Open Philanthropy is a philanthropic funder and advisor; our mission is to help others as much as we can with the resources available to us. We stress openness to many possibilities and have chosen our focus areas based on importance, neglectedness, and tractability. Our current giving areas include potential risks from advanced artificial intelligence, global health and development, scientific research, global public health policy, farm animal welfare, and biosecurity and pandemic preparedness. In 2024, we recommended $650 million to high-impact causes, and we’ve recommended over $3.9 billion in grants since our formation.
About the Biosecurity and Pandemic Preparedness teamThe mission of the Biosecurity and Pandemic Preparedness (BPP) team is to prevent catastrophic biological risks. We have deployed hundreds of millions of dollars, established several independent organizations, and believe our work has already substantially reduced some of the most catastrophic risks to humanity. We are building momentum to achieve even more in the coming years.
About the roleWe are seeking a Program Associate or Senior Program Associate to join our team.
You will be responsible for deploying at least $10 million in funding per year as a Senior Program Associate. The expectation is that you will generate ambitious project ideas, headhunt for potential grantees/collaborators that could execute on these projects, hold grantees accountable for performance, and develop processes to streamline this work.
Similar expectations apply to Program Associates, who will be expected to deploy millions in funding initially and increasing amounts over time.
By default we are hiring for generalist grantmakers—a deep biosecurity background is not strictly necessary to perform well. For those with specialized expertise and a specific vision, there is potential to scope more focused versions of the role.
Grantmaking areas that could be prioritized include:
Pathogen-agnostic countermeasures, such as improved personal protective equipment, metagenomic sequencing, transmission suppression technologies like far-UVC, and novel platforms for medical countermeasures.
Methods for safeguarding biotechnologies and preventing their misuse, such as DNA synthesis screening, hardware locks, or monitoring dual-use technologies.
Biosecurity policy and advocacy work.
Capacity building grants to grow the biosecurity field, including early-career fellowships and scholarships.
Who we’re looking for
We expect the strongest candidates to have:
High agency. You will push to make the right thing happen on large, unscoped projects, even if it requires doing something unusual, difficult, and/or schleppy.
A rigorous and analytical mindset. You evaluate claims skeptically, reason quantitatively about tradeoffs, and think from first principles.
Clear communication. You avoid buzzwords and abstractions, and give concise arguments with transparent reasoning.
High emotional intelligence. You have good judgment for people, a knack for navigating hard conversations, and an intuitive sense of who should be informed and consulted.
A sense of urgency. We have a limited amount of time to get safeguards and defenses up, and you’ll run through walls to make this happen fast.
[Ideally] Relevant knowledge. You have either a technical background, grantmaking experience, and/or existing biosecurity knowledge.
We also expect all staff to model our operating values of ownership, openness, calibration, and inclusiveness.
The ideal candidate for this position will possess many of the skills and experiences described above. However, there is no such thing as a “perfect” candidate. If you are on the fence about applying because you are unsure whether you are qualified, we strongly encourage you to apply.
Role details & benefitsCompensation: The baseline compensation for the Program Associate and Senior Program Associate roles respectively is $134,804.02 or $184,092.80, which would be distributed as a base salary of $117,220.89 or $161,092.80 and an unconditional 401(k) grant of $17,583.13 or $23,000.00 for U.S. hires.
These compensation figures assume a location in Washington DC; there would be geographic adjustments downwards for candidates based in most other locations.
Location: We have a strong preference for this role to be in-person in Washington DC. While significant remote work is also possible, some substantial fraction of time in DC would be required (e.g., 25% of work days). Regardless of primary location, the role may from time to time require travel to other locations, both within the U.S. and internationally
We'll support relocation costs for candidates not already based in the DC area.
We are happy to consider candidates based outside the U.S., and to consider sponsoring U.S. work authorization. However, we don’t control who is and isn’t eligible for a visa and can’t guarantee visa approval.
Benefits: Our benefits package includes:
Excellent health insurance (we cover 100% of premiums within the U.S. for you and any eligible dependents) and an employer-funded Health Reimbursement Arrangement for certain other personal health expenses
Dental, vision, and life insurance for you and your family
Four weeks of PTO recommended per year
Four months of fully paid family leave
A generous and flexible expense policy — we encourage staff to expense the ergonomic equipment, software, and other services that they need to stay healthy and productive
A continual learning policy that encourages staff to spend time on professional development with related expenses covered
Support for remote work — we’ll cover a remote workspace outside your home if you need one, or connect you with an Open Phil coworking hub in your city
We can’t always provide every benefit we offer U.S. staff to international hires, but we’re working on it (and will usually provide cash equivalents of any benefits we can’t offer in your country)
Start date: We’d like a candidate to start as soon as possible after receiving an offer.
We aim to employ people with many different experiences, perspectives, and backgrounds who share our passion for accomplishing as much good as we can. We are committed to creating an environment where all employees have the opportunity to succeed, and we do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected status.
If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, or have any other questions about applying, please contact [email protected].
We are now considering candidates on a rolling basis. If you are interested in this position, we encourage you to apply as soon as possible.
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