Job Announcement: Product Manager/Developer, OpenPrecincts
The Princeton Gerrymandering Project (PGP) seeks a Product Manager/Developer to lead and develop OpenPrecincts, a data and software resource to open the redistricting process to all citizens and ensure that the next decade’s district boundaries are fair for all voters.
In 2021, state governments will start to draw new Congressional and state legislative districts. It will be critical for the public to understand whether the proposed maps fairly represent voters. But there is no central database of voting precincts across the country. Consequently, citizens cannot judge the fairness of a map or offer their own maps. PGP will fill this gap by building OpenPrecincts, a complete, legislative-quality database of electoral precinct data for all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. Ultimately, this database will be integrated with web-based redistricting software so that any citizen group can draw and propose maps.
Job Overview
Building a complete database of precinct geographies typically involves collecting files and maps from counties, cleaning the files, and matching them with electoral and demographic data. We have developed software to speed up these processes, and we are in various stages of the process in a few states.
We need your help to scale it up and build a database that will empower citizens of all 50 states, Puerto Rico, and DC. You will help us streamline our data management processes and build the framework for a collaborative online project that, like OpenElections and OpenAddresses, will make it easy for volunteers with varying levels of commitment to contribute. Crowdsourcing will play a major role in completing this effort, so it is essential for you to have an open-source ethos.
Responsibilities
Streamline and refactor existing data collection and processing procedures, in order to build a scalable system for crowd-sourcing the generation of a high-quality electoral precinct database
Collaborate with external partners* in order to identify features that may be required by end users
Preferred Qualifications
Strong commitment to the issue of fair districting
Experience contributing to, maintaining, or leading, collaborative, data-intensive projects with volunteer communities on online platforms like GitHub
Proficiency in a variety of programming languages, particularly Python
Product development and management experience
Database management experience, GIS experience a plus
Applying
Full-time and contractual opportunities are available, depending on availability and fit. If you are interested, please write to gerrymander@princeton.edu. Princeton University is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate in employment on the basis of political views, religion, national or ethnic origin, race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability.