Job Opportunities

Want to play a role in saving our democracy?

Want to have an extraordinary experience and opportunity to work at the Project's spectacular Montana mountain retreat?

The Project maintains a modest staff primarily composed of recent college graduates dedicated to the PVS mission of voter education and candidate accountability. All staff commit to work through the next general election, at a minimal salary. The Project Vote Smart pledge, signed by all staff, commits individuals to absolute impartiality, respect and deference toward all citizens and professional integrity in refusing any kind of financial gain resulting from association with PVS.

It is essential that you believe in the mission of PVS, and that the contributions you make to your country and the extensive experience you gain will make it worthwhile. PVS provides medical benefits, as well as the most extraordinary experience of your life!

If you are interested in contributing to this effort, please send your cover letter, resume and three references to the address below, or e-mail them (as Microsoft Word or rich text attachments) to jobs@vote-smart.org. Please indicate the position for which you are applying.

Human and Office Resources Director
Project Vote Smart
One Common Ground
Philipsburg, MT 59858
E-mail:jobs@vote-smart.org

Unless otherwise noted, all positions are at our Philipsburg, MT, office. Project Vote Smart is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Please see our equal opportunity policy for more details.

Job Listings:

Job Title: Information Technology Director
Posted: 2008-07-21
Job Location: Philipsburg, MT or Tucson, AZ
Job Description: The IT Director's role stretches from management to in-the-trenches lead for all IT projects, providing code and design reviews, technical guidance, and quality monitoring, along with mentoring of team members. He/she should be proficient with open source software and prefer developing in an open source environment.

Applicants should be willing to commit through the 2010 general election.

Technical Skill Requirements:
* Proficient with Linux, FreeBSD, OpenBSD
* Experience with Java. JSP, Struts experience a plus
* Proficiency with SVN, CVS
* Experience with PHP and CSS
* Able to write administrative scripts (perl, bash, sh).
* Experience with Webservers (lighttp, apache)
* Experience with Samba
* MTAs (qmail and postfix)
* Familiarity with Firewalls (ipf, pf)
* Familiarity with networking and IOS
* Proficiency with SQL, PostgreSQL experience a plus
* Knowledgeable of database design principles
* Experience working with and troubleshooting hardware
* Hardware RAID experience a plus

Applicants must possess strong written and oral communication skills, and be dedicated to the Project's mission of voter education and candidate accountability.

Job Title: Research Assistant
Posted: 2008-07-21
Job Location: Philipsburg, MT
Job Description: Project Vote Smart is hiring Research Assistants for the 2008 Election Cycle. We are seeking applicants with a strong background in Political Science, experience in researching political issues, and a solid knowledge of current events. The applicant must be detail-oriented, have strong oral communication skills, and be dedicated to the Project's mission of voter education and candidate accountability.

Research Assistant responsibilities may include, but will not be limited to:

-Administering our Political Courage Test to candidates, tracking candidates for all federal and state elections, tracking and entering test results in our database.

-Compiling performance evaluations and endorsements of candidates and elected officials from special interest groups.

-Collecting contact, biographical and issue position information for federal, state and local elected officials and candidates.

-Researching and collecting public statements for the President, Vice President, Governors, Congress, the Presidential Cabinet and candidates for these respective offices.

Project Vote Smart's staff is composed of highly committed, idealistic recent college graduates. The wages are low, but we offer an extraordinary experience in an extraordinary place.

Job Title: Information Technology Assistant
Posted: 2008-07-18
Job Location: Philipsburg, MT
Job Description: Located high in the Montana Rocky Mountains, at an exclusive retreat research center, the Project is seeking Information Technology Staff with a keen interest in the political process.

Responsibilities
* Monitor, maintain, and expand the Project's website
* Maintain current applications and assist in future development
* Provide technical troubleshooting

Requirements:
* Experience supporting users
* Working knowledge of UNIX/Linux

Attributes preferred:
* Familiarity with scripting/programming (bash, perl, python, java, C/C++)
* BS/MS or equivalent
* Familiarity with webservers, DNS, MTAs, and firewalls
* Experience with web technologies (PHP, XML, JSP, Perl)
* Proficiency in SQL and database design principles