Job Description
Who We Are:
American Oversight is a nonpartisan, nonprofit watchdog that advances truth, accountability, and democracy by enforcing the public's right to government records. We use multiple tools, backed by aggressive litigation, to fight attacks on democratic institutions, threats to civil rights and liberties, abuses of power, and erosion of government transparency. We expose and disrupt these attacks, and the officials and networks behind them, by forcing the government to turn over records officials would rather keep secret.
Since our founding in 2017, American Oversight has:
- Shut down Trump's bogus "voter fraud" commission.
- Revealed the Trump-sanctioned pressure campaign on the Ukrainian government by forcing the Trump administration to turn over records initially withheld from Congress.
- Uncovered rampant preventable deaths of immigrants in federal custody.
- Unmasked taxpayer-funded sham "audits" of the 2020 election.
- Obtained the fake electors' forged certificates submitted by fake electors during the 2020 election.
- Exposed networks of election denialists and subverters around the country.
- Halted the impeachment of a newly elected state supreme court justice in Wisconsin.
- Blocked state election board members in Georgia and Wisconsin from taking anti-democratic actions in secret.
We are committed to fighting threats of democracy at the federal, state, and local levels, using time-tested and innovative tools to expose misconduct, defend against attacks on marginalized communities, and demand accountability.
At American Oversight, we know that the abuse of government power is not just bad policy — it’s a dangerous betrayal of the public trust. When officials exploit their positions to reward allies, weaponize the levers of government to punish perceived opponents, or roll back hard-won progress on racial equity and civil rights, they deepen inequality and erode the very foundations of democracy.
For more information, please visit our website: g
About the Role:
Reporting to the Director of Investigations, American Oversight is seeking an Investigator to join our team.
To confront these challenges, American Oversight seeks a highly motivated and tenacious Investigator with an unyielding commitment to integrity, transparency, and accountability. The Investigator will use public records and open-source intelligence to pursue rigorous, high-impact investigations into government corruption, abuses of power, and the erosion of democratic norms — helping to expose misconduct, strengthen accountability, and safeguard democratic institutions.
The ideal candidate will bring sharp investigative instincts, sound judgment, and a deep commitment to transparency, accountability, and the core principles of democracy.
What You Will Do:
- Monitor news and track other sources to identify emerging issues where American Oversight’s investigations can have the greatest impact, and proactively propose strategic, high-impact ideas that leverage public records and open-source intelligence.
- 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.
- Support American Oversight’s external engagement by contributing to meetings, briefings, and background conversations with journalists, advocates, and allies.
- Communicate proactively with government agencies regarding public records requests, triaging priorities, and working closely with the Legal team to ensure timely and effective pursuit of responsive materials.
- Support document processing and information management, ensuring incoming records are well-organized, searchable, and accessible.
- Draft public-facing content — including blog posts, reports, talking points, and briefing materials — that distills investigative findings into clear, contextualized, and actionable narratives, as needed.
- Contribute to organizational initiatives and special projects as needed, bringing an investigative lens to emerging priorities and cross-functional efforts.
- Other duties as assigned.
What You Will Bring:
- 2+ years of consecutive and full-time work experience conducting government investigations, investigative journalism, or policy research, or a related field involving in-depth investigative research and analyses.
- Interest in American Oversight’s mission of government accountability and transparency; commitment to public interest advocacy.
- 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 work with minimal errors, reflecting 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 working in and/or desire to contribute to workplaces with a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
- Self-motivated, collegial, and able to work both independently and collaboratively in a fast-paced environment.
- 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).
Desired Qualifications:
- Familiarity with federal Freedom of Information Act and public records requests.
- Experience with other publicly available datasets and information sources that could be used to enhance American Oversight’s existing accountability work.
- Experience with document and case management tools (e.g., Airtable, DocumentCloud) and/or with data analysis and visualization tools.
We encourage individuals to apply even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.
What We Offer:
American Oversight offers its employees a generous and comprehensive benefits package that includes 80% of health, dental, and vision premiums paid by the organization, a retirement plan with a matching contribution, and remote office reimbursements for personal devices and wireless connectivity.
Location:
This is a remote position and may require occasional travel to American Oversight’s Washington, DC office for team meetings and staff retreats. Our office in Washington, DC is an optional workspace.
Salary Range :
$62,000 - $78,000 (commensurate with experience). This position is a full-time, exempt position.
Timeline:
Interested applicants are encouraged to apply by Thursday, October 30 to ensure priority consideration of your application. Following October 30 , we will continue to review applications on a rolling basis until the position is filled.
Our Commitment to an Inclusive Workplace:
At American Oversight, we value and strive to hire, develop, and grow a diverse and inclusive team. We are an equal opportunity employer, and encourage applications from all individuals without regard to an individual’s race, color, sex, gender identity, gender expression, religion, age, national origin or ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, marital status, domestic partner status, sexual orientation, genetic information, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local laws. We strongly encourage individuals to apply for opportunities at American Oversight even if they do not have any of the desired qualifications.
Job Tags
Full time, Work experience placement, Work at office, Local area, Remote work,