Research Fundraising Lead

About Iliad

Iliad is a nonprofit dedicated to advancing foundational AI alignment research. We run the Iliad Intensive, the Iliad Fellowship, and a range of conferences that bring together researchers working on the hardest problems in AI safety. We also incubate research organizations and an academic journal, and have an internal research team. We're a small and quickly growing team.

About the Role

Alongside its fieldbuilding programs, Iliad runs a research federation. We back strong researchers working on promising directions in alignment and help them launch their own research organizations. Each organization sets its own research agenda, while Iliad carries much of the operational load: seed funding, hiring, visas, finance and fundraising. The federation currently includes Principia, XOR Labs and Stormglass, alongside the Alignment Journal and Iliad's internal research team.

These organizations are doing good work, and several could grow faster than they are. Usually what holds them back is funding. Their Principal Investigators (PIs) are researchers, and their time is best spent on research rather than on funder strategy and grant applications.

You'll be the person who fixes that. You'll own fundraising across our incubated orgs: deciding which funders to go after and when, and getting strong applications out the door. The role needs real judgment, and as the work grows it could become a team you lead. Ideally you'll already know the AI safety funding landscape, and we'll help you get up to speed on the organizations and their research.

The role's scope and seniority will be shaped around the successful candidate.

What You'll Do

• Own the process. Set internal deadlines, chase drafts, and make sure applications actually get submitted.
• Fundraising strategy for each org. With each org, decide what to apply for, where, when and in what order. 
• Grant applications, alongside the PIs. Strong applications depend on deep context about the research, so you won't write them alone. You'll work closely with each PI to help shape their research into a story funders find compelling, without overselling it to reviewers who know the field.
• The funder landscape. Keep a working map of who funds foundational alignment research, what each funder is looking for, and when their rounds open.
• Budgets that add up. Work with Iliad's finance team so every application has a budget the org can stand behind, and so everyone knows what has been raised, what's pending and what it's for.
• Write it down. Leave a clear record of every application, conversation and decision, so the work never depends on one person's memory.
• Reporting. Keep funder reports and renewals on schedule once grants come in.
• Grow with the role. As the work grows, you'll help shape how fundraising support is organized across our research teams. 

What We're Looking For

We think strong candidates will meet most of these criteria, but don't expect any individual to meet all of them. We would encourage you to apply, even if you are uncertain.

• Organized and fast. You get things done without being chased, and you can keep several applications and deadlines moving at once.
• Ops instincts. Budgets, timelines and follow-up don't scare you.
• Proactive. You'll tell the PIs and Iliad what's coming next before they think to ask.
• Clear writing. You can turn a researcher's technical jargon into something a funder understands and wants to back.
• You think about the reader. Good fundraising starts from what the funder needs to hear, not from everything the researcher wants to say.
• Storytelling. You can find the story in abstract, mathematical research: why the problem matters for alignment, why this team, and why now. You tell it honestly, so it holds up with funders who know the field and can spot hype.
• Enough technical grounding to follow the research. You're comfortable reading alignment papers and asking researchers good questions. A STEM background, or time in the Iliad Intensive or a similar program, is a strong plus.
• Credibility with researchers. PIs take your questions and your edits seriously, and you can push back when a pitch overclaims.
• Strategic judgment. You can weigh where an org's time is best spent, and you'll say no to applications that aren't worth it.

Haven't done this before? Apply anyway. Some of the best people for this role will be strong writers and organizers from research, ops or policy who have never written a grant. We care more about whether you could do this well than whether you already have. The application asks you to pitch a piece of research, and that will tell us more than your CV. 

Benefits

Our benefits include:

• Time Off: 25 days paid vacation annually, plus local holidays. 
• Flexible Working Hours: We're a distributed organization with employees in a variety of locations and offer flexible working hours.
• Personal development budget (e.g. books, courses, conferences relating to your role).
• Work Laptop.
• Team Retreats: We have occasional in-person team retreats in California and England. 
• Parental Leave (4 months fully paid for birth parent, 1 month fully paid for non-birth parent, or according to your local statutory requirements).

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Apply here by October 18, 23:59 AoE (Anywhere on Earth).