About Open Philanthropy
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, scientific research, global public health policy, farm animal welfare, and biosecurity and pandemic preparedness. In 2023, we recommended just under $800 million to high-impact causes, and we’ve recommended over $3 billion in grants since our formation.
About the Role
We are seeking a highly organized Chief of Staff to report directly to Peter Favaloro, providing critical and strategicsupport across a variety of responsibilities. Peter oversees our Cause Prioritization and Worldview Investigations research teams for our Global Catastrophic Risks portfolio, and also manages the effort to scale up our Technical AI Safety grantmaking. You would play a central role in ensuring smooth day-to-day operations and advancing important initiatives in these areas. You would act as a trusted advisor and collaborator, helping prioritize and manage tasks, owning some projects, and being an extension of Peter in meetings and communication.
Key Responsibilities
Sounding board and thought partner: Provide feedback and discussion to Peter to help guide decision-making which has meaningful impact on the organization.
Collaborative project partner: Turn Peter’s projects into collaborative projects by:
Problem solving in real time: Discuss obstacles as they come up during day-to-day work.
Delegation and project management: Stay consistently in the loop on key projects, so you can spot components you could own, and can advise on daily work plans.
Active listening and learning: Be an engaged audience for Peter to teach when interesting topics or obstacles arise.
Project ownership: Lead and manage specific initiatives, from defining problems to proposing solutions to executing on the plans.
The selection and scope of your assigned projects will depend on your abilities and preferences. Example projects:
Build and execute an outreach strategy for getting candidates to apply to a new role.
Draft a memo explaining a proposed change to the strategy or structure of OP’s Technical AI Safety grantmaking team, to get buy-in from other stakeholders.
Listen to various stakeholders’ concerns about communications risks, propose a decision about publishing some set of research outputs, and then be the point person for communicating and applying that decision.
You’re especially likely to be assigned projects that involve managing many stakeholders or otherwise rely on project management skills.
Meeting support: Attend most meetings alongside Peter to gain context and provide informed support.
Communication: Stay aligned with current priorities, provide input where appropriate, and ensure timely follow-ups. By default, you will be copied on most of Peter’s emails.
To-do list management: Help track, prioritize, and manage Peter's to-do list, owning the execution of smaller follow-ups and some larger projects.
A typical “day in the life” might involve:
Joining morning meetings (1-3 hours).
Reviewing meeting takeaways and determining appropriate next steps: what to delegate, what to track, and what requires follow-up. Prioritizing lists and setting goals for the day.
Co-working with Peter in the afternoon. Discussions as obstacles and interesting learning moments come up.
Maintaining consistent communication and joining afternoon meetings (1-2 hours).
Who we’re looking for:
Passion for Open Philanthropy’s mission
Collaborative work style and eagerness to learn
Exceptional organizational and time management skills, with the ability to handle competing priorities
Strong communication skills, both verbal and written
Ability to think strategically and drive initiatives independently
Comfortable managing ambiguity and the ability to pivot quickly when needed
High emotional intelligence and the ability to build trusting relationships across the organization
Ability to work in close proximity with Peter and handle confidential information with discretion
Preferred:
Experience in a fast-paced, dynamic environment
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
Experience in project management roles
We expect all our staff to:
Put our mission first, and act with urgency to help us realize our ambitious goals for impact.
Work 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 & benefits
Compensation: The baseline compensation for this role is $134,287.77, which would be distributed as a base salary of $116,771.97 and an unconditional 401(k) grant of $17,515.80 for U.S. hires.
Location: Given the collaborative nature of this role with Peter, we require staff to be based in the San Francisco Bay Area, with time split between our San Francisco office and a Berkeley coworking space.
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.
Note: U.S.-based program staff are typically employed by Open Philanthropy Project LLC, which is not a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt organization. As such, this role is unlikely to be eligible for public service loan forgiveness programs.
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 jobs@openphilanthropy.org.
