Program Officer

Role Description

GiveWell is seeking exceptional Program Officers to help us direct hundreds of millions of dollars annually to the most cost-effective global health and poverty alleviation programs. As part of our lean research team, you will have an outsized influence on our funding decisions and help us save and improve lives on a global scale.

You'll own grant investigations and help manage a portfolio of grants, evaluating the best funding opportunities and helping shape new ones. You will answer hard questions and make funding recommendations by combining rigorous evidence review, cost-effectiveness modeling, grantee relationships, and thoughtful judgment.

Your decisions will inform the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars to dozens of grantees. Your practical work will combine:

• Empirical evidence review
• Cost-effectiveness modeling
• Grantee engagement
• Ground-truthing of how programs are delivered
• Discussions with subject matter experts
• Developing your own judgment

In the course of your work, you might approach questions like these:

• Should we make this grant, and how should we structure it (e.g., conditions, milestones, or gates)?
• When a promising intervention has no clear implementer, what would it take to help one get off the ground?
• Is this grant on track, and if not, why?
• Do a grantee's reported outputs reflect real coverage, quality, and adherence to evidence-based practices on the ground?
• What should we believe about the cost-effectiveness of an intervention in our portfolio, and what would change our minds?
• How should we monitor a grant's progress, and what would tell us to course-correct?
• How should we account for high levels of uncertainty in our cost-effectiveness estimates?
• How should we weigh empirical evidence against qualitative factors, like a grantee's organizational track record?

Responsibilities include:

• Investigating and recommending grants.
• Managing a portfolio of grants.
• Analyzing interventions (e.g., vaccine demand generation, vitamin A supplementation, seasonal malaria chemoprevention).
• Building cost-effectiveness models to estimate the costs and benefits of a particular intervention.
• Building relationships relevant to our work.
• Publishing reports and blog posts on our website.

Qualifications

• 3-5 years of professional experience in similar or closely-related roles.
• Quantitatively-oriented advanced degrees preferred, but not required.
• Demonstrated ability to use empirical tools to make rigorous, evidence-based decisions.

Requirements

• Passionate about improving global health and alleviating global poverty.
• Highly skilled at critically analyzing and synthesizing empirical research.
• Ability to drive work to conclusions and pivot when necessary.
• Comfortable taking bets under uncertainty.
• Effective at building and managing relationships with external parties.
• Respectful and efficient in interactions with colleagues and external parties.

Benefits

• Fully funded health, dental, vision, and life insurance (100% of premiums covered within the US for you and any dependents).
• Four weeks of paid time off per year.
• 16 weeks of fully paid parental leave.
• Ergonomic home workstations or coworking space memberships.
• Automatic contribution equal to 5% of your gross salary into your 403(b) retirement plan (for U.S. based staff).
• Travel opportunities for international site visits and conferences.
• Flexible working hours and remote work options.