Multi-State Conflict Analysis - Desk Research Consultant Resilient States Project

Summary 

Common Ground USA (CG-USA) is seeking a consultant to conduct a desk research-based conflict analysis of five states. The analysis will look into the historic and emergent political, economic, and socio-cultural context of each state, with special focus on:

The underlying risk factors and trends of political violence in each state, and 

The local abilities or potential to prepare for anticipated political polarization and violence, adapt to changing political conditions while maintaining community bonds, and bounce back quickly from harmful incidents.  

Context

Common Ground USA 

Common Ground USA (CG-USA) fosters collaboration across differences to address America’s most significant challenges and build a society where everyone can belong and thrive. As part of Search for Common Ground, with 40 years of global conflict resolution experience, CG-USA transforms conflict into cooperation with programming focused in the United States. At CG-USA, we believe that most Americans want to overcome the divisions we face in our society and that we all have a role to play. Engaging across political and other divides, we view disagreement as an opportunity to transform conflict into cooperation and solve our most pressing problems. All of our work is rooted in an evidence base where we strengthen the five vital signs of peace: safety, social cohesion, institutional legitimacy, personal agency, and resourcing peace.

The Project 

The Resilient States Project is a collaboration between CG-USA and Over Zero that convenes and empowers broad-based networks of diverse leaders to build resilience and mitigate risks for division and political violence in key states (currently: Arizona, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Texas). Our networks unite diverse leaders across various sectors, ideologies, and geographies. These networks collaborate to mitigate divisions and risks of conflict within their states and unify their communities. 

From 2022 to 2025, the first phase of this project’s four pilot states demonstrated the promise and potential of the Resilient State model in mobilizing and coordinating new and diverse leaders to reduce risks and harms in their states. This next phase of the project will expand to new states and contexts, further incorporating lessons learned across the project.

Goals and Objectives

The goal of this study is to better understand the conflict dynamics in new state contexts by identifying key risks and trends of political violence in five states (Likely including: New York, California, Virginia, Minnesota, and Colorado). The study should address the following primary research questions for each state: 

• What are the historic and emergent political, economic, and socio-cultural contexts of each state?
• What are the significant risks for conflict and trends around political violence (including group-targeted violence, and election or partisan violence)? Which areas (counties, municipalities, cities) are the most likely sites for political violence in the state?
• Who are the key conflict actors, including actors or groups who are likely to initiate or condone acts of political violence as well as actors and groups (especially non-governmental actors such as community structures, civil society groups, leaders, etc.) who can or already act to mitigate risks for political violence? In which areas (counties, municipalities, cities) are these actors based or mobilized from?
• What opportunities exist within each state to strengthen resilience to political violence? (Resilience is defined as: local abilities or potential to prepare for anticipated political polarization and violence, adapt to changing political conditions while maintaining community bonds, and lead communities to healing following harmful incidents.)

• Assess what data:
• already exists and can be accessed through a desk review; 
• must be collected, how, and with what tools; 
• What indicators can answer the primary research questions? 
• Conduct a desk review and analysis of available, relevant quantitative and qualitative data;
• Design an analysis framework.
• Complete the reports listed below, and
• Attend regular check-in meetings with project staff.

• An inception report that reflects anticipated methodology for how the consultant can answer primary research questions through desk research (including key sources, timeline, and in-state areas of concern) and what data requires additional inquiry;
• Based on desk research of available data, a detailed conflict analysis for each state that includes:
• Significant dynamics of conflict, including risks for and trends around political violence, in each target state;
• Areas (counties, municipalities, cities) in target states that are most at risk;
• Key conflict actors, including actors or groups who are likely to initiate or condone acts of political violence, as well as actors and groups who can or already act to prevent or respond to political and electoral violence; and
• Any gaps or areas for further investigation 
• Based on further investigation identified through Desk Research and in collaboration with CG-USA and other members of the project team, identify gaps and remaining data needs, as well as recommendations for future in-state study. 

• The consultant must be US based. This research role will be remote. 

• The consultant (s) will be responsible for organizing their own logistics and research costs; these costs must be reasonably budgeted for in the proposal. A CG-USA staff member will serve as the point of contact and manager for this assessment. 

• Additionally, the Resilient States Project team will share background materials, including survey data, comparative state desk reviews, and other relevant insights from the Resilient States Project.

• The contract will span August-September 2025. Candidates should include their anticipated level of effort in their proposal. 

• Candidates are encouraged to submit a budget based on deliverables or a proposed daily/hourly rate (with estimated total level of effort) as part of their application.

• More than five years of experience in a combination of the following areas is required:
• Expertise in one or more of the following areas of study: political violence, conflict dynamics, and related socio-political issues in the United States.
• Demonstrated strong quantitative and qualitative research and analytical skills.
• Excellent writing, editing, and communication skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively with diverse groups and individuals, including across political differences.
• Familiarity with relevant US data sets. 
• Experience with threat assessments. 
• Strong project management skills.

• Strong candidates will also possess the following qualities: more than eight years of experience, specifically in analysis within the fields of political violence prevention, peacebuilding, democracy/governance, or the non-profit sector.
• In addition, the consultant is required to respect the following Ethical Principles:
• Comprehensive and systematic inquiry: The Consultant should utilize the existing information and the full range of stakeholders available at the time of the review. Consultants should conduct systematic, data-based inquiries. They should clearly and in sufficient detail communicate their methods and approaches to enable others to understand, interpret, and critique their work. They should make clear the limitations of the review and its results.
• Competence: A Consultant should possess the abilities, skills, and experience appropriate to undertake the tasks proposed and should practice within the limits of their professional training and competence.
• Honesty and integrity: Consultants should be transparent about any conflict of interest, any changes made to the negotiated project plan and the reasons for those changes, and any risk that certain procedures or activities may produce misleading review information.
• Respect: Consultants should respect the security, dignity, and self-worth of program participants. The consultant has the responsibility to be sensitive to and respect differences among participants in terms of culture, religion, gender, disability, age, and ethnicity.

• Consultants should include a proposal for review. Consultant proposals will be selected for:
• Relevance of their expression of interests as it relates to the applicant’s ability to meet the goal, objectives, and research questions for the assessment;
• Qualifications; and
• Proposed budget in relation to proposed methodology and deliverables.

Applications

To apply, interested candidates (individuals or teams) are requested to submit the following two documents:

1. Curriculum vitae.

2. Expression of intent outlining the following: (1) any relevant research and analysis experience; (2) a budget and/or proposed pay rate; and (3) any other relevant experience as applicable to these terms of reference.

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities. 

Ethical Considerations

Consultancy activities should conform to Do No Harm and inclusion principles (i.e., age, gender/gender identity, sexuality, ethnicity, race, religion, ideology, etc.). The consultant will also be asked to sign Search for Common Ground’s Code of Conduct.

In addition, the consultancy should be conducted in a manner that builds and maintains the Resilient States Project’s relationships and legitimacy with partners and actors in the geographical area of study. Nothing in the study design or execution should suggest, or give the appearance of telling, that the Resilient States Project team, its partners, Common Ground USA, or Search for Common Ground as a whole are participating in political activity or lobbying that would violate the requirements of their 501(c)(3) nonprofit status. The Resilient States Project team also requires consultants to maintain a balanced, unbiased, and respectful relationship with all parties involved in the research.

As job descriptions cannot be exhaustive, the position holder may be required to undertake other duties that are broadly in line with the above key responsibilities. 

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Only applicants invited for an interview will be contacted. No phone calls, please. Please see our website www.sfcg.org for full details of our work. All Search Employees must adhere to the values: Collaboration- Audacity - Tenacity - Empathy - Results. In accordance with these values, Search enforces compliance with the Code of Conduct and related policies on Anti Workplace Harassment, Protection from Exploitation and Abuse, Child Safeguarding, Conflict of Interest, and Anti-fraud. Search is committed to safeguarding the interests, rights, and well-being of children, youth, and vulnerable adults with whom it is in contact and to conducting its programs and operations in a manner that is safe for children, youth, and vulnerable adults.  Search for Common Ground does not and shall not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion (creed), gender, gender expression, age, national origin (ancestry), disability, marital status, sexual orientation, or military status, in any of its activities or operations. View our code of conduct here and our privacy policy here.

Les descriptifs de pouvant ne pouvant être exhaustifs, le titulaire du poste pourra être amené à entreprendre d'autres tâches qui correspondent globalement aux responsabilités clés ci-dessus.

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Seuls les candidats invités à un entretien seront contactés. Pas d'appels téléphoniques s'il vous plaît. Veuillez consulter notre site Web www.sfcg.org pour tous les détails de notre mission.

Tous les employés de Search doivent adhérer aux valeurs de Search : Collaboration- Audace - Ténacité - Empathie - Résultats. Conformément à ces valeurs, Search fait respecter le code de conduite et les politiques connexes sur la lutte contre le harcèlement au travail, la protection contre l'exploitation et les abus, la protection des enfants, les conflits d'intérêts et la lutte contre la fraude. Search s'engage à préserver les intérêts, les droits et le bien-être des enfants, des jeunes et des adultes vulnérables avec lesquels elle est en contact et à mener ses programmes et ses opérations d'une manière qui soit sûre pour les enfants, les jeunes et les adultes vulnérables.

Search for Common Ground ne fait pas et ne doit pas faire de discrimination fondée sur la race, la couleur, la religion (croyance), le sexe, l'expression de genre, l'âge, l'origine nationale (ascendance), le handicap, l'état matrimonial, l'orientation sexuelle ou le statut militaire, dans aucune de ses activités ou opérations.

Consultez notre code de conduite ici et notre politique de confidentialité ici.

Dado que la descripción de funciones no puede ser exhaustiva, el titular del puesto puede tener que realizar otras tareas que coinciden en líneas generales con las responsabilidades clave mencionadas.

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Sólo se contactará con los candidatos invitados a una entrevista. Se agradece no recibir llamadas telefónicas. Consulte nuestro sitio web www.sfcg.org para conocer todos los detalles de nuestro trabajo. Todos los empleados de Search deben adherirse a los valores de la organización: Colaboración - Audacia - Tenacidad - Empatía - Resultados. De acuerdo con estos valores, Search hace cumplir el Código de Conducta y las políticas relacionadas con luchar contra el acoso en el lugar de trabajo, la protección contra la explotación y el abuso, la protección de la infancia, los conflictos de intereses y la lucha contra el fraude. Search se compromete a salvaguardar los intereses, derechos y bienestar de los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables con los que está en contacto y a llevar a cabo sus programas y operaciones de una manera que sea segura para los niños, jóvenes y adultos vulnerables.  Search for Common Ground no discrimina ni discriminará por motivos de raza, color, religión (credo), género, expresión de género, edad, origen nacional (ascendencia), discapacidad, estado civil, orientación sexual o condición militar, en ninguna de sus actividades u operaciones. Consulte nuestro código de conducta aquí y nuestra política de privacidad aquí.