Global Health and Development Senior Research Manager - Rethink Priorities

Summary of the Organization:

Founded in 2018, Rethink Priorities is a think-and-do tank. Through research and action, the organization improves the lives of humans and animals—both now and in the future. ) Our team conducts rigorous research across animal welfare, climate change, global health, international development, and other important and neglected areas. The Global Health and Development (GHD) Department ( carries out short research projects, often commissioned by philanthropic organizations and other relevant actors in the domains of global health, international development, and climate change. We strive to produce research that helps relevant stakeholders improve their decision-making, with the final goal of having a positive impact. Our clients include large funders such as Open Philanthropy, GiveWell, and the Gates Foundation, as well as smaller, high-impact nonprofits. In the medium-term, we intend to continue these commissioned projects alongside our own agenda of impactful, neglected research questions. 

Summary of the Senior Research Manager Role:

We are expanding the Global Health and Development Department at and are hiring Researchers / Senior Researchers (core desk-based research role) and a Senior Research Manager (research-management role, involving people & project leadership). Applicants may apply to the Researcher, Senior Researcher, and Senior Research Manager positions simultaneously, if desired; in later hiring stages, we may narrow your candidacy based on your fit for each role. 

A new manager will spend roughly 20-50% of their time on research, primarily with a focus on guidance and review of ongoing projects to ensure that the outputs are rigorous and timely. At times, managers may also conduct secondary research themselves. With the remaining 50-80% of their time, managers will be expected to line-manage staff directly and contribute to team management responsibilities, outreach, fundraising and strategy alongside our GHD Director and existing Senior Research Manager. We plan to hire one Senior Research Manager.

Expertise in specific topic areas is valued, but we are looking for someone comfortable applying generalist research experience across a variety of global health and development topics, including outside of that area. 

Responsibilities:

1. Managing research projects: Input to research approaches and plans, to ensure high-quality, timely outputs, Review of secondary research conducted by project teams, Client engagement and relationship management, particularly at the beginning and ends of research projects
2. Direct line management and wider team management, including: Management of 1-2 researchers, including weekly 1:1s, biannual performance evaluations, and ongoing coaching for professional development, Scheduling team capacity for commissioned research projects and other internal priorities, Quality assurance of public-facing outputs, Other support provided to the team as required, e.g., hiring, retreat planning
3. Contributing to the GHD Department’s strategy, which will involve working with the GHD Director and other RP teams to: Execute our medium-term strategy, and update our approach where needed, Cultivate external relationships through warm and cold outreach, Develop proposals and budgets for commissioned research, Provide input to our department’s strategy and priorities. 

Increasingly senior research managers will be expected to fulfil these responsibilities with greater autonomy, and with greater focus on impact. 

Qualifications: Skills, experience and competencies we are looking for include impact focus, research rigor, strategic and critical thinking, reasoning transparency, quantitative modelling, self/time-management, project management, outreach, written and verbal communication, project management skills, research experience. Managers require direct line-management experience.

Compensation:

• We offer annual salary between the following ranges for a full-time position, prorated for part-time work: (1) Researcher: $75,000 - $90,000 USD pre-tax (2) Senior Researcher $114,000 - $142,000 USD pre-tax and (3) $118,000 - $142,000 USD pre-tax.
• Other Benefits:
  • Flexible work hours and location
  • Comprehensive global benefits package (while this varies by country, we make every effort to ensure that our benefits package is equitable and high-quality for all staff)
  • Generous paid time off (PTO) leave and unpaid leave, including: “Mandated” 3-week total mid- and end-year organization-wide breaks, Unlimited (within reason) personal and sick paid and unpaid leave, Parental leave - up to 4 months paid and up to an additional 5 months unpaid parental leave that can be taken prior to and/or during the first 2 years after a child’s birth or adoption; other paid and unpaid leave (e.g., bereavement)