Senior Investigator, Political Extremism

Summary

Join American Oversight, a nonpartisan nonprofit watchdog, as a Senior Investigator, Political Extremism. Lead high-impact investigations into far-right ideologies' influence on government policy and public institutions. Utilize public records and open-source intelligence to expose abuses of power and hidden agendas. Craft litigation-ready public records requests and analyze complex government documents. Synthesize findings into compelling narratives for public-facing content and represent American Oversight externally. Contribute to organizational initiatives and special projects. This is a remote position with occasional travel to the Washington, DC office.

Requirements

• 4+ years experience in government investigations, investigative journalism, or a related field involving in-depth investigative research and analyses
• Demonstrated interest in how political extremism and far-right ideological movements influence law enforcement, policymaking, and public institutions
• Experience using public records laws (e.g., federal Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), state open records acts) or open-source intelligence tools to support or lead investigations
• Interest in American Oversight’s mission of government accountability and transparency; commitment to public interest advocacy
• Exceptionally strong skills in the following areas: Problem Solving and Critical Thinking: Identifies and anticipates problems and surfaces creative solutions to achieve desired outcomes; scans the landscape and connects dots among many disparate data points and situations
• Communication : Conveys ideas, information, and emotions clearly and effectively — both orally and in writing — adapting language to suit different audiences and contexts. Produces well-organized, error-free work that reflects a strong grasp of content and a high level of accuracy, clarity, and professionalism
• Project Management : Ability to multitask and independently manage multiple projects with varying scopes, timelines, and stakeholders; adapts priorities as necessary to meet organizational goals while maintaining good judgment of relative priorities
• Judgment and Decision Making : Makes sound, timely decisions by weighing priorities, anticipating outcomes, and aligning choices with American Oversight’s values and goals. Uses logic, experience, and context to recommend effective, mission-driven actions
• Strategic Thinking : Obtains information and identifies key issues and relationships relevant to achieving a goal or vision; evaluates potential risks and benefits to potential plans of action before recommending courses of action; adjusts plans as needed to achieve key objectives
• Collaboration : Is an inclusive, highly engaged team player; proactively seeks and provides thought partnership, assistance, and/or resources with/to colleagues
• An understanding of and fluency in relevant news developments, the political landscape, and how public records can inform news coverage, and government action, and accountability
• Experience conceptualizing, managing and driving complex projects, including those that are cross-functional cutting, strategic, and/or long-term
• Experience working in and/or desire to contribute to workplaces with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion
• Strong technology skills with an aptitude to learn quickly, ramp up on, or test new platforms or technology (e.g., AirTable). Proficiency in Microsoft Suite (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint); Google Workspace (Docs, Sheets, Slides) and file-sharing platforms (Dropbox)

Responsibilities

• Develop and lead in-depth investigations that leverage public records, open-source intelligence, and subject-matter expertise to uncover hidden agendas, expose abuses of power, and reveal the political and institutional forces shaping government action
• Craft strategic, litigation-ready public records requests to federal, state, and local agencies aimed at exposing decision-making, funding flows, and political influence
• Analyze complex government documents and draw upon available information to identify unreported insights and emerging trends. Synthesize findings into compelling narratives, with a focus on accuracy, newsworthiness, and the broader implications for government accountability
• Draft public-facing content — including blog posts, reports, talking points, and briefing materials — that distills investigative findings into clear, contextualized, and actionable narratives
• Represent American Oversight externally by participating in meetings, briefings, or background conversations with journalists, advocates, and allies
• Contribute to organizational initiatives and special projects as needed, bringing an investigative lens to emerging priorities and cross-functional efforts

Preferred Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree from an accredited college or university
• Proficiency with (FOIA) and public records requests
• Proficiency in using FOIA and state public records laws to obtain and analyze government information
• Experience with other publicly available datasets and information sources that could be used to enhance American Oversight’s existing accountability work
• Experience with American Oversight’s core tools (e.g., Airtable, DocumentCloud) and/or with data analysis and visualization tools

Benefits

• 80% of health, dental, and vision premiums paid by the organization
• A retirement plan with a matching contribution
• Remote office reimbursements for personal devices and wireless connectivity