Schmidt Futures is a philanthropic initiative, founded by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, that bets early on exceptional people making the world better. We knit talent into networks, bet on the most promising ideas through diverse forms of competition and support, and equip people to scale through partners and modern tools. To realize this vision, Schmidt Futures uses a broad set of tools — including gifts, grants, investments, and startup activity — for charitable, educational, and commercial efforts with a public purpose. Our initiative brings together the efforts of various charitable and non-charitable entities to improve our potential impact by making diverse types of capital available to the efforts we support.

The Scientific Knowledge team at Schmidt Futures seeks to increase our understanding about the world by supporting new and innovative approaches and technologies, empowering the next generation of leaders, and creating a cross-disciplinary network of talented scientists. We believe that early, risk-tolerant focused investments can create leverage and scale that can have an outsized impact. 

Reporting to the Senior Program Scientist, the Science Associate will be responsible for working directly with other members of the Scientific Knowledge team, as well as outside scientists and organizations, to perform research and analysis relevant to:

• Development of new philanthropic areas and approaches for science investment and research support
• Monitoring, evaluating, and documenting the impact of existing scientific programs and individual gifts, grants, or investments either underway or completed
• Philanthropic portfolio strategy, budget, organizational design, and talent management.

• Support existing science-focused programs by providing networking assistance and scientific expertise, and by working closely and collaboratively with the research teams responsible for delivery
• Conduct research and analysis designed to outline potential scientific opportunities for impact, understand relative effectiveness of alternative models, and quantify likely results of programs overall and/or individual gifts, grants, or investments
• Perform landscape analyses to identify potential opportunities for partnership as well as lessons learned from existing efforts in the field
• Shape knowledge management efforts for the Scientific Knowledge portfolio - including research and analysis of existing programs and investments, communicating results to team members, and documenting results for future use and/or revision
• Work with other members of the Schmidt Futures team to drive organizational priorities and role model our values

• Work closely with other members of the Scientific Knowledge team to perform independent research assessing output and outcomes of Schmidt Futures’ programs and/or individual gifts, grants, or investments
• Discuss scientific progress with potential and current research partners, as well as provide constructive comments on research plans and execution
• Identify opportunities to improve the Scientific Knowledge portfolio based on an understanding of current scientific trends and/or lessons learned from others’ work
• Recommend approaches to improve data collection on outcomes and outputs, so as to facilitate more productive monitoring and evaluation of impact

• Conduct benchmarking and other analyses (either directly or by review of third-party work) to facilitate more effective planning for Schmidt Futures’ strategy, budget, talent management, and organizational development
• Prepare communications for organizational leadership and/or outside partners

• Expert-level experience and credentials in at least one, and preferably two, fields of science
• Experience performing deep, long-term, and creative scientific research, ideally in a multidisciplinary role or team
• Experience working with science-focused institutions such as philanthropic organizations or academic research institutions
• Demonstrated analytical and critical thinking skills
• Project management skills, including entrepreneurial drive to develop and execute self-designed initiatives
• Team player with an ability to coordinate efforts across multiple stakeholders
• Demonstrated leadership ability and record of impact in high-intensity, team-based environments
• Exceptional conceptual and analytical problem-solving skills
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Comfort working in entrepreneurial, startup-like environments

• Have a Ph.D. degree or equivalent from an accredited university in science, math, or engineering with experience in research, analysis, consulting, or management OR have a Masters degree from an accredited university in science, math, or engineering with 5 years of experience in research, analysis, consulting, or management
• Have a values-based, collaborative working style with demonstrated commitment to the highest standards of ethics and confidentiality
• Be based at the Schmidt Futures offices in New York and be able to travel within the U.S. and internationally on a regular basis as needed following company policy and permitting circumstances.

At Schmidt Futures we are committed to fair, transparent pay and we strive to provide competitive, market-informed compensation. The target base salary range for this role is $110,000 to $150,000. Compensation for the successful candidate will be informed by the candidate’s particular combination of knowledge, skills, competencies and experience.

Futures Action Network, LLC, which operates Schmidt Futures, is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer that proudly pursues and hires a diverse workforce. We do not make hiring or employment decisions on the basis of race, color, religion or religious belief, ethnic or national origin, nationality, sex, gender, gender-identity, sexual orientation, disability, age, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws or prohibited by Company policy. We strive for a healthy and safe workplace and strictly prohibit harassment of any kind.