Junior Fellowship Opportunity

Freedom in the World 2022–23 Junior Fellowship

Location: Remote (New York, NY)

Position Summary

Freedom House is seeking three motivated candidates for the nine-month Freedom in the World 2022–23 Junior Fellowship program. Freedom in the World is Freedom House’s flagship analysis on political rights and civil liberties in 210 countries and territories. Produced annually since 1973, it is the most widely read and cited report of its kind, used on a regular basis by policymakers, journalists, academics, activists, and others. Freedom in the World is regularly cited in major news outlets and in speeches by high-level government officials, among many other places.  The next cohort of Junior Fellows will begin at the start of the Freedom in the World 2023 project cycle and follow the project through to completion in early 2023.

Each Junior Fellow will be hired to join Freedom House as a fixed-term, salaried employee, eligible for a generous benefits package. Junior Fellows will be responsible for managing the research for one of the six geographic regions covered by Freedom in the World. In doing so, the Junior Fellows will have the opportunity to establish expertise on a specific region and will be called on to provide analysis of that region for internal use and potentially in response to media and other external queries. Through the fellowship program, Junior Fellows will also bolster their knowledge of global democracy using a comparative lens; build a network of external regional experts; develop crucial project management skills; and strengthen research and analysis skills. They will have opportunities to interact with senior and executive Freedom House staff, as well as other prominent practitioners in the democracy and human rights field. At the completion of the fellowship, they will have developed a range of highly marketable skills that will help propel them on to successful careers.

Junior Fellows will work closely with other members of the Research and Analysis team to ensure that all Freedom in the World research outputs adhere to the highest standards of quality and analytical integrity. Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and training a network of regional and thematic experts and acting as their primary point of contact;
• Coordinating the research process for an assigned region;
• Tracking democracy and human rights developments in the assigned region;
• Preparing event logistics for expert workshops.

Junior Fellows will conduct data analysis; contribute to the development and launch of analytical pieces, social media content, infographics, and other support materials; and participate in briefings to key stakeholders, including US congressional and administrative staff on Freedom in the World findings. Freedom House will work to assign fellows to their region of interest, but may offer an alternative.

In the last three months of the term, Junior Fellows will be encouraged to work on a capstone project to launch after the release of Freedom in the World 2023, contributing original content using Freedom in the World findings that can help Junior Fellows establish a voice in the democracy and human rights field. Examples of capstone projects include op-ed articles, data visualizations, narrative stories about human rights defenders, and video features.

Fellowship Timeline

Summer 2022:

• Introduction to Freedom House and Freedom in the World
• Develop and train a network of regional and thematic experts

Fall 2022:           

• Plan, coordinate, and execute a series of expert workshops

Winter 2023:

• Contribute to the analysis of Freedom in the World 2023 findings
• Begin and carry out capstone project
• Prepare for Freedom in the World 2023 launch

The nine-month, full-time fellowship will begin on or around July 1, 2022, and end on March 31, 2023. Junior Fellows will receive an annualized salary of $42,000—amounting to a pre-tax, pre-deduction salary of $3,500 per month for nine months—and a generous benefits package. Freedom House’s Research and Analysis division is located in New York City, and Freedom House headquarters is located in Washington, DC. Junior Fellows are highly encouraged to be based in either New York or Washington, but remote work is also possible.

Minimum Qualifications

• Applicants must be 2022 graduating seniors in an applicable field, or individuals who have completed their undergraduate degree between fall 2021 and June 2022. Students who have begun or completed graduate studies are not eligible for the Junior Fellow program.

Preferred Competencies

• Demonstrated knowledge of and interest in democracy and human rights around the world
• Strong interest in a specific region of the world (Americas, Asia-Pacific, Eurasia, Europe, Middle East and North Africa, and/or Sub-Saharan Africa)
• Comfort working with limited supervision on long-term tasks, finding solutions to problems as they arise, and taking ownership of your work
• Superb attention to detail and an ability to produce error-free work on tight deadlines
• Outstanding organizational skills and a keen desire to learn to use project management tools such as Asana, Trello, and Airtable
• Experience with MS Office and database management
• Proven ability to analyze complex information, and to draft elegant and concise summaries for a general audience
• Demonstrated commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion in your community
• Positive, team-oriented attitude, and commitment to building trust-based relationships with colleagues
• Excellent emotional intelligence and interpersonal skills for communicating with diverse audiences, ranging from at-risk activists to senior government officials

Additional Information

• Diversity makes our research stronger. Threats to democracy disproportionately impact marginalized populations, including people of color, women, people with disabilities, religious minorities, and the LGBT+ community. We actively seek and strongly encourage applications from people with lived experience relating to our work.
• Candidates must possess authorization to work in the United States. Non-nationals who are eligible for Optional Practical Training (OPT) under their F-1 visas through March 31, 2023, may apply.
• Freedom House provides a strong benefits package, including flexible hours, floating holidays, high employer contributions to medical, dental, and vision premiums, basic and voluntary life and AD&D insurance, short- and long-term disability, flexible spending account, and more.
• The role may require light domestic travel to participate in briefings and meetings.

How to Apply

Apply by sending the following documents, as PDFs, to [email protected], using “2022–23 Junior Fellowship Application” as the subject by February 28, 2022.

• A resume (1 page)
• Essay 1: An essay of no more than 600 words on what defending democracy means to you. We are interested in your personal thoughts and experiences, and how these relate to themes Freedom House identified in its most recent edition of Freedom in the World.
  • Your essay will be evaluated on its thematic cohesiveness, quality of writing, and ability to demonstrate your dedication to democratic ideals.
• Essay 2: An essay of no more than 350 words describing how the Junior Fellowship fits into your short- and long-term professional goals, and what you hope to gain from the experience.
  • Your essay should identify how your experience and professional goals relate to items listed under Position Summary and Preferred Competencies.
• Official or unofficial transcript.
  • Your transcript is one part of an overall application package, and factors including GPA, choice of courses, course load, and academic institution are not formally weighted. Your transcript will primarily be referenced to verify your eligibility for the Junior Fellowship.

Below are a few tips on preparing your application.

• For security purposes, please ensure all the documents you upload are in PDF format.
• Essays will be assessed on the quality of your writing, and whether they answer the questions posed.
• Essays should share information beyond what is provided in your resume.
• Materials must adhere to the stated page and word limits, and use a legible font.

Application Process

Applications will be accepted until February 28, 2022, and reviewed on a rolling basis; early applications are highly encouraged. Only candidates who are selected to be interviewed will be contacted. We expect to begin conducting initial interviews in late March or early April. Candidates who advance to the next round will be invited to take a written exercise and submit a letter of recommendation. Based on the results, we will choose a group of candidates for final interviews, which will be held in late April or early May. The final three Freedom in the World 2022–23 Junior Fellows will be announced in late May 2022.

Please send all application materials to [email protected] with “2022-23 Junior Fellowship Application” as the subject line.

If you have any questions, email us at [email protected].

Disclaimer: This job description is only a summary of the typical functions of the job. It is not an exhaustive or comprehensive list of all possible job responsibilities, tasks, and duties. The responsibilities, tasks, and duties of the jobholder may differ from those outlined in the job description and other duties, as assigned, may be part of the job. Freedom House may add, change, or remove essential and other duties at any time.