User Support & Market Intelligence Specialist (China)

LOCATION: Remote

POSITION TYPE: Part-Time | Contract, Hourly| 10–15 hrs/week

HOURLY RATE: Negotiable

About Lantern

Lantern is a censorship circumvention tool and peer-to-peer network developed by Brave New Software Project, Inc., a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. With over 250 million downloads worldwide, primarily in countries facing extreme censorship and digital authoritarianism, Lantern helps people securely access the open internet. Brave New Software’s mission is to defend digital freedom by building tools that provide private, fast, reliable, and secure connections so users everywhere can freely seek information and share their stories with the world.

Position Summary

We are seeking a part-time User Support & Market Intelligence Specialist (China) to strengthen Lantern’s reach, reliability, and relevance for Chinese users. This role brings together user support, analytical market research, and technical collaboration to drive community engagement and strategic partnerships.

We’re looking for a candidate who is deeply attuned to online user behavior and emerging patterns in access and distribution patterns inside China, and capable of recognizing trends and translating them into actionable insights for our team. The ideal candidate will be both technically savvy and culturally fluent, able to bridge real-world user experiences with internal development priorities to improve Lantern’s effectiveness and impact.

Key Responsibilities

• User Feedback, Technical Analysis & Market Intelligence
  • Engage with trusted users and beta testers in China to gather feedback on Lantern’s usability and performance.
  • Monitor online discussions, forums, and app store reviews to identify trends, issues, and opportunities for improvement.
  • Create and escalate detailed technical issue tickets for the engineering team, ensuring real-world feedback informs product development.
  • Track and analyze activity across online communities and “airport” platforms to identify new configuration trends, user acquisition methods, and shifts in circumvention behavior.
  • Cultivate relationships and build credibility with “airport” operators, configuration-sharing forums, and related influencer circles to surface insights and explore integration or distribution opportunities for Lantern.
• Community Engagement & Content Localization
  • Support users on social media, forums, and messaging platforms by answering questions and troubleshooting issues.
  • Develop and share localized social media content, educational materials, updates, and user guides that resonate with Chinese audiences.
  • Translate and localize product updates, surveys, and support materials to ensure accessibility and clarity for users.
• Partnership Development & Outreach
  • Build and maintain relationships with diaspora organizations, independent media, online influencers, and civil society groups.
  • Identify organic promotional or distribution channels to raise awareness of Lantern and expand our user base.
  • Represent Lantern in virtual community meetings or events, and help seed relevant content on Lantern’s peer-to-peer Discover platform.
  • Collaborate with the internal team on partnership outreach strategy and contribute to grant reporting related to regional activities.

Required Qualifications

• Demonstrated experience in user support, community management, and user research, ideally within technology, digital rights, or related sectors.
• Strong technical and investigative skills, with the ability to analyze user-reported issues, perform basic network troubleshooting, identify emerging patterns in access and distribution, and collaborate effectively with engineering and marketing teams.
• Familiarity with VPNs, censorship circumvention tools, and digital security practices in restrictive environments.
• Proven ability to build and sustain relationships with diaspora communities, independent media, civil society groups, and online influencers to enhance visibility and engagement.
• Experience moderating or supporting online communities across social media, messaging apps, or forums.
• Highly organized, proactive, and self-directed, with excellent written and verbal communication skills in both English and Mandarin.

Required Qualifications

• Proficiency with help desk or ticketing tools (e.g., Freshdesk, Zendesk, Jira, or similar) for issue tracking and reporting.
• Direct knowledge of or familiarity with China’s “airport” subscription and configuration market, including how users find, purchase, and manage access, and the ability to build rapport within that ecosystem.
• Existing networks within China-focused civil society, digital rights communities, or diaspora media.
• Experience creating or managing localized educational or social media content to support user engagement and outreach.

Interested applicants should submit their CV and a brief cover letter to [email protected]

Lantern is a project of Brave New Software Project, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in the United States that provides equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disability, race, religion, creed, gender, sex, pregnancy, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, genetic information, marital status, status with regard to public assistance, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local law. We are committed to building a diverse staff and strongly encourage applications from candidates who may be people of color, disabled, gender and sexual minorities, and other disadvantaged backgrounds.