Senior Survey Scientist

Who We Are

Murmuration is a nonprofit organization that amplifies the power of civic engagement by providing data, digital tools, and research-driven insights to community-focused organizations so that together we can create an America where everyone can lead healthy, free, and dignified lives.

Every day, people are trying to shape our future for the better. Fighting for water that’s safe to drink. Schools that serve students equitably. Gun laws that make sense. And rallying people who care like we do. And yet too often the skillful organizers working to mobilize communities lack access to technology that could supercharge their efforts. Knocking on every door instead of knowing which will open most easily. And going up against outside interests that have half the heart, but twice the tools.

In communities across America, Murmuration’s partners are leveraging our data, tools, and insights to help thousands of organizers orchestrate millions of individual people to do big things together. Demand big things together. To create the world they want. Together.

About the Position

In a world flooded with hot takes and shaky polls, we believe rigorously designed, thoughtfully interpreted public opinion research is more essential than ever. You’ll help us cut through the noise, elevate the voices that matter, and make data about people actually reflect the people behind the data.

We’re looking for a Senior Survey Scientist who blends methodological rigor with a sharp sense of what matters. You should be just as comfortable designing a sample frame as you are interpreting surprising patterns in cross-tabs. In this role, you will lead the strategy, design, fielding, and analysis of high-quality opinion research that helps us and our partners understand what people are thinking, feeling, and doing in today's civic and political landscape.

This is not a passive analyst role. We are looking for someone who can uncover insights in the data, think creatively about research design, and help maintain a polling infrastructure that is both rigorous and forward-looking. You will be our in-house expert on survey weighting, question wording, and how to interpret shifts in public sentiment. Much of this work will support our Civic Pulse initiative, as well as bespoke survey projects throughout the year.

Job Level: IC4

What You’ll Do

• Design, implement, and refine surveys on civic engagement, issue attitudes, voter behavior, and more;
• Write and test survey instruments with a focus on clarity, neutrality, and measurement validity;
• Analyze survey data using statistical tools such as Python or R;
• Develop sampling strategies and quota structures that ensure representativeness and reliability across key groups;
• Apply post-stratification and survey weighting techniques, including raking;
• Develop insights and recommendations that support internal strategy and partner decision making;
• Help maintain and evolve our polling infrastructure, including tracking data and custom modules;
• Stay informed on best practices and emerging trends in survey methodology and opinion research; and
• Collaborate with team members from across research, data science, and other teams to bring findings to life.

Requirements

• 4+ years of experience in survey research, public opinion polling, or social science research with a strong quantitative focus;
• Proven track record designing, fielding, and analyzing complex surveys, including nationally representative samples;
• Deep understanding of sampling methodologies, weighting techniques, and bias mitigation strategies;
• Proficiency in Python, R, or a similar tool for statistical analysis and comfortability working with large datasets;
• Strong survey-writing skills with an eye for clear, unbiased, and effective question design;
• Familiarity with major survey platforms and vendors (e.g., Qualtrics, Survey Monkey, YouGov, etc.);
• Ability to clearly explain technical methods and research tradeoffs to both expert and non-expert audiences; and
• A collaborative mindset, fueled by curiosity and energized by both big-picture strategy and hands-on data work.

Nice to Haves

• Familiarity with Bayesian methods or packages such as Stan, brms, or PyMC;
• Background in political science, sociology, behavioral science, or another social science field with a strong quantitative focus;
• Experience managing longitudinal or tracking surveys over time;
• Familiarity with advanced survey weighting techniques such as multilevel regression and post-stratification (MRP);
• Comfort working with voter files, civic engagement data, or public datasets;
• Strong data visualization skills, including tools like ggplot2, matplotlib, seaborn