The Effective Institutions Project (EIP) is looking to hire up to two (Senior) Research Managers. Although we are open to other configurations, we anticipate that one of these roles will have primary responsibility within the organization for work relating to the tech industry and AI governance, while the other will primarily cover work relating to the US government and international peace and security. For each of these roles, we seek 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
The Effective Institutions Project is a philanthropic advisory and research organization that invests in societal leadership to address major global challenges. By connecting funders with institutional reformers and providing each with strategic support and access across our expansive network, our goal is to increase the odds that important institutions take beneficial actions like implementing new policies to help avert future global crises, increasing the effectiveness of global health and anti-poverty programs, and taking steps to increase accountability to all living beings impacted by their decisions.
Since EIP’s inception in 2021, we have educated nearly 200 funders about opportunities and strategies in AI governance, helped improve responsible AI development practices at a major technology company, undertaken research on managing global catastrophic risks at the US National Security Council, and supported donors in our network to award tens of millions of dollars in grants. Our board of directors includes current and former leaders at some of the world’s largest foundations and the director of a network of over 60 think tanks across the Global South. More information about the organization can be found at effectiveinstitutionsproject.org.
About the Role
(Senior) Research Managers at EIP oversee and undertake targeted research projects, engage with high-level stakeholders from philanthropy, business, and government, and offer strategic insights on topics related to their areas of expertise.
In this role, you can expect to:
- Help lead EIP’s philanthropic engagement and field-building on key global challenges. Responsibilities include facilitating conversations to expand EIP’s stakeholder network across key philanthropic audiences, supporting the organization of events, developing learning programs and curricula, and producing memos, op-eds, and other knowledge products to support funders’ sensemaking on global challenges. You will also support the CEO in sourcing, reviewing, and analyzing grant opportunities to recommend for funding by the EIP Innovation Fund or our growing network of funding partners.
- Commission and manage research projects by seeking out, engaging, and serving as primary point of contact for well-qualified external collaborators. Example projects include our deep dive into managing global catastrophic risks at the National Security Council, our funder’s guide to AI governance and strategy, and our upcoming methodology paper describing how to estimate the impact of an institution’s decisions on global wellbeing.
- Undertake independent policy analysis including assembling memos and reports, analyzing areas of potential consensus or compromise across different factions in the policy and philanthropic communities, and providing feedback on policy papers produced by partner institutions.
- Help shape EIP’s research vision, strategy and agenda in close collaboration with EIP’s CEO, Chief of Staff, board, and strategic advisors. This includes providing input into the selection of priority focus areas, planning and sequencing research projects, and helping to determine the organization’s positions on critical issues.
- Support EIP’s knowledge management and organizational learning systems by maintaining an airtight process for collecting and synthesizing knowledge from disparate sources, staying up-to-date with research and developments on designated institutions and issue areas, and actively participating in organization-wide learning and sensemaking activities.
- Contribute to EIP’s long-term growth by piloting and documenting innovative internal management practices, seeking out and developing relationships with institutional and civil society partners who may be interested in using our research to make an impact, and helping to attract the resources and talent necessary to deliver on the organization’s ambitious goals.
Ideal Profile
We expect that this role may be a particularly good fit for candidates with backgrounds in policy, philanthropy, consulting, journalism, or law, 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
- Content expertise in at least one of the following:
- AI policy and governance proposals (e.g., responsible scaling policies, dangerous capability evaluations, etc.)
- 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, the international peacekeeping system)
- 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:
- 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
Compensation and benefits
This position is remote and can be based in most countries, although we require a minimum 4-hour overlap with US East Coast working hours. 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 Research Manager level, we expect the salary to start at approximately $75,000 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 Research Manager would entail a starting salary of between $90,000-120,000 depending on experience. To be eligible for placement at this level, candidates must have at least 4 years of overall work experience, plus one or more of the following:
- At least one year of experience managing a full-time direct report
- Experience being the principal decision-maker for a budget of USD $100K or more
- Primary credit for raising at least USD $500K for an organization or project
To apply
To apply for this role, please complete this form. Note: the application form requires a Google account in order to upload your resume. If you don’t have a Google account, feel free to email your materials and answers to the application questions, following all character limits, to info@effectiveinstitutionsproject.org. A cover letter is not required.
We are hoping to fill this role as soon as possible. Due to the pace of the search, we encourage candidates not to delay applying.
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.