The Effective Institutions Project (EIP) is seeking a Research Lead (Tech Industry) to design and oversee targeted research projects. This role will involve engaging with high-level stakeholders from the tech industry and government, and offering critical insight on topics such as AI/ML, cloud computing, semiconductor technologies, cybersecurity, recommendation algorithms, and other emerging technologies.
About the Effective Institutions Project
The Effective Institutions Project (EIP) is a philanthropic advisory and research organisation that seeks out and incubates high-impact strategies to improve institutional decision-making around the world. They analyse how and in what ways institutions’ decisions influence people’s lives, study how key institutions currently make decisions, identify interventions that might cause those institutions to take actions that will lead to better global outcomes, and mobilize funding and talent to execute on the most promising interventions. Alongside all of this, they are building an interdisciplinary network of reformers to share insights, coordinate efforts, and steadily increase the odds of success over time.
Based on progress to date, EIP think it’s realistic to imagine that in the next few years EIP’s research could inform tens to hundreds of millions of dollars in spending to improve global institutional effectiveness and help shape the decisions of 100s to the low 1000s of people crafting policy, consulting, nonprofit leadership, and tech industry careers. EIP’s theory of change is that those funding and career choices will increase the odds that important institutions take beneficial actions like implementing new policies to help avert or mitigate future global crises, increasing the budgets and effectiveness of global health and anti-poverty programs, and taking steps to increase accountability to all living beings impacted by their decisions.
Key roles and responsibilities
- Help shape EIP’s research vision and strategy in close collaboration with EIP’s Executive Director and strategic advisors. This includes providing input into the selection of priority focus areas, planning and sequencing research projects, and overseeing research teams.
- Commission and manage research projects on specific tech industry and tech-relevant institutions in accordance with the research priorities above by seeking out, engaging, and serving as primary point of contact for well-qualified external collaborators.
- Expand EIP’s expert network by leading outreach to high-level stakeholders in the tech industry, government, and multilateral institutions on key policy issues to build relationships in support of our mission.
- Staying up-to-date with research and developments in the tech industry and tech policy, Contribute to our knowledge management systems in other areas and actively participate in organization-wide learning and sense-making activities across issue verticals.
- Draft and refine EIP knowledge products including policy proposals, reports, funder guides, and other materials. Synthesize and communicate key insights internally and externally as appropriate.
- Contribute to EIP’s organizational growth strategy, helping to attract the resources and talent necessary to deliver on the organization’s ambitious goals.
- Create opportunities to expand EIP’s reach by helping to source new funders and talent partners who may be interested in using our research to make an impact.
- Contribute ideas and informed opinions to EIP’s own institutional growth and development; pilot and document innovative decision-making and management practices.
- Occasionally travel for conferences and other in-person events (reasonable expenses will be reimbursed).
Experience and skills
Our ideal candidate will have most if not all of the following:
Innate intellectual curiosity and a passionate drive to understand social and organisational systems in all of their complexities.
A strong understanding of tech industry business dynamics, including key revenue drivers, product lines, competitive pressures, and workplace cultures.
An uncommon ability to distill complex information signals from a vast and diverse knowledge base into actionable recommendations.
Excellent organizational skills, reliability, and attention to detail.
Strong epistemic rigor and reasoning transparency.
Clear verbal and written communication in English.
High standards for professionalism and a commitment to representing the organization well at all times.
A strong ethical compass and motivation to work toward the benefit of others, both today and in the future.
In addition, the following strengths are highly desirable but not required:
Past experience working for or with one or more of the top-ranked technology companies or regulators identified in EIP’s most recent landscape analysis.
In-depth content expertise in one or more of the following: AI policy and governance proposals (e.g., responsible scaling policies, dangerous capability evaluations, etc.); data centers and cloud computing; the semiconductor industry and supply chain; open-source community norms and discourse; technical AI alignment paradigms; or cybersecurity.
Experience in forecasting or journalism, and facility with social media.
Experience with event planning and production.
Facility and experience with quantitative reasoning or cost-effectiveness analysis.