Senior Case and Policy Officer

About the Oversight Board

The Oversight Board makes binding and independent decisions about the most challenging content issues on Facebook and Instagram.  Members of the Board include Helle Thorning-Schmidt, former Prime Minister of Denmark, Tawakkol Karman, Nobel Peace Prize Winner, Michael McConnell, Director of Stanford’s Constitutional Law Center, and may other diverse leaders and thinkers from around the world.  The Board issued its first decisions in January 2021.

The Oversight Board Administration is the team of full-time staff who supports Board Members in carrying out their duties. The Administration has a presence in London, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and operates with a global scope.

You can learn more about the Board at www.oversightboard.com.

Role

Joining the Oversight Board Administration is a chance to be part of an organization which is leading on some of the most challenging issues facing the tech industry and society.

This is a 14-month fixed term position and the role reports to the Deputy Head of the Case and Policy Team for the Oversight Board.

Under the supervision of the Deputy Head of the Case and Policy Team, you will play a crucial role ensuring the Board has the information it requires to render well-reasoned and consistent decisions and policy guidance. You will work closely with colleagues in the Program Management, Case Selection and Data and Implementation Teams, including through cross-functional working groups to contribute to the goals of the broader content team.

You will be proactively engaged in the fast-moving fields of content governance, trust and safety, and human rights, and related fields of regulation. Working with project managers to keep the Board’s processes moving, you will primarily ensure the Board has swift access to expertise it needs. This includes through developing impact assessments and engaging in primary research to develop concise written and oral briefings related to cases and policy advisories. It also involves identifying needs and engaging external experts to provide information to the Board. It will require identifying information to seek from Meta, and evaluating their responses, including on technical issues. You will assist the Board in drafting impact-oriented decisions and recommendations. As a Senior Case and Policy Officer, you will be a problem solver, identifying solutions to process challenges and complex policy questions in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders.

This role will be based at the either of the Administration's US and UK locations of San Francisco, Washington D.C., or London. Oversight Board offers flexible hybrid remote working, so we welcome applications for those based ​across West Coast or East Coast US states to allow for collaboration of time zone.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced policy expertise and substantive support to the Oversight Board in developing decisions in cases and policy positions, serving as the main focal point for panels.
• Research, draft, and present briefing materials to the Board, sourcing additional external expertise, assisting the Board in questioning and evaluating Meta’s policies and content governance practices and recommending changes.
• Support the Board Members drafting case decisions and policy advisory opinions (PAOs).
• Be proactively engaged in academic and civil society discussions on Meta’s content policies and enforcement practices, and key developments and trends in the field of content governance, in relation to the Board’s strategic priorities, planned scope expansion, and regulation.
• Coordinate with project managers to assist Oversight Board Members through the process of deliberating and deciding cases and PAOs.
• Develop research agenda to support Board Members, including through leading or participating in cross-functional working groups on delivery of the strategy.
• Contribute to evaluating and improving the team’s internal processes and case management tool (CMT) for delivery of the strategy.
• Coordinate with the communications team to engage external experts in civil society most affected by Meta’s operations.

Skills and Experience

The Oversight Board Administration values diversity of experience. Candidates should have a strong combination of several of the following skills, competencies and experience:

• Degree educated, preferably at a master’s level, in a discipline relevant to content governance by social media and its impacts on societies. Preference for a specialization in social science, data science, or law.

• A passion for freedom of expression and transparent and accountable social media companies, with a demonstrated professional interest in social media companies’ impacts on individuals and societies globally.

• Knowledge and experience of social media companies’ approaches to trust and safety and the design and evaluation of at-scale systems for content governance (including automated systems), and/or knowledge of human rights law, including the human rights responsibilities of technology companies.

• Experience working within and building institutions committed to effectively pursuing accountability and transparency through fair processes.

• Excellent written and oral communications skills, with experience explaining complex concepts, including technical or legal concepts, to a range of stakeholders, including high-level decision makers.

• Experience of participating in, and/or leading, collaborative drafting processes across time zones.

• Committed to promoting equality and inclusion, with experience integrating gender analysis to policy development.

• Excellent time management skills, with a flexible and pragmatic mindset and ability to prioritize in a fast-moving environment with an eye on achieving impact.

• Significant experience in building sustainable and effective stakeholder relationships.

• Experience of working in multiple countries and/or diverse multinational workplaces.

• Knowledge of multiple languages preferable.

What we can offer you

As well as a competitive annual salary of circa $140,000, we also offer an excellent market leading benefits package, covering a variety of areas, both professional and personal. These benefits include:

• A generous 12% employer contribution towards the 401(k) plan with no requirement for you to contribute;
• Progressive family friendly benefits including a robust paid parental leave policy;
• Comprehensive short-term and long-term disability, life assurance and business travel insurance packages providing financial support in events of ill health, injury etc;
• A generous childcare subsidy to provide financial support for eligible childcare costs;
• A generous home working and commuting allowance to provide financial support for remote and/or office working;
• An extensive healthcare package including medical, dental and vision plans offering coverage for you and your family;
• A training allowance to support both your continuous professional development and professional membership;
• 5 study leave days per calendar year to support professional development;
• 22 days of paid time off per calendar year in addition to statutory public holidays;
• 2 'recharge' paid vacation days per calendar year;
• 2 'personal' paid vacation days per calendar year
• Festive season time off (between Christmas and New Years)
• A holistic wellbeing support plan encompassing a variety of offerings to assist you. We provide you with an allowance to fund activities to best support your wellbeing as well as workshops and training to provide tools and guidance. Additionally, there is a wide-ranging employee assistance programme available to advise on personal, family or financial matters, and also fun social events all year round.

Oversight Board is committed to promoting equal opportunities in employment. You will receive equal treatment regardless of age, mental or physical disability, gender, gender expression or gender identity (including transgender status), gender reassignment, marital or civil partner status, pregnancy (including childbirth and related medical conditions) or maternity, race, colour, creed, nationality, ancestry, citizenship status, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, military and veteran status, protected medical condition as defined by applicable state or local law, genetic information, and any other characteristic protected by applicable federal, state, or local laws and ordinances.

We welcome all applications for this role. You will only be contacted if you have been shortlisted for this position. Please see our privacy notice here.

If you would like to keep updated with the work of the Oversight Board and future opportunities, please follow us on our LinkedIn page.