Application Guide
How to Apply for Special Projects Director
at Rethink Priorities
🏢 About Rethink Priorities
Rethink Priorities is a nonprofit research organization that identifies the most effective opportunities to do good, with a strong focus on cause areas like AI safety, animal welfare, and global health. It is unique for its rigorous, evidence-driven approach and its close ties to the effective altruism community, making it a hub for people who want to maximize their positive impact. Working here means collaborating with smart, mission-driven colleagues on high-stakes problems that could shape the future.
About This Role
As Special Projects Director, you will lead the strategy, growth, and operations of a fiscal sponsorship program that incubates and supports high-impact projects across AI safety, animal welfare, and global health. You will own project selection, graduation frameworks, and risk management, while managing a team of Special Project Managers and representing the program to funders and prospective projects. This role is pivotal in scaling a program that enables promising initiatives to launch quickly and operate effectively under a trusted 501(c)(3) umbrella.
💡 A Day in the Life
A typical day might involve meeting with your team of Special Project Managers to review project pipelines and capacity, then diving into a risk assessment for a new project seeking fiscal sponsorship. You might also represent the program in a call with a prospective funder, and later refine the graduation framework based on feedback from current project directors. Expect a mix of strategic planning, compliance oversight, and hands-on problem-solving.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who Rethink Priorities Is Looking For
- Has solid operations experience in HR, legal, and finance, with deep knowledge of US 501(c)(3) compliance and fiscal sponsorship models.
- Demonstrates people management at scale, including capacity planning, setting OKRs, and ensuring high satisfaction among project directors and staff.
- Is familiar with the effective altruism landscape and at least one of Rethink Priorities' cause areas (AI safety, animal welfare, global health), and can evaluate project impact.
- Thrives as a generalist: comfortable moving between strategy, risk assessment, compliance, and external representation, and excited to build systems that support many projects.
📝 Tips for Applying to Rethink Priorities
Highlight any direct experience with fiscal sponsorship or 501(c)(3) compliance, including specific regulations (e.g., IRS rules for fiscal sponsorship, employment law, and risk management).
Show familiarity with effective altruism and Rethink Priorities' work by referencing their research or cause areas in your application, and explain how you've engaged with the EA community.
Quantify your people management and operations achievements—e.g., number of reports, budgets managed, or projects supported—to demonstrate your ability to handle scale.
Explain why you're excited about the special projects model specifically, not just operations in general, and how you'd balance supporting project autonomy with organizational risk.
If you have experience in a startup, incubator, or high-growth nonprofit environment, emphasize how that prepares you to build frameworks and processes from scratch.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
["Your hands-on experience with US 501(c)(3) compliance and fiscal sponsorship, including any specific projects or programs you've managed.", "Your approach to people management and capacity planning, with examples of how you've scaled a team or improved project director satisfaction.", "Your understanding of effective altruism and at least one of RP's cause areas, and why you're motivated to support high-impact projects in those spaces.", 'Your vision for the Special Projects program: how you would grow it, assess risks, and ensure projects graduate successfully.']
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read Rethink Priorities' recent research reports and blog posts to understand their cause areas and methodology, especially any work related to special projects or fiscal sponsorship.
- → Learn about the effective altruism community's norms and key organizations, and how fiscal sponsorship fits into the EA ecosystem.
- → Investigate common fiscal sponsorship models (e.g., Model A, C, etc.) and their legal and operational implications, so you can speak fluently about trade-offs.
- → Look up Rethink Priorities' team and leadership to understand their backgrounds and priorities, and see if any current projects are publicly listed.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Focusing only on general operations without addressing the specific compliance and risk challenges of fiscal sponsorship for a 501(c)(3).
- Showing little knowledge of effective altruism or Rethink Priorities' cause areas, which signals a lack of fit with the organization's mission.
- Failing to demonstrate experience managing managers or scaling teams, as the role requires people management at scale, not just individual contributor work.
📅 Application Timeline
⏰ Deadline: October 12, 2026
We recommend applying at least a few days early to avoid last-minute technical issues.
Typical hiring timeline:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to Rethink Priorities!