Senior Manager, Research and Origination, Fund Ecosystem

Renaissance Philanthropy fuels 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 through identifying frontier experts, tapping into emerging philanthropists, and building multi-sector initiatives that harness philanthropy, markets, and governments. We advance our mission by advising philanthropists, surfacing breakthrough ideas, and incubating ambitious initiatives.

About the role

As the Senior Manager, Research and Origination within the Fund Ecosystem program, you will play a key role in evaluating thesis-driven philanthropic funds and occasionally starting new ones. The Fund Ecosystem program strengthens the broad ecosystem of thesis-driven philanthropic funds with three focus areas: evaluating existing funds and producing recommendations for two major philanthropists 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 thrive on a combination of breadth (surveying the full landscape of possibilities), depth (conducting deep diligence), and action (making things happen). This role focuses primarily on pressing health and development challenges in low- and middle-income countries (70%), with the remaining time (30%) spent on topics such as science commercialization, climate interventions, and 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. Renaissance Philanthropy has offices in New York, Washington D.C., and London, with a preference for candidates located in D.C. or New York, though this is a remote role open to candidates anywhere, including Africa and Asia.

Responsibilities

• Evaluation (~75%):
  • Evaluate existing thesis-driven philanthropic funds, culminating in clearly argued, written fund/don’t-fund recommendations for the philanthropists we work with.
  • Conduct shallow reviews to identify the "cruxes"—the critical open questions most likely to shift our recommendation (likely 25–30 shallow evaluations per year).
  • 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 addressable through new thesis-driven philanthropic funds.
  • Develop and execute systematic processes for identifying and originating new potential funds, including vetting talent to lead them.
  • Support and incubate early-stage projects and fund directors to either disprove a promising thesis or turn it into a fundable, scalable project.
  • 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 areas, prepare research, analysis, briefing materials, and compelling investment cases to support RenPhil’s existing donors, potential new donors, and partner organizations.

If successful, in two years you will have helped support and/or start 20+ high-impact philanthropic initiatives and funds, built a robust pipeline of fund opportunities, and established Renaissance Philanthropy as a trusted partner for ambitious philanthropists and field-leading experts.

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 (deep expertise in 1+ areas) and breadth (effective work across multiple problems or approaches spanning government, business, and/or nonprofits).
• Exceptional analytical skills: ability to build and defend quantitative models (e.g., cost-effectiveness analyses), identify the research frontier of a scientific question, and explain uncertainties in your analysis.
• Sound judgment under time pressure: ability to lead calls with fund leaders and experts independently, form views from incomplete information, and revise conclusions when evidence warrants it.
• Fluency with AI tools as a core part of research, modeling, and writing, with an appetite to continuously improve as tools evolve.
• 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: ability to translate complex analysis for diverse audiences and write actionable recommendations for busy decision-makers.

Benefits

• Comprehensive and generous benefits package.
• 401K contribution.

Values

You will thrive in our team if you:

• Have strong mission and vision alignment: belief in the power of science, innovation, and technology to create a brighter future for all.
• Exhibit high agency: ability to overcome constraints and drive impact.
• Inspire others and are highly collaborative: motivate others to join your mission and understand the value of teamwork.
• Value exceptional talent and the power of networks: ability to spot or nurture talent and leverage networks for outsized impact.
• Are comfortable working in fast-moving and ambitious teams: thrive in ambiguity and enjoy working at pace.