Shape and lead the future of effective altruism in the UK — apply to be the Director of EA UK

Key details

  • Title: Director

  • Location: UK-based, remote. Preference for London-based candidates; shared office space in London likely available. Visa sponsorship available.

  • Compensation: £45,000 to £62,500, depending on experience and location

  • How to apply: Submit a brief application here.

The Opportunity

The UK has the world's second-largest EA community, with London having the highest concentration of EAs globally. This represents a significant opportunity to strengthen and grow the effective altruism movement where it matters most.

As Director of EA UK, you'll have access to:

  • An established organisation with 9 years of London community building experience

  • An extensive network and documented history of what works (and what doesn't)

  • 5-7 months of secured funding plus partial ongoing funding to develop and implement your vision; permanent role contingent on successful further fundraising

  • A supportive board and engaged community eager to help you succeed

Your task would be to determine how to best leverage these resources to maximize positive impact through community building in the UK.

About EA UK

EA UK supports individuals across the UK who want to use evidence and reason to do good more effectively. We provide connections, resources, and knowledge to help people increase their positive impact on the world. 

Role Overview

This is a unique opportunity for a self-directed community-builder to shape EA UK's future. You'll be responsible for both setting the strategic direction and executing on that strategy. This is currently a one-person organisation (you), so you'll need to thrive working independently while building connections across the EA ecosystem. There is scope to pitch expansion to funders and the board.

The EA UK board are recruiting for a new Director, because our existing Director is moving on to another opportunity. We believe that the strongest version of EA UK is one where the Director is implementing a strategy that they have created themselves, hence the open nature of this opportunity.

Responsibilities

To some extent, these are subject to change based on the strategy you implement. However, we expect most strategies would involve at least some amount of these responsibilities:

  • Strategy and evaluation

    • Design, manage, and evaluate a community-building strategy. You will select programs seeking to maximize impact, considering factors such as identifying strategic gaps in the ecosystem, and the organisation’s resources and likely value-add.

    • This could include broad or more target programming, for example focussing on particular career, cause or demographic areas (for example biosecurity or finance).

  • Community outreach and 1-on-1 engagement

    • Serve as the first point of contact for individuals interested in effective altruism in the UK, including facilitating 1-on-1 conversations with newcomers and making high-quality personal introductions within the community.

  • Event design and delivery

    • Lead the planning and execution of in-person events in London to foster meaningful connections within the EA community. This could include introductory meetups, advanced workshops or retreats.

  • Support for local and volunteer groups

    • Provide strategic, financial or logistical support to volunteer-led EA groups in the UK, for example shared spaces and resources, cost reimbursements, or help with succession.

  • Organisational development

    • Manage appropriate internal systems and processes that support the organisation’s goals, for example documentation and knowledge management.

  • External engagement

    • Maintain productive relationships with other EA-aligned organisations, networks, and stakeholders

  • Communications and newsletter

    • Oversee the EA UK newsletter as a central channel for community updates, events, and opportunities, ensuring high-quality and timely content that serves the broader EA ecosystem.

Current EA UK Activities (subject to change based on your strategy)

These are activities EA UK currently undertakes. You'll evaluate which to continue, modify, or replace based on your strategic vision:

  • Running EA events in London, currently both broad socials and targeted workshops

  • 1-on-1 meetings with newcomers and community members, to provide advice and connect them with resources and opportunities

  • Supporting local volunteer-led EA groups, especially in London

  • Cause-specific programming (e.g., biosecurity, AI safety)

  • Publishing the EA UK newsletter

  • Facilitating connections within the community

Who might excel in this role?

We're looking for candidates who combine strategic thinking with strong execution abilities. You’ll need to thrive in a people-focused community building role. You’ll likely:

  • Enjoy 1:1 conversations about EA concepts, career and donation decisions, and cause prioritisation, with clarity, empathy, and intellectual humility

  • Be energized by running targeted events and facilitating engagement across diverse interest, cause, and career groups

  • Care about strengthening the UK EA landscape, both through your own efforts and by supporting others

  • Be collaborative and service-oriented: willing to amplify others' work, provide thoughtful feedback, and act as a trusted sounding board for peers and partners

Relevant skills & abilities include:

  • Good judgment in an EA community-building context

  • Strong execution skills and ability to deliver complex projects independently

  • Good communication skills (written and verbal)

  • Alignment with and knowledge of EA principles and community

  • Ability to thrive in a remote, self-directed role

  • High conscientiousness and commitment to continuous improvement

Example profiles of potentially excellent candidates might include people who have backgrounds like:

  • Professional with relevant skills (e.g., events, operations, communications) who's been volunteering as an EA group organiser and wants to transition to direct impact work

  • Led a successful EA university group, has subsequently had 6+ months paid community building experience, eager to scale their impact

  • Worked in EA-adjacent organisations (animal welfare, for example) and wants to apply their expertise to strengthening the UK EA ecosystem

We welcome applications from candidates with diverse backgrounds and experiences, and are open to candidates who are strong in some areas and less experienced in others. If you're excited about this opportunity but unsure if you meet the criteria, we encourage you to apply.

Important Context

Funding: This role is fully funded for 5-7 months. In addition, there are ongoing funding streams that partially cover the role’s costs on an ongoing basis, and links with certain individual donors. A core responsibility will be securing continued funding through CEA's Community Building Grants program and other sources. CEA has only partially funded EA UK in recent years, making successful fundraising essential for the role's continuation.

Working environment: You'll be the sole employee, working independently with board oversight. This offers significant autonomy but requires strong self-management skills.

We’ll share more about the realities of this role early in the application process, but encourage applicants excited to build an ambitious vision for the future of EA UK to apply and discuss the challenges and opportunities with us.

Application Process

Along with a CV, during the application, we’ll ask you to briefly outline: 

  1. A potential vision for EA UK you’d be interested in pursuing

  2. Your approach to the first 6 months in the role

  3.  Your experience with the effective altruism community or its ideas 

Of course, we don’t expect you to have a well-researched strategy for a quick application form answer! We understand that these will be just a few initial notes on what you think are some promising directions. 

You’ll have opportunities to expand on your ideas if you progress to later stages, after learning more about EA UK. Keep your responses concise –we care more about content and clarity than presentation. . Feel free to answer in bullet points. 

Stages:

  1. Initial application with brief responses to above questions

  2. Screening interview

  3. Paid work test (2-6 hours)

  4. Final interview

  5. Paid work trial

Start date: Flexible, roughly between July and September, to be agreed with the successful candidate

Apply Now

For questions about the role or application process, contact madeleine@goodstructures.co.

Submit your application here. Applications are due by June 27, 2025.