Request for Proposals: Newsroom Technical Support Services

Freedom of the Press Foundation (FPF), which maintains the SecureDrop open source whistleblower submission platform, is looking for part-time technical support services.

We will soon encourage more newsrooms to migrate to the SecureDrop Workstation based on Qubes OS. We will support newsrooms in this process to ensure a smooth transition. In addition, this short-term contract is designed to augment our day-to-day support capacity.

Note that SecureDrop is installed by news organizations on their premises, and FPF (by design) does not have the ability to access their installation directly. Support therefore often involves analysis of logs or error output, or offering instructions via tickets and phone calls.

Scope of work

• Provide technical assistance to news organizations using SecureDrop via our support portal and other secure communications methods.
• Assist news organizations and journalists in migrating to the SecureDrop Workstation, including hardware selection, OS installation, SecureDrop Workstation setup, and onboarding.
• Participate in client intake calls and document outcomes and follow-up.
• Write end-user and internal documentation to address recurring support inquiries.
• Escalate support inquiries within the SecureDrop team as necessary, including filing bug reports and tickets for improvements based on user feedback.

Desired qualifications

• A BA/BSc degree in computer science or related field, or equivalent work or educational experience.
• Experience working with Git-based version control, issue trackers, and ticketing systems.
• Solid tech fundamentals: comfort working on the Linux/Unix command line, working knowledge of computer networking.
• Patience, empathy, and excellent written and in-person communications skills, ideally as demonstrated in a previous IT/tech support role.

Nice to have:

• Experience with Qubes OS.
• Participation in open source projects (not necessarily code contributions: e.g., contribution to discussion forums, translations, bug reports).

Term of contract

This is a part-time, hourly contract. The contract will commence on a mutually agreeable date no later than Oct. 15 for a duration of six months.

Payments and schedule

The contractor will be paid at a rate of USD$55/hour, up to 20 hours/week, invoiced monthly. The contractor will be solely responsible for paying any and all taxes incurred as a result of their compensation.

Five (5) hours of daily overlap with U.S. Eastern Time core business hours is required (9 a.m.-5 p.m.), with special consideration for SecureDrop status meetings and stand-ups that take place daily at noon ET.