Elections Quality Control Editor (Newsperson)

The Associated Press is an independent global news organization dedicated to factual reporting. Founded in 1846, AP today remains the most trusted source of fast, accurate, unbiasednews in all formats and the essential provider of the technology and services vital to the news business. More than half the world's population sees AP journalism every day.

The Associated Press seeks a skilled project manager, researcher or reporter/editor with experience in editorial research and U.S. elections to serve as an elections research quality control editor. In this role, and as a leader in the tabulation and research group of AP's Elections Services team, you will have the primary responsibility of using research into U.S. elections - from candidate backgrounds to election laws to advance vote statistics - to facilitate efficient and effective quality control and editing of AP's vote count. This position is covered by AP's agreement with the News Media Guild and is based in Washington, D.C., although exceptional candidates in other locations will be considered.

Responsibilities: Reporting to the director of tabulation and research, you'll join a team of researchers, data scientists, developers, journalists and others who make up AP's Elections Services team. Working with those colleagues, you will help design, conduct and coordinate the use of election research data and quality control vote check programs to prepare our overall elections services team for election night. You will help lead the efforts to conduct fast, thorough and flexible quality control of the AP vote count once polls are closed.

Our existing elections research and quality control efforts are extensive. You'll be part of a team that plans for AP's operations around state and federal elections, manages the compilation of a wide variety of elections-related data, and applies programmatic and human checks to election night results as they are collected and published. You will oversee our efforts to fine tune dozens of vote checks and the research variables they rely on. You'll be a leader on the team that does that work today, and does it well. But you're also someone who isn't satisfied with the status quo. You'll constantly assess what information is needed to ensure the data and journalism that makes up AP's vote count is unfailingly accurate, trimming that which is no longer relevant while looking for - and collecting - that which is essential.

Required Qualifications:

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, such as at least one year of full-time work as a project manager, editorial researcher or reporter. Experience working in the newsroom is a plus but not a requirement.
• All applicants must be able to work in the U.S. or be able to gain permission to do so.
• AP's Elections Services team uses a variety of proprietary tools in its operations, but strong proficiency with the Microsoft Office suite of tools - including Copilot - and OpenAI's Chat GPT is preferred. Experience with SQL is a plus.
• The ability and willingness to work at night and on weekends, as AP is a 24/7 operation and polls almost always close after the end of the business day.
• Advanced-level professional competency in written and spoken English. Professional competency in a language besides English is a plus.

Preferred Qualifications: First and foremost, we're looking for a researcher who knows where to find information about U.S. elections and is obsessed with ensuring that information is accurate. You embrace the ideal that smart work before Election Day ensures correct work once polls close. You abhor mistakes but love developing processes to prevent them, and you'll work with your teammates to ensure those that AP may make once are never repeated.

We're also looking for someone with strong coordination and communication skills who can understand and deliver on the needs of a wide and diverse group of stakeholders of AP's election research - from internal users to customers. You'll be able to prioritize the needs of those stakeholders and work with the tabulation and research team to design a research and quality control effort that serves the sometimes competing needs of all who consume our data.

You thrive in a fast-paced environment: During a busy election season, AP will count the vote in thousands of races contested by tens of thousands of candidates. You might not have extensive experience in U.S. elections, but you've got the ability to learn quickly from subject matter experts and become one yourself.

You understand that there's always more to know, and you expect to learn from your teammates in addition to sharing what you know. You're looking for a collegial environment that involves consistent communication, and you enjoy sharing ideas with people from diverse backgrounds, areas of expertise and experience.

We will consider strong candidates who do not meet every listed qualification. You may use a cover letter to describe the unique qualifications you would bring to this role.

This position is covered by The Associated Press' contract with the News Media Guild, which provides for an annual salary for Class A staff of between $53,477 and $85,214 based on location and years of professional experience. Additional compensation is negotiable based on a job candidate's skills, qualifications and market location.Employees are eligible to participate, according to the terms of the official plan documents, in a 401(k) plan and employer-sponsored health insurance plan, and are eligible for paid time off and holidays in accordance with AP policy.

Application deadline is August 11, 2025, at 11:59PM EST.

AP seeks to build an inclusive organization grounded in respect for differences. We support all aspects of diversity and provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, marital status, national origin, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability, status as a veteran, or other characteristic protected by law.