Senior Advisor, Voting Rights

Summary: The Southern Poverty Law Center''s Voting Rights Practice Group (VRPG) works across the Deep South in collaboration with community partners and organizers to engage and mobilize voters, restore voting rights to returning citizens, pursue electoral policy reforms, and bring litigation to challenge unconstitutional and discriminatory voting practices. Our efforts center on expanding access to the ballot; promoting fair redistricting; defending against racial gerrymandering and vote dilution; improving election administration; and community outreach and engagement. VRPG''s current work includes a lawsuit challenging multiple provisions of SB 202, Georgia''s sweeping voter disenfranchisement law which threatens to disenfranchise Georgia voters, specifically voters of color; a lawsuit challenging Alabama''s state legislative maps as racial gerrymanders in violation of the U.S. Constitution; a lawsuit challenging the Mississippi Supreme Court''s 35-year-old districting plan, which denies Black voters a fair opportunity to elect candidate of their choice; a lawsuit challenging the city council and school board districts in Jacksonville-Duval County, Florida, as unconstitutional racial gerrymanders; and a lawsuit challenging Alabama''s failure to make its absentee ballot system accessible to blind and print-disabled individuals. We recently submitted reports to Congress in support of the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act detailing current and historical voting rights violations in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana. We also engage regularly in public education, election monitoring, and other legal advocacy work across the Deep South. We seek a Senior Advisor, Voting Rights with at least seven years of experience with quantitative and qualitative research and analysis relating to elections, voting, and civic participation-including geographic, demographic, statistical, and sociopolitical analysis; racially polarized voting investigations and studies; ecological inference and regression analysis; and the creation and evaluation of redistricting plans. The candidate should be technically proficient in managing and evaluating large datasets and using associated software. The candidate should also be well versed in the principles, methods, and practices of social science research and the scientific method as applied thereto. The Senior Advisor, Voting Rights will collaborate with and direct the data and research analysts within the practice group and will perform many other functions as described in more detail below. Primary Job Functions: Conduct quantitative and qualitative research and analysis necessary for voting rights cases, including geographic and sociopolitical analysis, racially polarized voting and ecological inference studies, and demographic analysis; Manage data necessary for investigation, litigation, community education, and advocacy relating to voting rights and civic participation; Develop and help direct the SPLC''s strategies relating to redistricting, including the analysis of voter files, creation of training materials and online resources for local communities, and drafting and evaluating redistricting plans; Produce statistical and investigative reports, white papers, issue briefs, scholarly articles, memoranda, interactive data graphics, and data-driven story maps related to voting rights and civic participation issues; Consult with staff attorneys, outreach staff, paralegals, outside counsel, and expert consultants and witnesses on case investigation and development; and Engage in public speaking and articulate the SPLC''s policies and programs to the public and the media on voting rights issues. Qualifications: Ph.D (preferred) or master''s degree in political science, government, sociology, or other social science discipline relating to voting rights and civic participation; At least ten (10) years of experience and proficiency in conducting social science research according to the scientific method and making written research reports; Technical experience and proficiency with GIS and geospatial data; Proficiency with GIS and redistricting software (Maptitude is preferred); and Proficiency with data languages/software such as SQL, PowerBI,Tableau, Python, and R. Knowledge, skills and abilities: Excellent analytic, research, and writing skills; Ability to synthesize complex issues and communicate them effectively to diverse audiences, including elected officials, attorneys, advocates, impacted communities, supporters, the media, and the general public; Proven project management and organizational skills, including the ability to work independently, pay attention to detail, and meet deadlines while under pressure; Ability to work collaboratively and in team settings; Ability and willingness to travel; Commitment to ideals of justice, equity, diversity and inclusion; and Commitment to fostering an anti-racist work culture and to anti-racist principles and learning. Other Special Considerations: This job is performed under general office conditions, and is not subject to any strenuous physical demands or dangerous conditions. This position is represented by the Washington Baltimore News Guild. Disclaimer: The statements herein are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the employee in this position. These statements are not intended to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of a person in this position. An Equal-Opportunity Employer with a Commitment to Diversity Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC) is proud to be an equal opportunity employer, and as an organization committed to diversity and the perspective of all voices, we consider applicants equally of race, gender, gender identity, color, sexual orientation, religion, marital status, disability, political affiliation, national origin, or prior record of arrest or conviction.

Created: 2025-11-15