We are seeking a Program Officer to join our Science and Global Health R&D team. This person will report directly to Katharine Collins and work closely with her to execute, expand, and refine her existing grantmaking strategies in global health R&D, which currently include Strep A, malaria, and global health vaccine development.

The role will primarily involve leading grant investigations to identify and evaluate high-impact opportunities for advancing Strep A vaccine development, with the primary goal of reducing the burden of rheumatic heart disease. It offers the opportunity to engage deeply with cutting-edge biomedical research and global health product development efforts, involving independent analytical research and building relationships with grantees and experts in the field.

Over time, the Program Officer could take on increasing responsibility within the portfolio as they build experience and judgment.

The position is best suited to a scientifically trained researcher who combines strong technical understanding with strategic thinking about how to achieve the greatest global health impact.

Based on our experience, the strongest Program Officers can often bring adjacent experience and fresh perspectives rather than deep prior specialization in a single area. We therefore encourage applications from candidates with strong scientific backgrounds, even if they have not previously worked directly on Strep A. While the primary focus of this role will be advancing Strep A vaccine development, there may be flexibility depending on the candidate’s expertise and team priorities. The Program Officer may also contribute to grantmaking in malaria or other global health vaccine areas.

Key responsibilities

Researching and leading grant investigations

• Review scientific literature and analyze data to assess technical feasibility and potential impact of new opportunities.
• Identify and evaluate promising vaccine R&D efforts in academic, nonprofit, and industry settings.
• Conduct interviews with grantees, scientific experts, and partner organizations to inform grant recommendations.
• Prepare detailed grant write-ups and supporting analyses for internal decision-making, including back-of-the-envelope calculations (BOTECs).

Grant follow-up and portfolio management

• Track project milestones and evaluate progress against objectives.
• Conduct grantee check-ins and contribute to renewal or follow-up decisions.
• Help synthesize lessons learned from existing grants to refine future strategy.

Strategic and analytical support

• Work closely with Katharine Collins to execute, expand, and refine the portfolio grantmaking strategies.
• Identify emerging scientific opportunities and potential gaps in current vaccine development pipelines.
• Contribute to planning and strategy documents, internal analyses, and donor communications.

External engagement

• Represent Open Philanthropy at scientific meetings, conferences, and workshops.
• Develop relationships with external partners, including researchers, funders, and product development organizations.

Who we’re looking for

You might be a good fit if you have:

• Experience (5+ years not including time on master's degree or Ph.D.) in a field relevant to vaccine development, immunology, microbiology, infectious disease, or another biomedical research discipline. A strong candidate will also have experience with, and/or deep knowledge of preclinical research and/or clinical trials.
• Ph.D. in a relevant field is preferred, though not strictly required.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, including the ability to assess scientific data and reason quantitatively about potential impact.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to clearly communicate complex scientific concepts and your views.
• Creativity and willingness to think broadly about paths to impact, such as innovative trial designs and pathways, and improved coordination and engagement between key stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills and comfort engaging with partners from a wide range of disciplines, institutions, and cultural contexts.
• Comfort with hits-based giving — funding projects that may have a low probability of success but a large potential upside.
• Ability to travel periodically (e.g. for conferences, grantee meetings, and team gatherings).
• Ability to overlap with U.K. and U.S. Pacific Time several hours per week for team meetings and grantee calls (see more in the role details section below).

Preferred, but not required

• Experience in Strep A research
• Experience with vaccine development for Strep A or other infectious diseases, such as malaria, or familiarity with translational R&D and product development processes.
• Knowledge of the global health R&D ecosystem, including funders, product development partnerships, and regulatory pathways.

We also expect all staff to model our operating values of ownership, openness, calibration, and inclusiveness.

The ideal candidate for this position will possess many of the skills and experiences described above, but having all of them is not necessary. There is also no such thing as a “perfect” candidate. If you are on the fence about applying because you are unsure whether you are qualified, we would strongly encourage you to apply.

Grantmaking experience is not required, and many strong candidates will lack it. You do not need to know about grant structures or traditional philanthropic reporting requirements to excel in this position.

• Review scientific literature and analyze data to assess technical feasibility and potential impact of new opportunities.
• Identify and evaluate promising vaccine R&D efforts in academic, nonprofit, and industry settings.
• Conduct interviews with grantees, scientific experts, and partner organizations to inform grant recommendations.
• Prepare detailed grant write-ups and supporting analyses for internal decision-making, including back-of-the-envelope calculations (BOTECs).
• Track project milestones and evaluate progress against objectives.
• Conduct grantee check-ins and contribute to renewal or follow-up decisions.
• Help synthesize lessons learned from existing grants to refine future strategy.
• Work closely with Katharine Collins to execute, expand, and refine the portfolio grantmaking strategies.
• Identify emerging scientific opportunities and potential gaps in current vaccine development pipelines.
• Contribute to planning and strategy documents, internal analyses, and donor communications.
• Represent Open Philanthropy at scientific meetings, conferences, and workshops.
• Develop relationships with external partners, including researchers, funders, and product development organizations.

• Strong analytical and critical thinking skills, including the ability to assess scientific data and reason quantitatively about potential impact.
• Excellent written and oral communication skills, including the ability to clearly communicate complex scientific concepts and your views.
• Creativity and willingness to think broadly about paths to impact, such as innovative trial designs and pathways, and improved coordination and engagement between key stakeholders.
• Strong interpersonal skills and comfort engaging with partners from a wide range of disciplines, institutions, and cultural contexts.

• Experience (5+ years not including time on master's degree or Ph.D.) in a field relevant to vaccine development, immunology, microbiology, infectious disease, or another biomedical research discipline. A strong candidate will also have experience with, and/or deep knowledge of preclinical research and/or clinical trials.
• Ph.D. in a relevant field is preferred, though not strictly required.
• Comfort with hits-based giving — funding projects that may have a low probability of success but a large potential upside.
• Ability to travel periodically (e.g. for conferences, grantee meetings, and team gatherings).
• Ability to overlap with U.K. and U.S. Pacific Time several hours per week for team meetings and grantee calls (see more in the role details section below).
• Experience in Strep A research
• Experience with vaccine development for Strep A or other infectious diseases, such as malaria, or familiarity with translational R&D and product development processes.
• Knowledge of the global health R&D ecosystem, including funders, product development partnerships, and regulatory pathways.