Program Director, Grants

Core responsibilities:

• Lead Tarbell's grantmaking initiatives, managing an annual budget starting at $2M+ with potential to grow to $10M+
• Set funding strategy, make grant decisions, and identify high-impact opportunities in AI journalism
• Build relationships with newsroom leaders and fund institutional capacity building at major outlets
• Provide strategic oversight of existing AI reporting grants program while expanding institutional partnerships

This role creates positive change by funding high-impact journalism that helps society navigate AI development and deployment, positioning Tarbell as the leading global funder of AI journalism and building dedicated reporting capacity at major news outlets worldwide.

Required qualifications:

• 5+ years of experience in either journalism (editorial/executive roles) OR AI grantmaking/strategy
• Ability to evaluate pitches with rigor and identify gaps in AI coverage
• Entrepreneurial approach to proactively identifying funding opportunities
• Strong relationships within journalism industry or grantmaking sector

Compensation: $115,000 - $160,000+ in the US; £75,000 - £90,000+ in the UK. This is a senior role with real ownership, significant budget responsibility, and potential to build and lead a team of 5+ within two years.

Tarbell supports journalism that helps society navigate the emergence of increasingly advanced AI.