Application Guide

How to Apply for Researcher

at Animal Charity Evaluators

🏢 About Animal Charity Evaluators

Animal Charity Evaluators (ACE) is a unique organization dedicated to finding the most effective ways to help non-human animals through rigorous research and analysis. Working here means contributing to high-impact animal advocacy by identifying charities that can save the most lives per dollar donated.

About This Role

As a Researcher at ACE, you will critically engage with scientific studies, conduct charity evaluations, and produce written outputs that guide donors and advocates. Your work directly influences funding decisions and shapes the direction of the animal advocacy movement, making it a high-impact role for those passionate about evidence-based giving.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve reviewing a new academic paper on animal welfare interventions, updating a cost-effectiveness model in Google Sheets, and drafting a section of a charity evaluation report. You'd also participate in team discussions about methodology and potentially meet with grantees to discuss their impact data.

🚀 Application Tools

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Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who Animal Charity Evaluators Is Looking For

  • Strong quantitative skills, including comfort with cost-effectiveness analysis, probability distributions, and expected value calculations, as these are central to evaluating charities and grants.
  • Proficiency in Google Sheets for data manipulation, modeling, and creating clear, error-free spreadsheets.
  • Ability to find, interpret, and critically analyze empirical research from fields like economics, epidemiology, or animal science.
  • Excellent written communication skills with attention to detail, essential for producing clear and persuasive charity reviews and blog posts.

📝 Tips for Applying to Animal Charity Evaluators

1

Highlight specific experience with cost-effectiveness analysis or expected value calculations, ideally with examples from past work or projects.

2

Demonstrate your Google Sheets skills by describing a complex spreadsheet you built (e.g., for modeling or data analysis).

3

Show your ability to critically engage with research by mentioning a time you identified flaws in a study or synthesized conflicting evidence.

4

Tailor your cover letter to discuss why effective animal advocacy matters to you personally and how your skills align with ACE's mission.

5

Review ACE's published charity reviews and blog posts to understand their writing style and analytical depth, then mirror that in your application.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your passion for animal welfare and commitment to using evidence to maximize impact.', "Specific examples of quantitative analysis you've conducted (e.g., cost-effectiveness models, statistical analyses).", 'Your experience with research synthesis and critical evaluation of academic literature.', 'How your writing skills have produced clear, actionable reports or articles that influenced decisions.']

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Read several of ACE's recent charity reviews and blog posts to understand their analytical framework and tone.
  • → Familiarize yourself with ACE's criteria for evaluating charities and their Movement Grants program.
  • → Review the key debates in effective altruism regarding animal welfare (e.g., wild animal suffering, factory farming vs. other issues).
  • → Understand the common critiques of ACE's methodology (e.g., from other animal advocacy groups) and think about how you'd address them.
Visit Animal Charity Evaluators's Website →

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk through a cost-effectiveness analysis you've done or would do for a hypothetical animal charity.
2 How would you evaluate the quality of a study? Provide an example of a study you think is flawed and explain why.
3 Describe a time you had to make a decision with incomplete data. How did you handle it?
4 How would you improve ACE's current charity evaluation methodology?
5 Explain a complex quantitative concept (e.g., expected value) to a non-technical audience.
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Submitting a generic cover letter without mentioning ACE or effective animal advocacy.
  • Overlooking the importance of quantitative skills; don't just list them—provide concrete examples.
  • Failing to proofread for errors, especially in numerical data or spreadsheet references, as attention to detail is critical.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to Animal Charity Evaluators!

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