Arena Careers

• $115,000 – $145,000 USD pre-tax
• £87,000 – £110,000 GBP pre-tax
• €102,000 – €129,000 EUR pre-tax

• Deliver concrete recommendations about where potentially tens of millions of dollars could be spent effectively each year.
• Conduct thorough landscape analyses of the democracy-focused funding ecosystem in the US, identifying gaps, crowding, and high-potential opportunities.
• Evaluate the evidence base for interventions aimed at protecting democratic institutions, countering democratic backsliding, and strengthening civic infrastructure — applying the kind of cost-effectiveness thinking RP uses across cause areas.
• Produce clear, well-reasoned outputs—including reports, memos, and funding recommendations—that, with the assistance of our communications team, can be made accessible to sophisticated non-specialist audiences without sacrificing analytical rigor.
• Engage with and synthesize a wide range of source types: academic literature, policy analysis, practitioner knowledge, and expert interviews.
• Carefully consider how novel developments, such as in AI, intersect with threats to democracy, and how to mitigate such risks.

• Have clear interest in RP’s mission and in applying evidence-based, cause-neutral frameworks to questions of democratic resilience and institutional health.
• Approach the subject matter empirically: able to evaluate evidence without partisan priors and communicate findings credibly to funders across the political spectrum.
• Take full ownership over research projects, demonstrating a high degree of initiative and sound independent judgment.
• Collaborate effectively with leadership, teammates, and external partners including funders, grantees, and subject matter experts.
• Have a track record that includes at least one of: producing policy or philanthropic research on governance or civic topics, advising funders or major donors on grant strategy, or publishing analysis engaging with institutional and democratic processes in the US.

• We offer annual salary between the following ranges for a full-time position, prorated for less than 40 hours per week:
  • $115,000 – $145,000 USD pre-tax
  • £87,000 – £110,000 GBP pre-tax
  • €102,000 – €129,000 EUR pre-tax
• The exact salary will be based on the candidate’s prior relevant experience and corresponding title level, and calculated using RP’s salary algorithm.
• Compensation is not restricted to the currencies listed above.
• To ensure fairness across the entire organization, RP does not negotiate salaries.

1. Remote-first environment, including flexible work hours and schedule
2. Comprehensive global benefits program, including statutory benefits, as required by local law, and supplemental benefits specific to a local country, as available (varies country by country)
3. Generous paid time off (PTO) and unpaid leave including:
   • Unlimited vacation with a minimum number of required statutory days off
   • “Mandated” 3-weeks total mid- and end-year organization-wide breaks
   • Unlimited (within reason) personal and sick paid and unpaid leave
   • Parental leave – up to 4-9 months of a combination of paid and unpaid parental leave that can be taken prior and/or during the first 2 years after a child’s birth or adoption
   • Other paid and unpaid leave (e.g., bereavement)
4. Technology stipend of the equivalent of $2000 USD every 3 years that can be used to cover costs of purchasing work and office equipment
5. AI tools budget of the equivalent of $40 USD monthly
6. Learning opportunities, including workshops / training sessions and 10% of work time dedicated to professional and personal development
7. Paid work trips, including one annual all staff Mega Team Retreat and relevant conferences
8. Virtual co-working spaces, including private Rethink Priorities Focusmate group
9. RP Peer Support Program for New Employees
10. Other benefits as allowed on discretion of the RP Leadership

• Extension requests: We will try to accommodate extension requests that are made before the deadline and are up to seven (7) days. We generally cannot accommodate extension requests made on or after the application deadline, or are longer than 7 days, and cannot accept late submissions to ensure fairness to other applicants.
• Language: Please submit all of your application materials in English and note that we require professional level English proficiency.
• Travel: A majority of our staff travel a few times per year for conferences, team and all-staff retreats, coworking, as well as other work-related purposes. Travel to each of the annual all-staff and directors’ retreat is required. Other travel to represent RP for particular high value fundraising or communications activities is highly desirable. Where possible, “virtual participation” option or other accommodations could be offered.
• Accessibility: We’re committed to running an inclusive and accessible application process. We warmly invite you to reach out to [email protected] with any questions or accessibility requests such as chat box use during interviews.
• Inclusivity and fairness: RP is committed to building an inclusive, equitable, and supportive community for you to thrive and do your best work. We’re committed to finding the best people for our team, so please don’t hesitate to apply for a role regardless of your age, gender identity/expression, political identity, personal preferences, physical abilities, veteran status, neurodiversity or any other background. We provide reasonable accommodations and benefits, including, for example, flexible work schedules and locations, mental health coverage in medical benefits (as available), as well as technology budgets and professional development time that can be used, for example, to purchase assistive technology or engage in job coaching.
• Other: Visit our Career Opportunities webpage if you’d like to know more about our hiring process, culture, and what working at RP is like.

About Rethink Priorities

1. A consultancy doing commissioned work in response to demands from organizations doing high-impact work
2. A research institute driven by research agendas we set according to our own priorities.
3. A think tank aiming to inform public policy to improve the world.
4. An accelerator, incubator, and base for priority projects.

• Bringing attention to neglected issues, such as lead exposure, fungal diseases, and shrimp welfare.
• Increasing the collective impact of advocates across each field in which we work through strategic coordination.
• Investigating potential interventions and identifying the most cost-effective options. In 2025, our research influenced tens of millions of dollars in foundation grants.
• Creating practical tools for philanthropists to compare resource allocations across different species and cause areas and to build giving portfolios despite uncertainties.
• Providing organizations with data to inform their decisions. For example, we have conducted surveys on perceptions of existential risks, AI, effective giving, and other topics.
• Providing fiscal sponsorship and operational support to ensure that high-impact initiatives in areas like AI safety and animal welfare can launch and grow effectively.