Head of the EA Infrastructure Fund

Job description

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis. We encourage you to apply sooner rather than later! We’re hiring a Head for the EA Infrastructure Fund (EAIF). This is an opportunity to shape millions of dollars in grantmaking toward the organizations, research, and community-building efforts that strengthen effective altruism's foundations, while also overseeing an updated version of CEA's Community Building Grants (CBG) program. Few roles offer this much leverage over the trajectory of EA. Your work and decisions will directly shape what exists in the ecosystem and what doesn't, from the organizations that get built to the research that gets funded. You'll have significant autonomy to define the fund's strategic direction, grow its donor base, and build EAIF into an even more compelling vehicle for impact. This is a senior position on our EA Funds team, reporting to the Director of EA Funds. ABOUT CEA The Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA) stewards the movement of people putting effective altruism principles into practice to solve the world's most pressing problems. We’re working to build a flourishing future by applying evidence, reason, and compassion to challenges like global poverty, animal suffering, and existential risks. Our work centers on growing and supporting a global community of people who rigorously analyze where they can do the most good – and take action on those insights. Current strategic priorities include increasing understanding of effective altruism and its principles, growing the number of people who are motivated by EA principles to take significant action to address pressing problems, and diversifying funding sources for high-impact work. We had significant success in 2025, building momentum within CEA. Our headcount grew from 42 to 66 core staff. Program participation (e.g., events, courses, groups) grew https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/NKrpEdg7wAgcoHNRG/cea-is-growing-again-25-more-people-engaged-with-our-1 by 20-25% year over year. We merged https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/BLvTcMMEQGFYsh6Jw/ea-funds-and-cea-are-merging with EA Funds https://funds.effectivealtruism.org/ and are rapidly scaling up our capacity for grantmaking and associated fundraising. In 2026, we’re maintaining ambitious momentum https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/Dy4iGHbAkKAQ4t2Dw/building-sustainable-momentum-progress-report-on-cea-s-2025 while building the foundations for a step-change in the wider EA ecosystem’s growth trajectory from 2027 onwards. ABOUT EA FUNDS AND EAIF EAIF is part of Effective Altruism Funds (EA Funds), which is the grantmaking arm of CEA. EA Funds directs financial resources to particularly cost-effective and impactful projects across four funds: the EA Infrastructure Fund, the Long-Term Future Fund, the Animal Welfare Fund, and the Global Health and Development Fund. It's a particularly exciting time to join EA Funds. The team's recent integration with CEA allows it to benefit from shared infrastructure and opens up significant opportunities for programmatic synergies. We've also seen the Animal Welfare Fund scale from ~$3M to $10M in a single year under full-time leadership, with tens of millions more expected, and we believe significant growth is also possible for EAIF with the right person at the helm. The EA Infrastructure Fund https://funds.effectivealtruism.org/funds/ea-community occupies an important position in the EA funding landscape. It is one of the very few funders dedicated to EA "meta" efforts: the work that multiplies the impact of direct work on the world's most pressing problems. Its scope spans the organizations, research, and initiatives that support the EA ecosystem as a whole: funding EA groups around the world, supporting efforts to communicate EA ideas to new audiences, backing research on cause prioritization, seeding effective giving platforms that move donations to high-impact charities, and more. While EAIF is not quite alone in supporting that ecosystem, the landscape for meta-EA funding remains far thinner than for cause-specific work — and there are important areas, such as communication about EA principles, cause prioritization research, or smaller or early-stage projects, that would likely not get supported without EAIF. You will shape and lead the strategy of this fund, and in doing so, play a significant role in whether the EA ecosystem lives up to its potential. ABOUT THE ROLE You will be responsible for high-quality grantmaking, strategic leadership of the fund, and fundraising. You will make grants yourself – including actively sourcing high-impact opportunities – while working to grow the fund's capacity over time. With EAIF's integration into CEA and this new leadership hire, we're looking to bring fresh strategic energy to the fund. As the fund’s leader, you'll have significant latitude to define what EAIF should focus on and how it can add the most value. The right candidate will be guided by EA principles, think rigorously about where EAIF's marginal dollar does the most good, and be willing to update that thinking over time. We are genuinely open to your perspective on questions like: - How should EAIF position itself relative to other funders supporting the EA ecosystem? - What types of grants and grantees should EAIF prioritize to best support the community's potential to do good? - How do we make EAIF a compelling product for donors, whether they're already excited about supporting EA infrastructure or just starting to see its value? COMMUNITY BUILDING GRANTS In addition to leading EAIF, you will also lead an updated version of CEA's Community Building Grants (CBG) program, primarily focused on its grantmaking role https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/i5RED3rv2h74pw6vp/transitioning-the-community-building-grants-program. This program will continue to provide funding to professionalized local and national EA communities around the world. It is a distinct program with its own funding sources and grantmaking process, but its mission is closely aligned with EAIF's scope. We see the combination of these responsibilities as a natural fit and an opportunity to take a more integrated view of how funding supports the EA community ecosystem. CONTRIBUTING TO EA FUNDS' BROADER STRATEGY As a senior member of the EA Funds team, you'll also contribute to the overall strategic direction of EA Funds more broadly — sharing insights from EAIF's work, collaborating with other fund leads, and helping strengthen the platform as a whole. These goals will be supported by other teams at CEA. CEA's Marketing and Communications team will partner with EA Funds to highlight the work of grantees, and we plan to hire fundraising staff to facilitate donations to EA Funds. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES GRANTMAKING - Investigate and evaluate grant opportunities rigorously, assessing theories of change, team strength, expected impact, and other relevant factors - Actively source high-quality applications and grantmaking opportunities, including, where appropriate, encouraging promising individuals to pursue projects EAIF could fund - Communicate your grantmaking reasoning transparently through grant reports, feedback to applicants, and public writing - Contribute to improvements in the grantmaking processes of EA Funds STRATEGIC LEADERSHIP - Develop a compelling strategy for EAIF's focus areas, grant types, and role in the funding ecosystem - Oversee an updated version of CEA’s Community Building Grants program, ensuring it effectively funds strong EA community builders worldwide - Represent EAIF and the Community Building Grants program (and occasionally EA Funds as a whole) within the EA community and to external stakeholders - Contribute to EA Funds' broader strategic direction as a senior team member FUNDRAISING - Grow EAIF's donor base in collaboration with other CEA teams (e.g. EA Funds leadership, incoming fundraising staff, and the Marketing and Communications team) - Build and cultivate relationships with potential donors - Communicate EAIF's impact and strategy in ways that are honest and compelling ECOSYSTEM DEVELOPMENT - Develop strategic partnerships with other aligned funders and organizations - Collaborate with grantees and groups of grantees to help them succeed and maximize their impact - Contribute to the broader EA community's thinking on funding priorities and strategic questions TEAM BUILDING - Hire and manage additional staff to support grantmaking efforts as the fund grows WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR At a minimum, we want a candidate who has: - Genuine commitment to EA principles: commitment to careful reasoning about impact, willingness to change your mind based on strong reasoning and evidence, and concern for doing the most good. We're looking for someone who leads with principles rather than fixed conclusions about which interventions or focus areas matter most. - Familiarity with the EA community: understanding of its key organizations, debates, and dynamics, and well-reasoned views on how to best support it. - An entrepreneurial mindset: the drive to shape a fund's strategic direction, build something ambitious, and adapt as the landscape evolves. - Strong social and communication skills: the ability to professionally represent EAIF, EA Funds, and CEA, build networks, and navigate a wide range of conversations with grantees, donors, and community members. In addition, it will be valuable if you have: - Strong strategic thinking and planning abilities - Strong written communication skills, with the ability to explain complex reasoning clearly and build trust with diverse stakeholders - Strong people and project management skills - Experience in grantmaking, philanthropic leadership, or related fields - A track record of building and scaling products or programs - Experience managing multi-million dollar budgets - A track record of leading fundraising efforts We recognize we may be unlikely to find someone who fits all of these criteria, and we encourage you to apply even if you aren't sure you're fully qualified. OTHER INFORMATION - This is a full-time, remote position. We prefer applicants who are able to work in time zones between US Pacific Time and CET. - We have an office in Oxford, UK, that you would have access to. - Start date: We'd ideally have you start as soon as possible, but would consider a later start for the right candidate. - Reports to: Loic Watine, Director of EA Funds - Compensation - US: total compensation package of $157,435, comprising a base salary of $143,123 and a 10% unconditional 401k contribution. - UK: total compensation package of £94,711, comprising a base salary of £86,101 and a 10% pension contribution. - Other locations: For candidates outside the US and UK, we base compensation on our UK salary structure and adjust for the cost of employment and fixed local benefit costs to create an equivalent package. - Benefits in the US/UK include private health insurance, flexible work hours, a $6,000 / £5,000 annual professional development allowance, a $6,000 / £5,000 mental health support allowance, extended parental leave, ergonomic equipment, 25 days of paid vacation, and more. - This role will involve travel. There are likely 4-6 trips annually to attend team retreats and other events, including several international trips. We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. We especially encourage applications from self-identified women and people of colour who are excited about contributing to our mission. The Centre for Effective Altruism is an equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, or have any other questions about applying, please contact jobs@centreforeffectivealtruism.org. CEA participates in E-Verify for US employees. We are committed to protecting your data. See our privacy policy https://www.centreforeffectivealtruism.org/privacy for more information. EVALUATION PLAN We expect the interview process to include the following steps (subject to change): - Application - Test task 1 - Test task 2 - Initial interview - Final interviews (2, non-sequential) - 1–2 day work trial - Reference checks