(Senior) Program Officer
Effective Institutions Project
📍 Remote (Global) 🔄 Rolling Applications
💰 $100-125K USD 🕔 Full Time
The Effective Institutions Project (EIP) is looking to hire at least two (Senior) Program Officers to support our research and grantmaking as the organization scales from a small startup to a leading partner to philanthropists seeking to address major global challenges. The ideal candidate is a strong analytical thinker and excellent communicator who is passionate about navigating complex organizational systems in search of meaningful opportunities for societal benefit.
About the Effective Institutions Project
Founded in 2021, EIP is a network of philanthropic and civic leaders striving to improve the quality of decision-making at important institutions around the world. We monitor national governments, major corporations, and multilateral bodies to determine what could shift their actions in ways that lead to better outcomes for all, and work in partnership with our global community of changemakers to respond to challenges and opportunities as they emerge.
Since EIP's launch, we've:
Recruited a founding board of directors featuring current and former leaders at some of the world’s largest private foundations and most important institutions
Coordinated critical and timely funding for two organizations that played instrumental roles ensuring passage of the first major AI legislation in the Western world
Convened dozens of funders collectively giving hundreds of millions of dollars in AI-related grants across four sensemaking workshops to identify and work through differences in goals and strategy
Partnered with the Hewlett and Packard Foundations to scout new grantmaking opportunities and program strategies for US federal government reform
Helped improve safety practices at a major AI research lab via increased investment and internal integration
Pioneered the world’s first wellbeing cost-effectiveness framework tying the actions of key institutions to the empirical evidence on what outcomes drive life satisfaction
EIP is poised for major growth over the next two years and recently secured a multi-year, seven-figure grant commitment from one of the donors we advise. Overall, we expect to oversee at least $40M in grantmaking over the next two years in the areas of AI governance, peace and security, global health, and democracy, and are working to add climate, global development, and animal welfare to our thematic coverage by the end of 2025.
About the Role
Our (Senior) Program Officers help us monitor and understand what is happening in the world and develop strategies that donors can deploy to make a difference. The expected division of responsibility for this role is as follows:
Applied research (40%): Map and monitor the strategic landscape in EIP’s areas of interest by developing knowledgeable sources, scouting and evaluating potential implementation partners, and conducting in-depth analysis to identify opportunities to take action. Commission and manage external research collaborations and undertake independent policy analysis as needed. You'll maintain a tight feedback loop with our knowledge management systems and a high-volume information intake in order to stay current with developments in your designated focus areas.
Grantmaking & advising (30%): Evaluate funding proposals, provide strategic recommendations to donor partners, and facilitate conversations across philanthropic networks. You'll support the sourcing, reviewing, and analysis of grant opportunities for our funding partners, assessing potential impact and alignment with organizational priorities. You’ll also help lead EIP’s philanthropic field-building and coordination efforts with aligned funders.
Strategic communications (30%): Create compelling written content that translates complex research into actionable insights for both public and private audiences. Responsibilities include producing memos, reports, op-eds, and other knowledge products that support funders' understanding of global challenges. You'll represent the organization at conferences and events, help develop learning programs and curricula, and build relationships with institutional and civil society partners.
Consistent with the values of EIP’s high-context, high-agency, and deeply integrated global team, all staff members are expected to pitch in flexibly and contribute to the growth, culture, and sustainability of the organization as needed. Occasional domestic and international travel is required.
Ideal Profile
The work is fast-paced to match the constraints and opportunities of the external environment. Successful candidates will embrace the opportunity to develop areas of sustained expertise for the organization while actively seeking out unexpected connections across issue areas, geographies, and sectors. We expect that this role may be a particularly good fit for candidates with backgrounds in journalism, consulting, philanthropy, or policy, but are open to a wide range of profiles. Our ideal candidate will have most if not all of the following:
Innate intellectual curiosity and a passionate drive to understand social and organizational systems in all of their complexity
A rare ability to weave signals across a vast and diverse knowledge base into coherent narratives and actionable recommendations
Strong critical thinking skills and reasoning transparency, and an ability to express insights in clear written prose
Calm and courage under pressure, and a willingness to move fast when needed
Content expertise strongly preferred in at least one of the following:
AI policy and governance
Tech industry (product lines, investment priorities, business incentives, culture, governance, and regulation)
US federal government programs, structure, and legislative process (ideally with some emphasis on technology policy, antitrust, foreign policy, and/or national security)
Great power conflict (e.g., US-China relations, nuclear risk reduction, technology competition)
Global health, including biosecurity
Excellent organizational skills, reliability, and attention to detail
Relevant work experience involving the full project management cycle from design to delivery to evaluation
A strong ethical compass and motivation to work toward the benefit of others, both today and in the future
The following strengths are not required, but will help a candidate stand out from the pack:
Past experience working for or with one or more of the top-ranked institutions identified in EIP’s most recent landscape analysis
Experience building partnerships with philanthropic funders and/or other civic leaders
Experience with event planning and production, and/or public speaking
Facility with forecasting, quantitative reasoning, and/or cost-effectiveness analysis
To evaluate candidates for placement at the Senior level, we’ll look for indicators such as:
Having several years of highly relevant experience.
Being the principal decision-maker for a budget of USD $500,000 or more.
Autonomously overseeing a team of several staff in a distinct program.
If you’re excited about this role but are unsure if you fit the criteria, we would love to have you apply anyway.
Compensation & Benefits
We prefer that the successful candidate work from the San Francisco Bay Area or Washington, DC, but we are open to hiring in most locations around the world. We require a minimum 4-hour overlap with US East Coast working hours (9am-5:30pm). We do our best to offer an equivalent compensation package regardless of location or country of residence. For a US-based candidate placed at the Program Officer level, we expect the salary to start at approximately $80,000 per year with a generous benefits package including 20 days’ paid time off (on top of federal holidays and the last week of December), health insurance with option for family coverage, and a 5% 401(k) employer contribution on top of your salary.
Appointment as a Senior Program Officer would entail a starting salary of between $100,000-125,000 depending on experience. To be eligible for placement at this level, candidates must have at least 4 years of overall work experience in a relevant domain that includes being the principal decision-maker for a budget of USD $500,000 or more.
To Apply
We are hoping to fill this role as soon as possible and to have the candidate start soon afterwards. To apply, complete this short form no later than May 1, 2025. We will be reviewing applications on a rolling basis, so encourage you to apply early.
Please note that we have a strong preference to trial working relationships with finalist candidates prior to making an offer, and will work with each finalist to arrange a paid work trial that accommodates their schedule and existing commitments.
The Effective Institutions Project is committed to building a diverse applicant pool. We strongly encourage interested candidates to apply regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, nationality, physical ability, educational background, socioeconomic status, etc.
