AI Programme Director

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Key information

Role: We are looking to hire a Programme Director for Longview’s AI grantmaking programme. They will set the team’s strategic priorities, ensure we produce a world class grantmaking product, and advise donors on giving opportunities.

  • If we are unable to find someone sufficiently senior to be Programme Director, we are open to hiring a Senior Programme Officer. They would manage the team but might be less experienced in specific areas. 

Impact of Role: In 2025, we expect to direct tens of millions of dollars to high-impact projects to reduce AI risks. We direct funds via a combination of grant recommendations to donors and directly disbursing Longview-held funds (e.g. our private Frontier AI Fund, which has raised about ~$9 million since ~December 2024). This capital is sufficient to seed and sustain major organisations, giving Longview a significant role in shaping the AI safety ecosystem. 

Location: Longview only employs team members in the US and UK. We offer relocation support and may be able to sponsor US and UK visas. Our preferred location for the role is: London (office) > Washington D.C. (hybrid; forthcoming D.C. office) > San Francisco (remote) > other (remote). 

Application Deadline: EOD Sunday 8 June 2025 

Compensation:

These ranges are for individuals working from D.C. or San Francisco. Compensation may be adjusted downwards for other locations.

  • Total compensation: $176,000 - $214,500 (equivalent to ~£135,000 - ~£165,000) 
    • Base salary: $160,000 - $195,000 
    • Unconditional 401(k) contribution: $16,000 - $19,500

Benefits: 

  • UK: private healthcare including vision and dental, 25 days holiday minimum + 8 bank holidays; 4 months fully paid family leave; £5,000/year wellbeing budget, £2,400/year professional development budget, and a well-stocked office fridge. 
  • US: 100% employer-paid private health insurance with UHC; dental & vision with Guardian; 25 days vacation minimum + 8 federal holidays; 4 months fully paid family leave; $3,000 annual professional development budget; wellbeing budget that can be used for gym memberships and fitness classes up to $200 per month.

How to apply

Submit an application form here.

Responsibilities

Lead Longview’s AI grantmaking strategy

  • Set the team strategy to reduce AI risk as much as possible
  • Define, monitor, and devise plans to achieve team objectives and key results (OKRs)
  • Maintain up-to-date understanding of the AIS landscape
  • Monitor new and existing grant ideas to ensure we investigate the most promising opportunities
  • Propose and investigate potential new grantmaking (sub-)areas
  • Identify the highest impact use of funds that Longview directs (e.g. assessing when to make a grant from Longview’s private Frontier AI Fund or Longview’s public Emerging Challenges Fund, and when to recommend grants directly to individual donors)

Produce a world class grantmaking product

  • Review the grantmaking team’s recommendations for consistency and cost-effectiveness
  • Communicate with grantees to investigate proposed work and resolve uncertainties 
  • Synthesise experts’ and colleagues’ appraisal of grants’ potential impact
  • Develop and refine the grant investigation process to ensure a high quality bar for all recommendations

Manage internal and external stakeholders

  • Build relationships with experts and organisations in the AI safety field to source grant opportunities, leverage their expertise, and stay informed
  • Collaborate within Longview and with other AI-risk funders to align donor interests with grant opportunities

Lead team operations

  • Establish and maintain efficient team infrastructure and systems, such as a centralised database to track grant investigations and recommendations (or delegate and supervise this workstream)
  • Line manage Longview’s AI grantmakers; ensure the team is supported and productive by applying team management best practices in meetings, performance management, and employee development

Advise donors

  • Discuss the AI risk landscape and grant recommendations with donors via email, video calls, and in-person (depending on candidate skills)
  • Coordinate donor-facing materials by the AI grantmaking and content teams to educate donors and explain the impact of donations; produce and review donor-facing materials 
  • Collaborate with the development team and the Office of the CEO to successfully manage donor relationships and understand donor preferences 

Ideal candidate

Here are some things we expect to find in a strong AI Programme Director candidate:

  • Adaptive strategic planning: Ability to develop careful, long-term plans and make rapid strategy pivots in the face of new evidence
  • Object-level AI knowledge: Grasp of the basic functioning of modern AI systems (neural networks, LLMs, GPUs), the current state of AI progress (benchmarks, timelines), the landscape of AI safety research, and the nature and potential pathways of extreme AI risk
  • AI landscape knowledge: Knowledge about the key experts and organisations involved in AI safety research and policy, and their respective efforts to address extreme AI risk
  • Incisive thinking: Ability to systematically assess grant proposals, conduct rigorous impact evaluations (including expected value and cost-effectiveness analyses), and make data-driven funding recommendations
  • Excellent communicator: Ability to communicate clearly and persuasively, both verbally and in writing, and to understand and respond effectively to a wide range of interpersonal situations
  • Project management: Skill in organising team workflows to improve the efficiency and coordination of team projects in a fast paced work environment
  • Embody Longview’s operating values: Excellence in service of impact, ownership, direct communication and feedback, kindness, and radical prioritisation

Strong candidates will possess most or all of the above competencies. If you’re on the fence about applying because you’re not sure you meet every qualification, we still strongly encourage you to apply! 

Application process

  • First stage: Complete this application form
  • Second stage: First interview (30 minutes) 
  • Third stage: Paid work task(s) - 2 to 6 hours 
    • We will pay candidates $100/hour (or ~£75/hour) for completing this stage.
  • Fourth stage: Second interview (1.5 hours) and reference checks
  • Fifth stage: In-person 2 to 5 day work trial
    • We recognise an in-person trial is a significant commitment. An honorarium will be provided to all candidates who complete a work trial and travel and accommodation costs will be reimbursed.
      • For those with the right to work in the UK this will be an in person work trial. For those without the right to work, this will be a remote work trial, but we might request you to travel to our London office to meet the team.
    • We are keen to work with the final candidate(s) to ensure they are able to complete a work trial, and aim to be flexible and accommodating. Please reach out if you are interested in applying but think you’d be unable to complete a work trial.

The starting date for the position will be determined together with the successful applicant.

About Longview Philanthropy

Longview Philanthropy’s mission and activities

Longview Philanthropy is a non-profit based in the UK and US. We design and execute bespoke giving strategies for major donors. Our grant recommendations are driven by the conviction that we can use evidence and reason to find the highest-impact donation opportunities. We focus on global challenges that could transform our future for many generations to come, including AI safety and governance, biosecurity, and nuclear weapons policy. Everything we offer is free-of-charge, independent, and often reviewed by external experts. We currently advise donors worldwide. We have directly influenced or moved >$120m since our founding, and are scaling up with the ambition to move >$100m/year.

Longview Philanthropy’s team culture

We are a collaborative, dedicated and positive team. We are all deeply motivated by the work that we do and the impact we can have. We are an ambitious organisation with a culture of clear communication, commitment to excellence and professional development, direct feedback, ownership over our work and a strong focus on outcomes. ~½ our team works from our office in London, with the other ~½ remote across the US. 

Longview Philanthropy is an equal opportunity employer and we aim to employ people with many different experiences, perspectives and backgrounds who share our passion and believe in our mission. We do not discriminate on the basis of ethnicity, religion, nationality, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, or disability status. We are happy to make any reasonable accommodations necessary to welcome all to our workplace. Please contact us to discuss adjustments to the application process.