Generalist

Application Deadline: February 20, 2022

Sentience Institute has exclusively hired researchers to date, but as we grow, we increasingly need a team member with a generalist skillset and alignment with our mission of building a better future for all sentient beings. We are open to candidates who have expertise and interest in a range of areas including communications, operations, and management. The specifics of the role, including the exact job title, can be tailored to suit the skills and interests of the successful candidate.

We are also hiring researchers, and the application form allows you to apply for one or both positions.

The role

Since its founding in 2017, SI has prioritized establishing and maintaining a high-quality research stream on moral circle expansion, with a particular focus on the moral and social inclusion of farmed animals and artificial intelligence and sentience. This role will involve contributing to a variety of tasks to help us increase the efficiency and impact of our research. Specific tasks that this role may involve include:

• Writing grant applications and carrying out other fundraising tasks
• Proofreading and copyediting research reports, blog posts, and other SI documents
• Recruiting new staff and ensuring compliance with local employment laws
• Researching, recruiting interviewees, and conducting interviews for SI’s podcast
• Managing SI’s social media accounts, newsletter, and website
• Connecting with the research community and distributing funding
• Coordinating SI’s research and ensuring our projects synergize for long-term impact
• Presenting at outreach events and conferences
• Conducting some research and writing blog posts

We are looking for a generalist who has the capability, willingness, and interest to work on a broad range of tasks. However, we do not expect applicants to be proficient at every task on the list, and we are flexible and happy to tailor the role to the specific skills and interests of suitable candidates.

We are open to applicants with a range of experience levels for this role. For less experienced candidates, this role offers the opportunity for substantial growth and taking on additional organizational responsibilities over time. More experienced candidates can be hired at a senior level (e.g., Communications Manager, Executive Director), with greater responsibility and involvement in high-level organizational decisions from the outset.

More Information

• Employment type: Full-time (US "at-will" or UK "permanent"); we may consider a contract or half-time role for exceptional candidates.
• Location: Remote; Sentience Institute is US-based (we may be able to make arrangements for international hires, but we are unable to sponsor US visas). Current staff are in the US and UK.
• Experience type: Prior communications, operations, management, or other administrative experience or training
• Start date: Flexible, as early as April 2022
• Work style / Supervision: Relatively independent with frequent peer feedback
• Salary: $45,000-60,000 (or international equivalent per costs of living) with upward flexibility for experience, need, and seniority of role
• Paid time off: 28 days per year (all-inclusive)
• Work schedule: Flexible, around 40 hours per week
• Professional development: Employees will have opportunities to attend conferences and seminars relevant to their work and engage in other professional development opportunities.
• Job title: The exact job title is flexible (e.g. Operations Manager, Research Manager, Communications Manager, Executive Director) depending on the experience and interests of the applicant.

Required Attributes

• Prior experience or training in one of the following: communications, operations, management, or another administrative role. This can be in any context, for example, academia, non-profit, industry, or freelance.
• Willingness, interest, and capability to carry out a variety of tasks to help further SI’s mission
• Interest and alignment with SI’s mission of studying moral circle expansion
• General writing ability, such as writing a grant application for research funding or a newsletter article to SI’s supporters
• Ability to work mostly independently with limited structure or supervision, with a willingness to make major organizational decisions collaboratively with others at SI

Preferred Attributes

We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet some or any of these:

• Prior experience or training in more than one of the following: communications, operations, management, or another administrative role. This can be in any context, for example, academia, non-profit, industry, or freelance.
• Comfort with speculation and making judgements based on limited evidence when stronger evidence is not available, including comfort with changing your mind based on new evidence
• Familiarity with the ideas of effective altruism
• Familiarity with the farmed animal movement and its strategies, particularly with the debates and research on effective animal advocacy
• Familiarity with the ideas around artificial intelligence and existential risk, and in particular artificial sentience

Application Process

This is our plan for the application process, for your convenience:

• First, applicants complete the application form (link below).
• If we're interested in moving forward, we'll contact you to schedule a ~1 hour interview and give you questions to prepare for discussion. We will let you know how many applicants are being considered at this stage.
• After the interview, if we're interested in moving forward, we'll provide a short (max 2 hours) trial project, such as providing feedback on a draft blog post intended for SI’s website or drafting sections of a research grant application. We will let you know how many applicants are being considered at this stage.
• After that, we may contact you with further questions before we make our final decision.

Apply Now

Click here to apply to the Generalist position (Google Form).

Please note that the application form requires a Google account for uploads. If you do not have a Google account you may send your responses and materials to ali@sentienceinstitute.org.

Sentience Institute is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive equal consideration for employment regardless of their race, color, religion, age, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.

Please contact ali@sentienceinstitute.org with any questions. We know job applications can take a lot of time, and we will do our best to be considerate of your schedule throughout our hiring process.