Senior Manager, Research and Origination, Fund Ecosystem

Organization
Renaissance Philanthropy
Location
D.C. or New York
Job Type
Full-time
Where to Apply
https://www.renaissancephilanthropy.org/careers/senior-manager-research-and-origination-fund-ecosystem
Tags
Full-time

The mission of Renaissance Philanthropy is to fuel a 21st century renaissance by increasing the ambition of philanthropists, scientists, and innovators.

Our aim is to activate a virtuous loop of increasing ambition and impact between philanthropists and innovators: by identifying frontier experts both in science and in new ways of solving problems; by tapping into the growing number of emerging philanthropists; and by building multi-sector initiatives that can harness the power of philanthropy, markets, and governments.

We advance our mission by advising philanthropists, surfacing breakthrough ideas, and incubating ambitious initiatives. Read more about our philanthropic fund model here.

Role and Responsibilities

As the Senior Manager, Research and Origination within the Fund Ecosystem program at Renaissance Philanthropy, you will play a key role in building out Renaissance Philanthropy’s work to evaluate thesis-driven philanthropic funds and occasionally start new ones.

The Fund Ecosystem program at Renaissance Philanthropy seeks to strengthen the broad ecosystem of thesis-driven philanthropic funds. The program has three focus areas: evaluating existing philanthropic funds and producing recommendations for two major philanthropists who we advise, starting new philanthropic funds, and building public goods to support the broader philanthropic ecosystem.

Reporting to the Program Director, the ideal candidate will be a technical polymath who thrives on a combination of breadth (surveying the full landscape of possibilities), depth (conducting deep and intense diligence), and action (making things happen).

This role will have a strong focus on pressing health and development challenges in low-and-middle income countries (70%), but you should expect to spend some of your time (30%) traversing a wide range of other topics, from science commercialization to climate interventions to U.S. state capacity.

The base compensation range for this role is $140,000-$200,000 with the ability to go higher for exceptionally qualified candidates, along with a comprehensive and generous benefits package and 401K contribution.

Renaissance Philanthropy has offices in New York, Washington D.C. and London. There is a preference for location in D.C. or New York  to enable in-person work, however, this is a remote role that is open to candidates anywhere, including in Africa and Asia. Your core responsibilities will include:

Evaluation (~75%)  

  • Evaluate existing thesis-driven philanthropic funds, culminating in a clearly argued, written fund/don’t-fund recommendation for the philanthropists we work with

  • Conduct shallow reviews to identify the “cruxes” — the critical open questions most likely to shift our recommendation

    • Over the course of the year, it is likely you will do 25-30 shallow evaluations, with <half proceeding to a full, in-depth evaluation

  • Interview fund leaders and outside experts to understand a fund’s theory of change, approach, and the leader’s suitability to drive the effort

  • Build independent cost-effectiveness analyses, benchmarking opportunities against target metrics like disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), years of doubled consumption, and tons of CO2e averted

Origination and Incubation (~25%):  

  • Conduct research to identify high-impact opportunities that could be addressed through new thesis-driven philanthropic funds.

  • Develop and execute systematic processes for identifying and originating new potential funds, including identifying and vetting the talent to lead them.

  • Support and incubate early-stage projects and fund directors to take a promising thesis and either disprove it or turn it into a project that’s ready to fund and scale.

  • Build and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across topic-area ecosystems, including policymakers, scientists, and technical experts in low- and middle-income countries.

Across both parts of the role, you will directly support RenPhil’s existing donors, potential new donors, and partner organizations by preparing research, analysis, briefing materials, and compelling investment cases.

If you are successful in this role, in two years, you will have helped support and/or start 20+ high-impact philanthropic initiatives and funds led by exceptional directors working on critical global challenges. You will have built a robust pipeline of fund opportunities and established Renaissance Philanthropy as a trusted partner for both ambitious philanthropists and field-leading experts.

Key Qualifications

    • 5–15 years of experience in nonprofit or for-profit entrepreneurship, science or social science research, investing, philanthropic grantmaking, project design and incubation, policy entrepreneurship, or topic-relevant program leadership within government

    • Evidence of both depth (you have gone very deep in 1+ areas) and breadth: you have worked effectively across multiple problems, or used disparate approaches across government, business, and/or nonprofits to address a single problem

    • Exceptional analytical skills: you can build and defend a quantitative model (e.g., a cost-effectiveness analysis or back-of-the-envelope calculation), identify the research frontier of a scientific question, and explain where your numbers are most likely to be wrong

    • Sound judgment under time pressure: you can lead calls with fund leaders and outside experts on your own, form a view from incomplete information, and change your mind when the evidence warrants it

    • Fluency with AI tools as a core part of how you research, model, and write — and an appetite to keep leveling up as the tools improve

    • Experience working with researchers, practitioners, and/or policymakers in low- and middle-income countries and a demonstrated interest in global health and development

    • Excellent written and verbal communication: you can translate complex analysis for diverse audiences and write recommendations that busy decision-makers act on

Values

You will thrive within our team if you:

  • Have strong mission and vision alignment: You believe in the power of science, innovation, and technology to create a brighter future for all.

  • Exhibit high agency: You can move mountains and break perceived constraints.

  • Inspire others and are highly collaborative: You can motivate others to join your mission and goals. You understand the value of going further by working with others.

  • Value exceptional talent and the power of networks: You can spot or nurture exceptional talent and believe in the value of building networks and the power law of talent.

  • Are comfortable working in fast-moving and ambitious teams: You are not afraid of ambiguity and enjoy working at pace.

Diversity

We encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply, regardless of whether you feel you meet 100% of the qualifications. The top candidates will bring their own unique perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds from a variety of industries along with many but not necessarily all the skills listed above.

Recruiting, hiring, mentoring, and retaining a diverse workforce is critical to our success. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.

Renaissance Philanthropy is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.