How to apply for Senior Program Officer

About GiveWell

GiveWell is a nonprofit that researches cost-effective global health and development programs and directs donor money to them. It grew from directing $1.5 million in 2010 to more than $400 million in 2025, and total grantmaking may approach or exceed $1 billion this year. The role offers direct influence over how hundreds of millions of dollars are allocated.

About the role

Senior Program Officers lead GiveWell's grantmaking. You own a significant grantmaking portfolio, set its strategy, and decide which funding opportunities to prioritize. Your decisions inform the allocation of hundreds of millions of dollars to dozens of grantees, and you communicate externally and mentor other team members.

A typical day

A typical day likely involves reviewing grantee reports and cost-effectiveness estimates, meeting with grantees or internal team members, and writing up funding recommendations. You would also spend time mentoring other program staff and preparing external communications about GiveWell's grantmaking. Exact routines are not stated in the job details, so ask about team structure and meeting cadence in interviews.

Who GiveWell is looking for

• Experience setting strategy and making funding or resource-allocation decisions with large budgets or high stakes.
• Strong quantitative and empirical judgment: able to review cost-effectiveness estimates, evidence quality, and uncertain data without overclaiming.
• Comfort with open-ended problems: can sift many possible opportunities down to the few that matter most.
• Willing and able to mentor other team members and represent GiveWell's work externally.

Tips for this application

• Show that you understand GiveWell's cost-effectiveness approach. Reference specific GiveWell research or grant pages and explain how you would apply similar reasoning to a portfolio decision.
• Give concrete examples of decisions you made where you had to weigh weak or conflicting evidence, not just examples of successful outcomes.
• Quantify your scope wherever possible: budget size, number of grantees or reports, dollar amounts influenced, or team members advised.
• Address the remote US nature of the role directly: state your location, time zone, and any experience working remotely with distributed teams.
• Note the disclaimer that 80,000 Hours' largest funder is Coefficient Giving, which works closely with GiveWell. If you came through 80,000 Hours, say so plainly, but do not assume it helps your application.

What to cover in your cover letter

['A specific portfolio strategy you would pursue or a funding area you would prioritize, with reasoning tied to cost-effectiveness.', 'One detailed example of a high-stakes allocation or prioritization decision you led, including the evidence you used and the tradeoffs you accepted.', 'Evidence you can review empirical research critically and change your mind when the data warrants it.', 'Your approach to mentoring and advising other program staff, with an example.']

Research before applying

• Read GiveWell's published research on top charities and grantmaking, including recent grant pages and cost-effectiveness analyses.
• Review GiveWell's 2025 funding totals and stated goal of directing substantially more funding, and think about what that growth means for program officers.
• Understand the relationship described in the disclaimer between GiveWell and Coefficient Giving, and how it relates to 80,000 Hours.
• Check GiveWell's public writing on how it makes grant decisions and where it says its hardest funding problems are.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How you would set strategy for a grantmaking portfolio and decide which opportunities to fund versus decline.
• A walkthrough of a past decision where you had to judge cost-effectiveness under uncertainty.
• How you evaluate empirical evidence, including study quality, external validity, and cost per outcome.
• How you would handle disagreement with a grantee, colleague, or donor about a funding decision.
• Your experience mentoring or advising other team members, and how you give critical feedback.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Treating the role as generic nonprofit program management. GiveWell expects grantmaking leaders who can defend allocation decisions with evidence and numbers.
• Using vague claims about doing good or helping people without tying them to cost-effectiveness or specific funding opportunities.
• Ignoring the scale of the role. Candidates who do not address how they would handle hundreds of millions of dollars in decisions look unprepared.