Research Associate

The Position

Ballotpedia is seeking to hire a full-time, 100% remote Research Associate to drive the growth, execution, and client success of the organization’s research initiatives through business development, relationship management, and high-quality project delivery.

Reporting to the Director of Content, the Research Associate is a key member of Ballotpedia’s Content department, responsible for generating and sustaining revenue through proactive prospecting, business development, and strong client relationship management. This role identifies and cultivates new research opportunities, advances prospects through the sales pipeline, scopes projects in collaboration with clients, and converts opportunities into high-quality, paid engagements.

Once projects are secured, the Research Associate leads their execution from kickoff to delivery—managing timelines, coordinating cross-functional contributors, supervising contractors as needed, and ensuring deliverables satisfy the details of the contract or proposal and meet the needs of the client.

The role balances client-facing paid research projects, including white-label deliverables, with internal research initiatives that support Ballotpedia’s content and communications teams. The Research Associate ensures research projects deliver measurable value for clients while advancing Ballotpedia’s mission through revenue generation and/or research or analysis that supports the work of other Ballotpedia teams.

Key Responsibilities

Research Project Execution & Management

• Plan, supervise, and execute assigned research projects from initiation through delivery.
• Develop project plans, workflow documentation, and tracking/auditing systems to ensure accuracy and efficiency.
• Quickly develop targeted expertise on unfamiliar topics and communicate that expertise both internally and to clients or external partners.
• Hire, onboard, and manage contractors supporting research projects.
• Partner with Operations, External Relations, Content, and Tech teams to create time and cost estimates for new projects.
• Supervise external contractors, providing clear direction and constructive feedback.
• Collaborate across departments to align research projects with organizational priorities and needs.
• Communicate proactively on project progress using email, Slack, Asana, and other platforms.

Research Client Prospecting & Relationship Management

• Identify, develop, and manage a pipeline of prospective research clients.
• Conduct thorough background research on potential clients, including their funding sources, priorities, and key decision-makers.
• Develop tailored outreach strategies and talking points to engage clients.
• Track outreach, engagement, and follow-ups in Salesforce to ensure consistent relationship development and growth.
• Collaborate internally to design projects that satisfy client proposals and support organizational goals when alignment opportunities exist.

Key Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in research and project management.
• Policy research and analysis experience across varied topics.
• Experience in sales, prospecting, or business development, including identifying leads and advancing opportunities through a pipeline preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to build, manage, and sustain strong client relationships, including scoping projects, setting expectations, and delivering high-quality results.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate complex research findings into client-ready deliverables.
• Proven ability to manage multiple projects, competing deadlines, and revenue-generating priorities simultaneously.
• Experience supervising contractors, staff, cross-functional content teams, and/or client relationships preferred.
• Familiarity with CRM systems, Asana (or similar project management platforms), and Slack is a plus.

Environment

The Research Associate will work remotely from their home location. All Ballotpedia staff work remotely. To join Ballotpedia, you must have a computer with Internet access.

Ballotpedia offers a flexible work environment, BP Flex, in which every employee enjoys unlimited vacation and flexible scheduling. Each employee will be oriented to the principles of Ballotpedia’s flexible environment during new employee training.

About Ballotpedia

Ballotpedia is a mission-driven organization dedicated to providing Americans with accurate, relevant, and unbiased information about politics, elections, and public policy. Our mission is to ensure that the only unknown on your ballot is who gets your vote. We value innovation, humility, intellectual curiosity, drive, and a collaborative spirit and are committed to continuously improving our offerings to better serve our audiences, readers, and candidates.