Climate Litigation Database Manager

Columbia University is seeking a Climate Litigation Database Manager for a one-year temporary position in New York, NY. The role involves developing and maintaining the Sabin Center's Climate Litigation Database, utilizing AI tools to enhance functionality and content quality. Responsibilities include database design, content addition, quality control, and analytics support. Candidates should have a relevant degree and 3-5 years of experience in database management or legal policy.
Job Type: Officer of Administration
Bargaining Unit:
Regular/Temporary: Temporary
End Date if Temporary: 1 year from start date
Hours Per Week: 35
Standard Work Schedule:
Building:
Salary Range: $90,000 - $110,000

The salary of the finalist selected for this role will be set based on a variety of factors, including but not limited to departmental budgets, qualifications, experience, education, licenses, specialty, and training. The above hiring range represents the University's good faith and reasonable estimate of the range of possible compensation at the time of posting.


Position Summary


The Sabin Center for Climate Change Law seeks a Climate Litigation Database Manager to play a central role in the development and maintenance of the world’s leading open-access climate litigation resource, the Sabin Center’s Climate Litigation Database. The role sits at the intersection of legal research and data management and involves working with AI-powered tools to improve database functionality, content quality, and analytical capacity.


This is a one-year position, with the possibility of renewal contingent on funding.


You can learn more about the Sabin Center here. More information about the Center’s climate litigation work is available here.



Responsibilities


The incumbent will work with the Center’s Faculty Director, Executive Director, and current Climate Litigation program staff, as well as with external partners, on the development and continuous improvement of the Climate Litigation Database, including its new AI-powered platform. In particular, the incumbent will:



Contribute to the design, development, expansion, and maintenance of the Climate Litigation Database, including its AI-powered features
Work with developers and external partners to conceptualize and implement features in the Climate Litigation Database that respond to legal and research needs
Work with other Climate Litigation staff to add new content to the database, including applying and refining taxonomies, methodologies, and analytical frameworks
Design and implement AI-assisted intake workflows, including tools to monitor news feeds and legal sources for new climate cases
Develop and maintain standardized case summary templates to ensure consistent, complete, and methodologically sound entries across jurisdictions
Implement and oversee AI-assisted tagging and categorization systems for case classification with human review workflows to ensure accuracy
Develop and maintain quality control protocols, including automated flagging of incomplete records, inconsistent data, and cases requiring status updates
Support analytics functions, including trend analysis across years and jurisdictions, time-to-resolution tracking, and cross-filtering by case attributes
Develop systems to streamline maintenance and improve automation and scalability of the platform
Oversee data quality and content standardization across jurisdictions
Identify opportunities to improve usability of the platform for researchers, legal practitioners, and the public


Minimum Qualifications



Bachelor’s degree or master’s degree in public policy, environmental studies, computer science, information technology, or a related field
3-5 years of relevant professional experience in database development or management, data quality workflows, legal policy or research, or related areas, such as project management; development or maintenance of websites, apps, or databases; and collaboration with data scientists and website engineers/designers


Preferred Qualifications



Familiarity with AI/ML tools, including classification, tagging, or automated workflow tools, particularly in a legal, research, or policy context
Interest in and/or exposure to law, litigation, climate change law and policy
Demonstrated interest and experience in AI, information systems, climate change, environmental law/policy, and/or sustainability
Strong organizational and project management skills
Excellent writing and editing skills
Must be able to work with diverse constituencies and support an inclusive work environment.


Equal Opportunity Employer / Disability / Veteran


Columbia University is committed to the hiring of qualified local residents.