Senior Democracy Analyst

Position Summary

Rethink Priorities is hiring a Senior Analyst for extended or permanent work for at least 30 hours per week of work for at least 6 months, with the intention of a permanent role. Annual salary is between the following ranges, prorated for less than 40 hours work:

• $115,000 – $145,000 USD pre-tax
• £87,000 – £110,000 GBP pre-tax
• €102,000 – €129,000 EUR pre-tax

Your job will be to research, evaluate, and synthesize evidence on philanthropic opportunities related to protecting democracy and preventing democratic backsliding in the United States, helping funders direct resources toward the most effective interventions in this space. The ideal starting date for this role is in July 2026.

We approach this work empirically and in a non‑partisan way: we are interested in improving the health of democratic institutions, norms, and processes as a matter of broad social good and civilizational risk. This role focuses on identifying where philanthropic resources can do the most to strengthen democratic resilience—analyzing the landscape of existing funds, funders, and grantees, evaluating the evidence base for different intervention types, and producing rigorous, decision‑relevant research for donors and partners seeking to act effectively in this space.

• Deliver concrete recommendations about where potentially tens of millions of dollars could be spent effectively each year.
• Conduct thorough landscape analyses of the democracy‑focused funding ecosystem in the US, identifying gaps, crowding, and high‑potential opportunities.
• Evaluate the evidence base for interventions aimed at protecting democratic institutions, countering democratic backsliding, and strengthening civic infrastructure—applying the kind of cost‑effectiveness thinking RP uses across cause areas.
• Produce clear, well‑reasoned outputs—including reports, memos, and funding recommendations—that, with the assistance of our communications team, can be made accessible to sophisticated non‑specialist audiences without sacrificing analytical rigor.
• Engage with and synthesize a wide range of source types: academic literature, policy analysis, practitioner knowledge, and expert interviews.
• Carefully consider how novel developments, such as in AI, intersect with threats to democracy, and how to mitigate such risks.

We’re looking for a rigorous, intellectually curious analyst with demonstrated experience in policy, research, or philanthropic advising—but what matters most is the quality of your thinking and your ability to produce work that helps funders act more effectively. Strong candidates may have backgrounds in political science, public policy, law, nonprofit sector research, or philanthropy, combined with genuine familiarity with the US democratic governance landscape.

Additionally, quality candidates will:

• Have clear interest in RP’s mission and in applying evidence‑based, cause‑neutral frameworks to questions of democratic resilience and institutional health.
• Approach the subject matter empirically: able to evaluate evidence without partisan priors and communicate findings credibly to funders across the political spectrum.
• Take full ownership over research projects, demonstrating a high degree of initiative and sound independent judgment.
• Collaborate effectively with leadership, teammates, and external partners including funders, grantees, and subject matter experts.
• Have a track record that includes at least one of: producing policy or philanthropic research on governance or civic topics, advising funders or major donors on grant strategy, or publishing analysis engaging with institutional and democratic processes in the US.

Compensation:

• We offer annual salary between the following ranges for a full‑time position, prorated for less than 40 hours per week:
  • $115,000 – $145,000 USD pre‑tax
  • £87,000 – £110,000 GBP pre‑tax
  • €102,000 – €129,000 EUR pre‑tax
• The exact salary will be based on the candidate’s prior relevant experience and corresponding title level, and calculated using RP’s salary algorithm.
• Compensation is not restricted to the currencies listed above.
• To ensure fairness across the…