Digital Democracy Research Coordinator (m/f/d)

Full TimeDigital Democracy Research Coordinator (m/f/d)Berlin, Germany$40000-$50000Position closing date: November 26, 2025Apply nowBackgroundForm of Employment: Full-timeStarting Date: As soon as possibleApplication Deadline: 12.12.2025 Please note that this position may be closed earlier than the deadline if a certain number of applications is received therefore early applications are encouraged. Contract Duration: limited to one year, with the possibility of extension.Location: BerlinIf you are interested in this position, please submit your application (cover letter and CV) directly here on our organisation’s website.Democracy Reporting International (DRI) is a non-partisan, independent, not-for-profit organisation registered in Berlin with several country offices worldwide. DRI promotes political participation of citizens, accountability of state bodies, and the development of democratic institutions worldwide. DRI is currently recruiting a full-time Digital Democracy Research Coordinator for its Headquarters in Berlin. In collaboration with, and under the overall supervision of the Manager of the Digital Democracy programme, you will shape DRI’s work on examining online political discourse, as well as auditing AI technology for its impact on information integrity. In this role, you will collaborate and coordinate with the Manager of the Digital Democracy programme, the Executive Director, and the Digital Democracy Team as well as different teams in DRI HQ in Berlin and DRI Country Offices and beyond. You will design and implement projects and think-tank style research to gain insights and analyse the use of social media and technology for mis/disinformation, hate speech and other digital risks during elections and other salient political events.Your tasks Act as the technical focal point for DRI’s online monitoring work and, together with the Digital Democracy team, provide colleagues at HQ and country offices with technical support for implementing digital democracy activities in their areas; Coordinate research outputs and other associated activities in collaboration with and supervising other digital democracy researchers Further develop and implement DRI’s actionable research approach to generate evidence for the enforcement of digital regulation (Digital Services Act, AI Act); Develop and update innovative research methodologies for collecting and analysing social media and other public data and adapt these methods to DRI’s areas of work, such as the auditing of AI tools or electoral monitoring; Keep track of and map emerging technologies, most prominently artificial intelligence, and understand its policy implications; Pro-actively design, develop and implement activities to monitor and analyse political online discourse, especially during electoral processes; Analyse findings, provide contextual analysis, draft, and contribute to reports for publication in line with project timelines; Contribute to fundraising efforts by writing project proposals and concept notes and identifying and pitching project ideas to donors; Design and facilitate events and workshops on areas relevant to DRI; Participate in conferences, trainings and expert working groups on behalf of DRI, including business trips outside Germany; Collaborate with programmatic, policy and research colleagues to ensuring adherence to project implementation requirements, donor deliverables and deadlines; Establish and maintain partnerships with researchers, academia, technology companies, data analysts, journalists or other civil society groups working on civic tech initiatives; Other relevant duties, as required.RequiredYour skills and experience Degree-level qualification in political science, or related fields; 4 or more years of relevant experience in social media research, digital democracy and election monitoring; Understanding of issues surrounding online disinformation, polarisation, online hate speech, foreign interference, information integrity, democratic debate and/or related topics; Advanced knowledge of Python for data collection, processing, analysis, and visualisation; Experience and knowledge of political communication and data analysis; Experience and knowledge of methodologies of social media monitoring/listening, including online analytical tools and approaches; Experience in data gathering and quantitative analysis, qualitative analysis as well as structuring investigations; Strong understanding of emerging technologies with a particular focus on the evolution of generative AI and natural language processing and how these technologies can be used (for good) and abused. Experience in supervising and providing guidance to other colleagues to support project and research objectives Complex analytical and critical thinking skills; Strong written and oral communication skills; Ability to work as part of a diverse team; Fluency in written and spoken English; Preferred Data visualisation and mapping skills, including experience with tools such as Tableau, Gephi, Datawrapper, Flourish or Infogram; Strong understanding of LLM agentic workflow integration Knowledge of additional languages will be considered an asset (Germany, French and especially those of DRI countries of operation).Application InstructionsIf you are interested in this position, please submit your application (cover letter and CV) here. This position is subject to funding. Applying for this position by post mail is possible, please find our address details below. Closing date for applications: 12 December 2025. The position may be closed before the deadline has been reached, so early applications are encouraged.In the interest of transparency, the salary band for this position is 47,850 – 52,200 € (depending on former relevant experience).