Public Lab Research note


Job Posting: Organizational Learning Associate

by thewrightjess | January 30, 2020 18:52 30 Jan 18:52 | #22437 | #22437

Start Date: Late March-early May 2020

Location: Remote within the United States with the opportunity to work from our offices in New Orleans, LA or Brooklyn, NY

Terms: Full time

About Public Lab

Public Lab is a community, supported by a non-profit, that develops and applies open-source tools to environmental exploration and investigation. By democratizing inexpensive and accessible do-it-yourself techniques, Public Lab creates a collaborative network of practitioners who actively reimagine the human relationship with the environment.

About This Role

Join our team and work to bring about a healthier and more equitable world through community science, open technology, and the pursuit of environmental justice.

This position is ideal for an early career evaluator and/or researcher who wants to be part of a fast-moving team that is developing, advancing, and sharing community science practices around the world. It's a role for someone who is driven to question the results---whether intended or unintended---of strategy and tactics, as well as develop tools that make visible the culture in which program delivery occurs.

The Organizational Learning Associate is part of Public Lab's Organizing & Research team, which ensures that people who come to Public Lab in pursuit of environmental justice are able to connect with others online and/or in-person to achieve locally meaningful outcomes. The Organizational Learning Associate will anchor evaluation and organizational learning processes to assess the impact, both planned and unplanned, of Public Lab programming and culture. The Organizational Learning Associate integrates learning practices and insights across all teams to speed the emergence of collective intelligence. Critically, the Organizational Learning Associate will be an integral part of navigating the cultural challenges of equitable knowledge production and exchange on projects happening in and adjacent to Public Lab. To do this work, the Organizational Learning Associate will disrupt the researcher/subject relationship in favor of collaboration and mutually beneficial and relational discourse, and from this relational position, anchor the design and generation of the varieties of data needed to document the scope and nature of the impact of Public Lab's model. This position reports to the Director of Community Development. This job requires occasional travel and work outside regular business hours.

Primary Responsibilities:

  • Creating logic models and metrics for program work to track progress against Public Lab's strategic objectives
  • Developing and maintaining an annual schedule of evaluation activities across the organization
  • Conducting qualitative, conversation-style interviewing with community members from different backgrounds and geographies
  • Conducting quantitative data gathering and generation with and about the networked community, with support from the Coding Community Coordinators, to produce the bi-annual Community Survey
  • Testing and implementing additional appropriate means for seeking and transmitting feedback throughout the Public Lab ecosystem and the broader movement. Encouraging a culture of feedback and short feedback loops
  • Analyzing results
  • Presenting results and insights publicly, and in greater detail to internal teams
  • Supporting program teams to incorporate their own organizational learning and feedback practices and to implement what they learn
  • Supporting the sustainability of community projects through grant writing and other fundraising initiatives
  • Supporting the writing of white papers on project methodology
  • Supporting the writing of peer-reviewed articles on community science
  • Maintaining and adhering to nonprofit policies and procedures, Public Lab values, and the Code of Conduct

Experience and Training:

Approximately 4-6 years of demonstrated job experience and/or have done work at a Masters level in, or fields related to, Science and Technology Studies, Sociology, Public Administration (MPA), Development Studies, Education Studies, etc.

This position might be for you if you are:

  • Familiar with community science related concepts including communities of practice, peer production, the co-production of knowledge, post-normal science, environmental governance, and have had some exposure to Science and Technology Studies.
  • Trained in program evaluation including design, and interviewing and analysis methods.
  • An exceptional written and oral communicator: You have excellent interpersonal skills. You're a collaborator and a problem-solver who is often praised for your organization and attention to detail. You can translate complex work and the mission of Public Lab to different audiences.
  • An experienced facilitator: You have experience working with people from different backgrounds to face challenging questions and make progress as a team.
  • Team-oriented: You work collaboratively, both in person and with remote colleagues, to envision and promote positive change, and to be supportive of others. You bring integrity to all situations.
  • Organized, thorough, and self-sufficient: You communicate consistently with your team, stay on top of your to-do list, and you don't miss deadlines.
  • An excellent problem solver: You're excited to take on diverse development challenges, identify where organizational operations may be improved, and propose solutions.
  • Tech-savvy: You are excited by technology and to learn new programs, with support from colleagues. You are interested in or have used technology in the context of advocacy, grants tracking, and reporting. You have experience using a variety of collaborative software such as Slack, Google Docs, and Dropbox.

Compensation and Benefits

Compensation is between $55,000-$60,000, based on experience and qualifications. Public Lab offers a benefits package that includes:

  • Three weeks starting vacation time, with a bonus week off during the winter holidays
  • 11 personal days
  • 12 federal holidays observed
  • 75% coverage of health/dental/vision benefits
  • 401(k) account
  • A six-week sabbatical after five years of employment.

To Apply

Please send a single document containing a cover letter and resume to jobs@publiclab.org with the subject line Organizational Learning Associate by March 1, 2020. No phone calls, please.


Public Lab is an equal opportunity employer committed to a diverse, multicultural work environment. We encourage people with different ability sets, people of color, and people of diverse sexual orientations, gender expressions, and identities to apply.


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