Position Overview

We’re seeking a Science Writer to communicate our story, and the stories of our clients, in a way that is compelling, informative, and accurate. This is a rare opportunity to work with a number of exciting and under-analyzed data sets in high-profile areas—such as climate change, worker safety, and the pandemic—in order to realize our goal of social justice, at scale.

 

While this position will be a first for our 20 year old technology firm, we’ll rely on you to communicate our findings in a way that makes them:

More accessible, by translating data into broadly understandable information;
More meaningful, by finding the story in our analyses of indicators over time and geography; and
More useful, by expanding the ability for local community organizations to make meaningful change.

To further understand what we do and what we’re looking for, check out:

• Our blog post “Beyond Data Visualizations: Storytelling and Machine Learning for Data-Informed Social Action”.
• The Guardian, “Bussed Out: How America moves its homeless”

 

Expectations

Success in this position requires knowledge about the content and context of our work in data analysis and software development. In addition, we’re looking for these qualities:

• This is not an entry level position and, though we are open to applicants with non-traditional backgrounds, a portfolio of relevant and timely published work is essential.
• A master storyteller who understands the nuances of communication to multiple audiences who may have varied levels of knowledge. Broad experience communicating with the public is a must.
• Fluency in the statistics underlying good data visualization is a must; a background in research, data analysis, or statistics would be helpful.
• An ever-curious polymath who can confidently communicate what they do know and is unperturbed in asking about what they don’t yet know.
• Familiarity with infographics, maps, documentary photography, etc.
• The ability to provide your story in multiple formats for use across platforms as well as fluency in how to get stories placed in new and traditional media.
• A passion to learn more about our work, including its social, political, and human context.
• The good humor, insight, and patience to interact with our team of software designers, engineers, and technical project managers—as well as our clients—in order to develop the content we need for the stories we have to tell.
• Coding skills are very welcome, but not having those skills should not be seen as a barrier to joining us.

We have outstanding offices for any interested staff in both Brattleboro, VT, and Northampton, MA, but our positions can be fully remote regardless of the pandemic.

About Us

Incorporated in 2000, Green River is a custom web application development firm with a strong engineering focus, dedicated to social equity and environmental protection. We think of the internet as a societal nervous system—a growing global network of awareness and intelligence that we must put to good use. Helping to transform the market requires software skills, analytical experience, business sophistication, and a genuine commitment to ethics and social responsibility.

Our projects offer challenges in developing complex scalable algorithms and well-designed responsive user interfaces. We regularly evolve our approach to software development as new best practices emerge. Together, we’ve created a collaborative atmosphere in our company—shaping together the kind of work and lifestyle we want and fostering career paths through mentorship. This has resulted in exceptionally long-term relationships with both our clients and our staff.

We are transparent with our clients—we seek candidates who can take this on wholeheartedly, and like the rest of us, care deeply about our clients’ success. We look for team members who believe in working to make the world a better place, yet bring a grounded professionalism appropriate to our clients and the scale of our projects.

Next Steps

To be considered for this position, please submit:

• A cover letter
• Your resume
• A portfolio that demonstrates the work you’ve done—and that you’re capable of—including at least three published pieces.

These can all be uploaded via our online application system.

We offer excellent benefits, including 100% health insurance coverage, 5 weeks of paid time off, and a retirement profit sharing plan. Salary range is ~ $60,000 – $90,000 depending on experience.

Note: Please apply at https://bit.ly/31iQy0M

Green River is an Equal Opportunity Employer. In accordance with our beliefs and Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Green River will not discriminate against job candidates, employees, or clients based on race, creed, color, ethnic origin, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, or disability.