Summary:

Fieldnotes is growing its team of researchers and analysts. Our investigations expose the organizations and individuals who are undermining climate policy and threatening the wellbeing of communities. The oil & gas industry is primed to use the chaos of this political moment to enact a decades-long deregulatory agenda. Fieldnotes is a purpose-built watchdog, ready to expose corruption, malfeasance, and cronyism. We need creative and motivated researchers to help us reveal the industry’s most egregious influence campaigns.

About Fieldnotes:

Fieldnotes is a new watchdog organization that conducts investigative research on the oil & gas industry. We reveal the ways corporations, lobbyists, and influence groups undermine the public interest and delay climate action. We provide journalists, advocates, and policymakers with rigorous investigative research and analysis that exposes the inconvenient truths corporations and their allies prefer to keep hidden. We don’t take corporate money and we don’t work for hire. 

Our team has decades of combined experience tracking the fossil fuel industry, rooting out corporate influence, investigating corrupt politicians, and building bridges with unlikely allies.  Our work has been featured in outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, Politico, and The New Yorker, among many others.

Visit our website for more information. 

Role & Responsibilities

This person will help the Fieldnotes investigative team expand our oil & gas research portfolio. The exact job responsibilities will vary day-to-day, require creative thinking, and both collaborative and independent work. 

Responsibilities will include: 

• Conducting research using a variety of databases such as campaign finance tools, lobbying and ethics disclosures, and legislation trackers.
• Identifying new research targets and continuously tracking ongoing ones.
• Conceptualizing, drafting, and submitting state and federal public record requests. 
• Building relationships with state partners and policy experts and communicating research findings to diverse audiences, including national and local media. 
• Communicating findings from research in succinct and strategic ways that maximize impact on the political environment.  
• Reviewing, organizing, and analyzing large volumes of material and data to identify and summarize key research findings. 
• Contributing regularly in strategy and planning meetings to identify new research and partnership opportunities.
• Balancing multiple projects and responsibilities at once while maintaining strong time management skills.
• Developing content for publication across Fieldnotes platforms, including our website and newsletter, as well as internal research memos.
• Assisting colleagues with research projects.

You might be a great candidate if you have the following demonstrable knowledge, skills, and/or experience: 

• A creative and innovative approach to strategy, research, and problem solving. Experience developing and executing research and media strategies.
• Experience researching political and corporate actors, including background, opposition, and power mapping research. Awareness of investigative research methods including public records requests and human source development. 
• Working knowledge of the oil & gas and petrochemical industries, including major corporate players, trade associations, and regional issues a plus. 
• Ability to stay organized and on top of multiple projects, databases, and large collections of interrelated documents. 
• Relationships with individuals and organizations at the state and national level who are working to address climate change, including campaigners, policymakers and their staff, and experience collaborating across entities.
• A keen eye for detail and accuracy in research, writing, editing, and project management. 
• Ability to work collaboratively with allies and teammates and flexibly respond to changing priorities, as well as the self-motivation to work independently when needed. 
• Willingness to travel for events or other research needs. 
• A sense of curiosity and desire to explore rabbit holes. Willingness to dive in, make mistakes, learn quickly, and have some fun. Our team will be here to support you. 

The compensation for this position will depend on experience but will be between $73,000 - $90,000.  We are a family-friendly organization. We offer a generous and competitive benefits package, including health insurance, which includes vision and dental care. We also provide life insurance and disability coverage, 401K retirement savings, as well as paid parental leave, sick and vacation time.

Applications will be considered on a rolling basis.