across geographies and issues.

ABOUT MORE IN COMMON
More in Common’s mission is to understand the forces driving us apart, find common ground and bring people together to tackle shared challenges. Established in 2017, More in Common conducts some of the most widely used opinion research on polarisation and social cohesion in Europe and the United States, using political science and social psychology to map the identities and values of populations in the regions where we work. 

We use our evidence base to work across sectors and issue areas with more than 160 partners in philanthropy, civil society, politics, government, the media, unions, faith groups and businesses on initiatives that bridge divides.

More in Common’s work has been featured in hundreds of media articles in Europe as well as the United States and we are frequently called upon to brief senior leaders in government, politics, civil society, philanthropy, the media and business – at both national level and at EU-level.

To find out more about us and to read our current strategy, please visit: www.moreincommon.com

ABOUT THIS ROLE

The 2024 European Parliament elections will be an important moment for Europeans, for Member States, for European civil society and for the Union as a whole. Coming at a time of great uncertainty for Europe and for the world, key issues impacting the Continent and its citizens will be on the ballot and in the European conversation, from the war in Ukraine to the climate crisis, from democracy to immigration to regulating big tech – to name just a few.

These are all issues that More in Common and its partners have been working on for many years. In order to meet incoming requests from our partners and to help advance our mission to unite divided societies, More in Common is looking for an experienced professional who is passionate about driving social change. Specifically, in the run up to the 2024 European Parliament elections, we are looking for an expert to lead our efforts to identify, package and share the most pivotal insights from our work on the drivers of polarisation and social cohesion in Europe.

This is a perfect role for a fluent communicator with a keen interest in opinion research in Europe (at both national and EU-level), strategic and political communications, storytelling, and comparative and actionable analysis of our societies. This new member of our team will report to our CEO and will work closely with our Co-founders, our Global Research Director and our country teams in Germany, France and Poland as well as the UK to develop a variety of tools and formats that enable our partners to apply the insights from More in Common’s research and partnership programmes to concretely enhance their own work in areas such as advocacy, strategic communications, campaigning, and policy development.

Specific responsibilities will include:

• Making our insights and learnings available in a wide range of settings, from high-level government briefings, to presentations to political parties and the media, to training civil society partners and campaigning groups working on advocacy and communications ahead of the 2024 European Elections – and working in coordination with our national teams.
• Helping our national teams design, run and analyse a series of new opinion polls in the run up to the June 2024 elections in France, Germany, Poland as well as other EU member states and the UK.
• Distilling key insights from More in Common’s current and past projects on a range of issues and country contexts, and ‘packaging’ those insights in a variety of useful formats including op-eds, podcasts, briefings, presentations, case studies, webinars and articles.
• Leading the dissemination of our work in cross-country settings (at EU-level or with the OECD or UN settings – for example) and supporting the work of our Country Directors in national settings when needed (our national teams will remain in the lead for nationally-focused work).
• Representing More in Common at EU-wide events, and in settings where More in Common does not have a country presence. 

This role is perfect for someone who is:

• Committed to More in Common’s mission and vision
• Deeply interested in European social and political issues, and national contexts Excels at writing and presenting briefs to senior decision-makers
• An analytic listener, able to connect dots between different projects and contexts, translating insights to meet the needs of our external partners
• Skilled at identifying similarities and differences in comparative settings, and for drawing out clear, actionable insights
• Good at presenting complex ideas in simple ways to external audiences
• Enjoys working with the media
• A team player, comfortable supporting a dynamic, multi-cultural team
• Enthusiastic about regional travel and cross-country work

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

We look for great people before we look for specific qualifications and experience. However, the following will be an asset for this role:

• At least five years of professional experience in fields such as opinion research, think tanks, campaigning, strategic communications training, politics, government, the media or other similar work
• Can-do attitude and an ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Willing and able to develop engaging presentation materials in a variety of formats
• Outstanding verbal and written communication skills in English
• French, German and other European languages a plus
• Knowledgeable about European political dynamics
• Some experience working with the media at national and at EU level

With around 45 staff across five countries (France, Germany, the UK, Poland, and the US), each member of our team makes a vital contribution not just to our impact but to our team culture. Above all, we look for people who:

• Are strategic, rigorous, energetic, and creative
• Act with humility, generosity and integrity towards others
• Enjoy a fast-paced work environment
• Are naturally curious and committed to ongoing learning
• Are able to think ahead and get big stuff done
• Are excited to work with heart as well as head
• Have direct experience with, and understand people from, different perspectives and backgrounds
• Have an interest in working in a European context

DIVERSITY + EQUITY + INCLUSION

The task ahead of us is daunting but we believe we have a better chance at success if our team reflects a broad range of social and cultural backgrounds, beliefs, political persuasions and life experiences. We value diversity across many dimensions, including but not limited to race, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, disability status, education, age, religious belief, military service, geography, and political orientation.

CONTRACT AND COMPENSATION

This will be a fixed term part time appointment running from June or July 2023 to end of June 2024. We expect this work to average 2 to 3 days per week over the period of the contract. Compensation will be competitive and will be set based on location and experience. Health and other benefits will apply.

While we prefer a part-time, fixed-term staff contract, we are also open to equivalent contractual engagements such as consultancies.

APPLICATION PROCEDURE

The application deadline is June 17, but applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis so we encourage candidates to apply early. Applications should include a cover letter (max 1 page) and a short CV. Please send applications by email via the button below and use “Senior Associate, Research Insights – European Elections” in the email subject line.