Services Researcher (LA)

About Project Healthy Minds
 
Project Healthy Minds is a mental health nonprofit that runs like a tech startup. We are pioneering a first-of-its-kind model: applying technology to address one of the biggest social issues of our time: the growing mental health crisis. We believe in a simple but profound idea: that it should be as easy to find mental health services as it is to book a flight or a restaurant reservation. That's why we're building the world’s first digital marketplace for finding mental health services that are right for you. 
 
To do that, we work with some of the most inspiring and influential leaders in America - business titans, tech entrepreneurs, clinicians and scientists, musicians, artists, athletes, media stars, policymakers, and more - because we believe that the world's most complex challenges require interdisciplinary teams and solutions.
 
We are backed by a powerhouse of industry-leading Board of Directors and Advisory Council Members who are passionate, hands-on, and dive into the important work with us.
 
Learn more atprojecthealthyminds.com and @projecthealthyminds on social.
 
About The Engagement
 
• Based in the US (ideally NYC)
• ~20 hours a week, set with the Services Research Manager.
• Initial 90-day contract, with the option to extend as we add locations.
 
About The Role
 
WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR
 
People come to Project Healthy Minds to find mental health services they can trust. We're growing – going beyond national services and building local listings. Each listing has to get the details right: the address, the hours, who the service is for, expectations around costs, and whether the service meets the screening criteria our Clinical Advisory Committee (CAC) sets for that type of service. You'll do the research behind those listings, working with our Services Research Manager to grow our services directory.
 
WHAT YOU'LL DO
 
• Verify and complete service records: address, hours, contact details, costs, insurance, and other tags in our data model.
• Label services against our screening criteria, quoting the evidence for each answer. 
• Find services we don't list yet as we build each new location.
• Note any service that doesn't fit our data model and explain what doesn't fit.
 
WHAT YOU'LL BRING
 
• You've done research where accuracy mattered and you had to cite your sources, such as at a 211 or resource directory, in fact-checking, on a civic data team, or in a library.
• You're comfortable contacting organizations you don't know and getting clear answers from whoever responds.
• You follow a written procedure closely, and you speak up when it doesn't fit what you're finding.
• You're organized in spreadsheets and careful with details.
• You're comfortable with AI tools and check their output before you trust it.
• You care about the person on the other end: someone looking for help, often on a hard day, who can't afford a wrong phone number or a clinic that closed last year.
 
NICE TO HAVE
 
• Spanish or another language besides English.
• Training in social work, counseling, or public health, or experience working in mental health services.
 
The hourly rate for this role is $25 to $40, depending on experience.
  
Due to the high volume of applications received, only those selected for an interview will be contacted. We ask for a short paid work sample so we can see how you research a real service and handle the judgment calls. We review this over a live video call.