Careers
ACLED is growing and provides multiple paths for advancement. Many members of our management team started as data coders at ACLED and now work in a wide range of positions in both the Research & Communications and Programs & Operations departments.
ACLED is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate against employees or contractors based on race, color, religion, sex, gender, national origin, age, disability, or genetic information.
Please apply to any available openings through the portals linked below. Applications sent by email may not be processed.
Please take some time to review our Code of Conduct and Applicant FAQs below, and check back regularly for new opportunities.
Refer to our Privacy Notice to understand how we use and retain your data as an applicant.
Questions about ACLED job openings? Please contact: [email protected].
Applicant FAQs
If you are thinking of applying to one of ACLED’s open positions, please take a look at the following frequently asked questions and the ACLED team’s responses.
Does ACLED have a physical office?
ACLED is a fully remote organization and does not have a physical office. Employees and contractors work for ACLED from all over the world remotely.
Who can apply for ACLED positions?
Nationals of most countries can apply for ACLED positions and receive an employment offer in their country of residence. ACLED is registered in the United States, but thanks to the International Employer of Record services, we can hire employees in many countries around the world. If the position requires legal authorization to work in a specific country, it is indicated in the job advertisement. Please review the job advertisement carefully. Please also note any additional requirements and limitations to the role, such as the desired time zone or schedule.
Below is the list of countries where ACLED cannot hire employees. Please note that nationals of these countries might still be eligible for contractor positions.
- Afghanistan
- Burundi
- Central African Republic
- Cuba
- Democratic Republic of Congo
- Eritrea
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- Iran
- Iraq
- Liberia
- Libya
- Myanmar
- North Korea
- Papua New Guinea
- Republic of Congo
- Somalia
- South Sudan
- Sudan
- Syria
- Vanuatu
- Venezuela
- Yemen
- Zimbabwe
What does it mean when the position requires legal authorization to work in a specific country?
If the position requires legal authorization to work in a specific country, it means that you need to have the legal right to work in that country. This would require you to have citizenship or immigration status that allows you to work (permanent residence, indefinite leave to remain, work permit, etc.). If you do not meet these criteria, you are not eligible to work in that country. ACLED is not able to sponsor work visas at this time.
Where do I pay my taxes if I work remotely?
If you are applying for one of our employee positions, your taxes will be determined based on the information you provide for federal and state withholdings in your tax residence.
Contractors are responsible for determining their tax situation. ACLED does not take any taxes out of your invoice payments. It is your responsibility to ensure that you are in compliance with the local tax legislation. Please contact a tax professional familiar with tax laws in your home country with any questions.
The salary amounts ACLED offers are pre-tax.
How will the payments work if I am in a different country?
ACLED has contractors and employees all over the world, and thus we use different money transfer services to wire payments in the fastest and most convenient way possible, with the least amount of fees possible. Contractors are responsible for paying any conversion or banking fees. Contractors are paid in USD at a fixed rate, meaning it does not change as a function of currency exchange rates. Employees are paid in local currency via payroll in their country of residence.
Where do I submit my application?
Please submit your application via our recruitment software, BambooHR. Each position contains the link to apply. Please do not send us your resume and cover letter for open positions via email, as we are only considering applications submitted via the BambooHR portal. If you encounter any issues with submitting your application, please email our HR team with a description of the issue at [email protected].
Why are there no deadlines on your job advertisements?
ACLED reviews applications on a rolling basis. Typically, you can expect to hear from us within a month of applying if successful. The hiring process for some positions may take longer.
My applications have been unsuccessful for several of your positions. Can I ask for feedback regarding my application?
Due to the high volume of submissions, ACLED does not provide feedback on applications. Please do not contact us to ask for feedback, as we cannot accommodate such requests.
I fulfill all the requirements except for language skills. Should I still apply?
ACLED employees and contractors must have the language skills required in the job advertisement. If you do not fulfill the language requirement(s), please keep an eye our open positions for a more suitable position.
All skills listed as “required” or “essential” are eliminatory since they are required for the job. If a skill listed in the job description is noted as “preferred,” that means that it is not eliminatory, but preference will be given to candidates who possess that skill.
What should my CV and cover letter look like?
ACLED receives applications from all over the world, with a range of different CV and cover letter formats that follow different recruitment and application conventions. While we review all applications we receive, please consider the following guidelines when applying to ACLED positions:
- The following information is not required on your CV: age, gender, marital status, nationality, ethnicity, or photographs.
- Your CV should be tailored to the position for which you are applying, and it should include all relevant work and educational experience. Your CV should generally be up to two pages and include all languages you speak, including your native language.
- Your cover letter should be one to two pages in length, and it should contain more information about your relevant experience for the position as well as your interest in working with ACLED.
To whom should I address my cover letter?
Please address your cover letter to the HR department at ACLED.
In what language should my application be?
Please send your application in English.
What does the recruitment process look like?
Researcher (contractor) positions
After your application is received, our hiring team will review it. If you are shortlisted, an HR representative will reach out to you with a timed exercise that will determine your aptitude for coding. If you are successful, the HR representative will schedule an interview with the position supervisor and another ACLED representative. There are usually several candidates at this stage in the process. The interview will include a proficiency check for the required languages.
If you are selected for the position, you will receive an offer generally within a week following the interview. If you have not been successful, you will receive an email with the hiring outcome, generally about 10 days from the interview date. At this point, the candidates who did not make it past the exercise stage will be contacted as well. Due to the volume of applications, we do not contact the applicants who have not been invited to complete the exercise.
Non-researcher (employment) positions
After your application is received, the hiring team will review it. If you are shortlisted, an HR representative will reach out to you. The next step is generally an initial interview with an HR representative and possibly a representative of the department to which you are applying. If you are successful, you will be invited to complete an exercise that demonstrates your skills and language proficiency. In some cases, this step might come before the initial interview. Depending on the position, there will be either one or two more rounds of interviews.
If you are selected for the position, you will receive an offer generally within a week following the final interview. If you have not been successful, you will receive an email with the hiring outcome, generally about 10 days from the interview date. At this point, the candidates who did not make it past the exercise stage will be contacted as well. Due to the volume of applications, we do not contact the applicants who have not been invited to complete the exercise.
What currency should I use for the salary requirements?
If you are applying for a position that asks for salary requirements, please send the desired annual salary range in USD. Salaries in the US are listed in their pre-tax amounts.
What should my writing sample be?
For positions that require a writing sample, please select a piece that will demonstrate your writing skills relevant to the position for which you are applying. The most appropriate samples include professional blog pieces, briefs, or reports, as these most closely mirror ACLED analytical products. Please only submit writing samples that have not been formally edited by a third-party editor. Writing samples ought to be written solely by the applicant (i.e., do not submit a jointly authored article edited by a third party). The point is to understand your writing abilities.
Can I submit an unsolicited application?
ACLED does not accept unsolicited applications. Please keep an eye on our open opportunities for positions that fit your skills and experience. We frequently post new positions, so please check back if there is nothing suitable at the moment. Follow us on X, Facebook, and LinkedIn, where we announce all new positions.
Who should I contact if I have further questions?
Please direct any recruitment-related communications to [email protected].
Does ACLED offer internships?
ACLED does not offer internships at the moment. If we start offering them in the future, they will be posted on our in our open positions.
Can I apply to a position that has already closed?
If a position has closed, the selection process has already started, and we will not be accepting new applications.
