[Athen] Washington DC: Center for Democracy & Technology hiring (1) Senior Policy Counsel, Worker Privacy; (2) Postdoctoral Fellow, Explainability of AI in Content Moderation

[Lydia X. Z. Brown]

FYI - I work at CDT now so let me know if you apply!
- Lydia
Senior Policy Counsel, Worker Privacy

CDT is hiring a senior policy counsel to lead a new workstream on evolving
technology and the workplace. This position will report to the director of
the Privacy & Data Project, which works to enhance individual rights and
corporate responsibility in the digital world. The position is based in
CDT’s Washington, DC office (with remote work currently in effect due to
COVID-19).

This position offers a leadership opportunity to engage on cutting edge
issues around emerging technologies and workers’ rights. The Senior Policy
Counsel will lead a new initiative focused on the specific ways in which
new data-driven technologies affect workers. The initiative builds upon
CDT’s existing work on the use of AI in hiring
<https://cdt.org/insights/cdt-partners-with-leadership-conference-on-civil-rights-principles-on-the-use-of-ai-in-hiring/>,
the potential for data to perpetuate discrimination, and our years-long
advocacy for comprehensive privacy legislation and for companies to adopt
meaningful policies to protect (and prevent exploitative uses of) users’
data. The initiative will center employment issues and workers’ interests
in these conversations, with a particular focus in its initial phase on the
use of AI-driven tools in hiring and employee evaluation, and the
increasing use of surveillance technology in the workplace.

The Senior Policy Counsel will help set the direction for and manage the
execution of this project, including by forging collaborations with labor
organizations, workers’ rights, and civil rights groups engaging on these
issues. The Senior Policy Counsel will conduct factual and legal research
and draft legal, legislative, and policy documents, including legislation,
reports and blogs. We seek a committed advocate who will develop
substantive policy positions and written work product, work collaboratively
with organizational partners, and pursue an ambitious and creative advocacy
agenda before policymakers, regulators, employer associations, and
companies alike.

*About CDT *

For twenty-five years, CDT has been a leading nonprofit public interest
organization, working at the cutting edge of digital rights policy. With
expertise in law, technology, and policy, CDT engages in a variety of
strategies to enhance civil liberties and human rights in the digital age,
including advocacy, public education, and research. CDT works on
legislation, participates in agency rule-makings, engages in litigation,
and fosters consensus-building among public interest and private sector
stakeholders. Key issue areas include free expression, privacy and data,
government surveillance, cybersecurity and standards, open internet,
election security, and competition.

CDT is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and collaborates closely with its
partner organization, CDT Europe, which is based in Brussels. For more
information, please visit cdt.org.

*Responsibilities*

Key responsibilities for this position include:

   - Conducting in-depth legal research and analysis of technologies, data
   systems, and policies that impact workers and employers;
   - Collaborating with labor organizations, workers’ rights and civil
   rights groups to set advocacy priorities;
   - Developing policy recommendations for public- and private-sector
   actors;
   - Drafting advocacy documents such as policy papers, blog posts, press
   releases, testimony, and agency comments;
   - Advocating before executive branch and legislative policymakers;
   - Engaging industry to advance best practices through written materials,
   public speaking engagements, trainings, and direct-to-company advocacy;
   - Representing CDT in the media and at public events; and
   - Developing and maintaining productive relationships with other
   advocates, academics, technologists, and communities.

This position will contribute to other Privacy and Data issue areas as
appropriate.

*Qualifications*

An ideal candidate will have:

   - 7+ years of technology law or policy experience, with some background
   in civil, consumer, or human rights advocacy;
   - Exceptional written communication, analytical, and problem solving
   skills;
   - Ability to contribute individually and as a leader within CDT and the
   broader advocacy community;
   - Ability to work with diverse stakeholders;
   - Experience developing concrete and actionable proposals while
   maintaining a longer term, pro-worker vision;
   - Commitment to advancing equity, individual rights, and social justice
   in the design, deployment, and governance of digital technologies.

Experience with employment or labor law is strongly preferred, but not
required.

*Compensation*

Salary is commensurate with experience and is competitive with public
interest and government pay scales. CDT provides a generous benefits
package that includes health care and dental coverage, a retirement plan,
paid vacation, sick days, and parental leave.

*To Apply*

Please send a resume, cover letter, and writing sample to hr at cdt.org.

*The Center for Democracy & Technology is an equal opportunity employer,
and does not discriminate on the basis of race, gender, ethnicity, sexual
or gender orientation, religion, or physical ability.*


CDT Postdoctoral Fellow – Explainability of AI in Content Moderation

The Center for Democracy Technology (CDT) is seeking a Postdoctoral Fellow to
work on developing models and tools to improve the explainability and
auditability of AI-based content moderation systems. This can include
systems used in classifying, filtering, and recommending content on social
media and other platforms. The Fellow will prototype and test models that
can improve the explainability and auditability of these tools, and lead
the publication of the results and other outputs as part of the Fellowship.

Here we take explainability to be the ability to enumerate the reasons for
arriving at a given result in a way that is understandable by relevant
users, contextually relevant, and describes the assumptions therein.
Auditability focuses on improving accountability in AI-based systems, and
includes methods for identifying discrimination or other unwanted outcomes.
While several proposals exist for how to address the explainability and
auditability needs for AI-based systems, we want to develop, test, and
prototype practical ways to improve both so that those using or affected by
automated systems are better able to understand how and why a decision was
reached, and so that independent researchers are better able to study the
performance of such systems with respect to fundamental rights. We want to
do this for a specific use case – content moderation.

The Fellow will lead the research, design, and project implementation,
which can address explainability and auditability through separate research
outputs. This is a one-year full-time Fellowship, with the possibility of
renewal for another year based on performance and availability of funds.
Limited funding is available to cover approved research expenses associated
with the Fellow’s project. The Fellow is expected to produce at least 2 CDT
research reports during the year, and at least 1 academic submission. In
addition to the benefits and compensation described above, CDT will also
provide mentorship to support career development. The expected start date
for the Fellowship is January 2021.

This is an exciting opportunity to be part of CDT’s research team,
informing its policy agenda, and contributing to cutting edge tech policy
dialogue in the U.S., EU, and around the world. The position also offers
opportunities for identifying and leading research projects on other
emerging technology policy issues, and working with CDT’s networks of
external academics and partners. The position is based in CDT’s Washington,
D.C. office (with remote work currently in effect due to COVID-19).

*About CDT*

For twenty-five years, CDT has been a leading nonprofit public interest
organization, working at the cutting edge of digital rights policy. With
expertise in law, technology, and policy, CDT engages in a variety of
strategies to enhance civil liberties and human rights in the digital age,
including advocacy, public education, and research. CDT works on
legislation, participates in agency rule-makings, engages in litigation,
and fosters consensus-building among public interest and private sector
stakeholders. Key issue areas include free expression, privacy and data,
government surveillance, cybersecurity and standards, open internet,
election security, and competition.

CDT is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and collaborates closely with its
partner organization, CDT Europe, which is based in Brussels. For more
information, please visit our website at cdt.org.

*Main Responsibilities:*

   - With the research team, design and implement a project to improve the
   explainability and auditability of the use of AI based tools in content
   moderation.
   - Produce at least 2 CDT research reports and 1 academic submission
   based on their approved research project.
   - Support the research team in identifying and designing other research
   projects that can inform the work of CDT’s policy teams; where feasible,
   support the implementation of these projects.
   - Write concise and compelling analysis in a variety of formats,
   including blog posts, advocacy material, white papers, and reports.
   - Develop partnerships with researchers in academia, industry, and civil
   society to further CDT’s research agenda.
   - Work with the communications team to craft sharp, compelling messages
   for media and other audiences based on research outputs.
   - Work with the development team to identify and develop relevant
   funding proposals.
   - Represent CDT through public speaking, participation in coalition
   meetings, and media interviews.

*Required Qualifications:*

   - A completed PhD within the last 3 years in a relevant discipline (e.g.
   computer/information science, engineering, economics, public policy,
   communication policy, etc.).
   - PhD dissertation or subsequent research related to explainability and
   evaluation of AI based tools used in content moderation.
   - Demonstrated research experience in the form of peer reviewed
   publications or conference papers, etc.
   - Experience and ability to work in an interdisciplinary research team.
   - Some experience in systems design and implementation.
   - Experience in research design and implementation, including
   experimental and/or quantitative methods.
   - Excellent writing skills for technical, policy, and lay audiences.
   - Genuine curiosity with an imaginative approach to research design and
   implementation.

*Desired Qualifications*

   - Excellent public speaking skills and experience that can deliver CDT’s
   research and policy positions to a wide range of audiences.
   - Experience preparing successful funding proposals for research.
   - Expertise in others areas of CDT’s work, including privacy,
   surveillance, open internet issues, and cybersecurity and standards.
   - A critical understanding of how technology, policy, and law may have a
   disparate impact on individuals and communities based on race, gender,
   disability, income, immigration status, or other circumstances or
   characteristics.
   - Good data visualization skills.

*Compensation and Benefits*

Salary is competitive with public interest and government pay scales. CDT
provides a generous benefits package that includes health care and dental
coverage, a retirement plan, paid vacation, sick days, and parental leave.

*To Apply*

Please send the following to hr at cdt.org:

   1. Cover letter,
   2. Full CV,
   3. One writing sample (e.g., a published paper), and
   4. A short research proposal (no more than 1 page) describing how you
   will address the topic above including your research question(s), methods,
   and expected outputs.
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