Polling Analyst

Office: 3 days/week in South Loop office Reports to: Principal About Tavern Research Tavern Research is a political tech startup building tools and insights to help our customers win elections and make better, evidence-based decisions. We specialize in scaling expert human work, such as content generation and survey research to support thoughtful, data-driven civic engagement. We're a venture-backed, mission-driven, fast-moving, and mostly technical team focused on supporting campaigns and organizations working to strengthen democratic participation. We are experimental by design and expect every team member to continuously improve how they work using new tools and technology. Everything else is on our website. If you still have questions, let us know when you apply! About You You're curious, adaptable and are excited by AI’s real-world impact and taking on hard problems. You thrive in high-stakes environments, learning on the fly, and delivering under pressure. Skills matter more than credentials (we don’t care if you dropped out of school), and political experience is a plus but not required. If our mission at Tavern Research resonates with you, we encourage you to apply — even if you don’t check every box! About the Role You’ll be joining our fast-growing team as a Polling Analyst at the center of our public opinion research operations. In this role, you’ll design and field political polls, analyze crosstabs, track opinion trends across electoral cycles, and deliver findings that provide critical insights to campaigns and organizations. You’ll also translate polling data into messaging guidance and strategic recommendations that shape how our clients communicate and engage their audiences. This position is ideal for someone who thinks in likely voter models and demographic splits, and is eager to apply rigorous polling methodology to real-world political challenges. You’ll work directly with our customer delivery team to turn survey and polling data into actionable insights that help our clients win. We value in-person work and expect employees based in Chicago to work regularly from our South Loop office. We also welcome candidates based in Washington, DC. Responsibilities Manage survey fieldwork and data collection processes, maintaining data quality, sample integrity, and timely delivery of research projects Clean, process, and analyze survey data, applying weighting, coding, and statistical methods to produce reliable research deliverables and key insights Develop and refine survey questionnaires and research instruments, including question wording, ordering, response scale design, and validity checks to ensure actionable results Design and field surveys and polls using our proprietary research tools, applying best practices in sampling methodology, instrument design, and fieldwork management Use generative AI to improve your efficiency and develop advanced workflows Assist in creating memos and presentations to effectively communicate research findings Use research findings to inform and shape client communication strategies, including messaging guidance and audience targeting recommendations Qualifications 2+ years of experience in survey research, polling, or applied research methodology — including questionnaire design, fieldwork, and data analysis Solid understanding of and strong interest in electoral politics and how public opinion research informs political strategy Experience writing in R or Python Excellent organizational skills and ability to manage multiple research projects simultaneously under tight deadlines in a fast-paced political environment Experience using and optimizing your workflow with generative AI To be explicit: you don’t need a degree to work here. You just need to be exceptional at the things we’re asking from you. Benefits Unlimited PTO Office closed for all federal holidays Equity Tavern Research is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. The pay range for this role is: 88,300 - 108,900 USD per year (Chicago, IL) #J-18808-Ljbffr Tavern Research