Project Coordinator, Labor Futures

Organizational Summary

Data & Society is an independent nonprofit research organization studying the social implications of data-centric technologies and automation. We recognize that the same innovative technologies that may benefit society can also be abused to invade privacy, provide new tools of discrimination, foreclose opportunity, and harm individuals and communities. Through original research and inclusive engagement, we work to ensure that empirical evidence and respect for human dignity guide how technology is developed and governed.

About The Role

Data & Society is seeking a Project Coordinator, Labor Futures, who serves as the main point of contact between researchers, community partners, the Labor Futures team, and other Data & Society departments, ensuring clear communication and alignment across the Cross Sector Labor & AI Project. This role does not conduct research, produce research writing, or serve in a public‑facing communications capacity.

The Cross Sector Labor & AI project is a newly launched project that applies rigorous, qualitative empirical research to understand the impacts of AI on workers, support pro-worker policy interventions, and identify opportunities to build solidarity across labor, climate, immigrant rights, and other movements. We will conduct case studies across various sectors of work to identify common patterns in the narratives, financial incentives, and practices that can disempower workers and deepen structural inequities. Outcomes of this project will include case studies and policy documents, media engagement, community resources, public events, and other network-building activities. This project team will work in close collaboration with labor organizations, unions, and other community partners throughout the design, fieldwork, and public engagement phases of the project.

The Project Coordinator is responsible for facilitating and coordinating a wide range of activities for the Labor Futures team and assisting the Program Director with moving the project from planning to publication and dissemination. The Project Coordinator coordinates and supports the team’s multi-faceted programming, provides day-to-day administrative, operational, and logistical project support, collaborates with other Data & Society departments, and maintains relationships with researchers and external partners. The Project Coordinator works both independently and collaboratively with members of the research team and other key members of the organization.

This position will report to the Program Director, is fully remote, and will begin in October 2026 with an end date of June 30, 2028.

The Candidate

This role is ideal for someone with a background in project coordination or community engagement and who is highly organized, detail-oriented, operationally reliable, and motivated by an interest in economic justice, technology, and democratic practice. Although this position is not an academic research role, a background in the social sciences, humanities, and/or public scholarship is highly desirable.

The Project Coordinator brings a working familiarity with research environments, including common research practices, tools, and norms, and represents the project in logistical and coordination‑focused communications with internal teams and external stakeholders.

The Project Coordinator, Labor Futures reports to the Program Director, Labor Futures, and has no people management responsibilities.

Primary Responsibilities

Administrative and Project Coordination

• Liaise with researchers and community partners to schedule and manage regular meetings and check-ins, ensuring all parties are informed and aligned on key project developments and touchpoints.
• Work with the Program Director to keep researchers informed of project developments, ensure participation in relevant meetings, and support timely completion of deadlines and deliverables by coordinating regular check-ins and group meetings.
• Support the Program Director in managing the established project budget by coordinating project‑related financial workflows in adherence with internal financial policies, including but not limited to those related to IRB, participant stipends, and approved work travel for researchers.
• Oversee implementation of an established research budget, processing requests for funds as needed and appropriate (IRB, participation stipends, work-approved and related travel) for researchers.
• Work with the Program Director and Senior Researcher to assist researchers with report development and publication, including adherence to mutual cross project report structure and timeline, assisting with obtaining needed resources, and connecting with other researchers in the field.
• Maintain a bird’s eye view of the various moving parts of the project by meeting with researchers or community partners, as needed, synthesizing discussions into clear action items, and identifying potential conflicts, discrepancies, or synergies to elevate to the Program Director.
• Provide day-to-day administrative and logistical support to the Labor Futures team by overseeing the operational calendar, including scheduling meetings (including with individual researchers, team members and partners), preparing agendas and assembling pre-meeting materials, note taking, and maintaining and organizing shared file management systems.

Coordination across Teams and Researchers

• Coordinate with the Communications, Strategy & Engagement, and Editorial teams to establish and ensure timelines and deliverables are met.
• Work closely with the HR and Finance teams to coordinate onboarding processes for Contract Researchers, ensuring required documentation and other logistical steps are completed in a timely manner.
• Work closely with the Finance team and Contract Researchers to support project‑related financial workflows by ensuring adherence to internal financial processes, including the timely submission of complete, accurate documentation required for payment processing by Finance.

Relationship Management and External Engagement

• Maintain partner relationships by scheduling and preparing for meetings, fielding information requests from partners and researchers, and identifying potential issues to elevate to the Project Director in a timely manner.
• Coordinate regular quarterly or monthly calls with partner organizations to support information sharing, project updates, and ongoing collaboration.
• Communicate consistently with partner organizations to provide updates, event announcements and follow-up summary of notes.
• Assist research team in maintaining a contact database of inquiries about the project from academia, civil society, and journalists.

Organizational Development

• Contribute to the intellectual life of the organization as an active participant in internal programming: attendance at organization wide meetings, actively engage in talks, seminars or reading groups, and contributing to the development of research and engagement management practices.

Skills & Qualifications

Required qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required.
• 7 plus years’ of experience in project management, coordination, community support or closely related areas.
• Must have experience working in a research environment and deep familiarity and understanding of research practices and norms, qualitative and fieldwork-based research, and research institutions (e.g. Institutional Review Boards).
• Familiarity with common academic software tools such as Zotero, as well as general knowledge of academic platforms like SSRN, Google Scholar, and major scholarly journals.
• Established history of collaborative work with civil society, community, and labor organizations.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously while setting and meeting required deadlines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills and experience working with diverse coworkers and collaborators.
• Detail-oriented and highly organized.
• Capable of working independently within a remote-first organization.

Preferred qualifications

• Previous experience working in project coordination or community engagement.
• Previous experience working for a community, worker rights, or labor organization.
• Background in the social sciences, humanities, and/or public scholarship.
• Interest in economic justice, technology, and democratic practice.
• Demonstrated understanding of technology and society issues.
• Experience with contract employees.
• Strong teamwork and collaboration skills.

Core Competencies

• Organizational excellence - managing logistics, deadlines, and details with consistency and care so that programs run smoothly and nothing slips through the cracks.
• Relationship stewardship - building and maintaining trust with partners and colleagues through reliable follow-through, proactive communication, and attentiveness to needs.
• Establishes and maintains effective relations, exhibits objectivity and openness to others' views, works cooperatively in group situations, and contributes to building a positive team spirit.
• Demonstrated expertise in sustaining trust-based relationships across a network.
• Cultural humility in working with a wide range of stakeholder groups.

Organizational Values and Participation

• Commitment to advancing organizational diversity, equity, and inclusion;
• Actively participate in programs and professional development opportunities that work to ensure we continue our commitment to being an anti-racist and anti-discrimination organization;
• To attend, where able, whole-organization activities such as staff meetings, retreats, town halls, listening sessions, workshops, training, and social events; and
• To participate, where able and appropriate, in contributing to the culture of D&S by participating in working groups and committees (e.g. DEIA Working Group)

To Apply, please submit the following items by August 25, 2026 :

1. A cover letter explaining your interest in this role and why you would be a good fit for this position.
2. A resume is required.
3. The names, affiliations, and contact information for three (3) references. Please include the name, title, email addresses, and phone numbers for each reference. Only candidates who reach the final round of interviews may have their references contacted. This should be included below the cover letter in the same document.
4. Finalists will be required to complete a short, role-specific writing exercise. This information will be provided in the final round.

Applications will be reviewed beginning August 26, 2026. Please feel free to contact us at [email protected] should you have any questions about the role. Questions about the opportunity or process will not reflect negatively on your application.

Practical Considerations

1. Data & Society has committed to safety requirements to protect our staff from the COVID-19 pandemic. We require that prospective employees are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 before joining our organization. Please note that any reasonable accommodation request is not guaranteed to be approved, and we will comply with ADA-related requirements to evaluate the accommodation against business needs.
2. This is currently a full-time, remote position in the Labor Futures program with an expected start date in October 2026 and an end date of June 30th, 2028. This is a 2-year position, with no expectation for extension. Data & Society is based in New York City, and will for the foreseeable future operate as a Remote-First organization. The role may involve occasional onsite meetings in the future.
3. You must be living and authorized to work in the United States; we are unable to sponsor visas.
4. The salary range for this role is $63,500 to $78,000 annually, commensurate with experience. This salary offer will include a generous benefits package including medical, dental, and vision insurance and access to a range of opt-in products and services including additional insurance and 401k management as well as paid time off and paid federal holidays.

The salary range for this position is noted within this job posting. Where a prospective employee or employee is compensated within this salary range is dependent upon, among other factors, actual compensation for current/former employees in the subject position; market considerations; budgetary considerations; tenure, and standing with the organization (applicable to current employees); as well as the employee’s/applicant’s overall qualifications: knowledge, skills, pertinent experience, and abilities.

We want to ensure everyone has a great candidate experience. If you need any assistance or a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please let us know at [email protected] We are an equal opportunity employer and value diverse perspectives.