Senior Program Officer, Neglected Animals

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in United States.

📋 Description

• Perform decision-focused analyses and evaluations of interventions aimed at improving the welfare of neglected terrestrial invertebrates.

• Conduct brief intervention reviews and provide well-founded recommendations within established time constraints.

• Locate and consult with experts when academic and gray literature fails to provide sufficient information.

• Assess production systems, economics, costs, and the potential for large-scale commercial viability.

• Define external analytical tasks and ensure quality assurance of contractor outputs.

• Evaluate published financial disclosures to determine the trajectories of companies or sectors.

• Scope, commission, and oversee external contractors or consultancies.

• Determine when to cease external work that is not yielding results.

• Organize coordination events and ensure follow-through on agreed-upon actions.

• Draft and present updates to funders regarding project successes, challenges, and areas for improvement.

• Present findings at conferences and cultivate relationships within the field.

• Identify and assess new opportunities, pursuing promising ideas or discontinuing ineffective ones.

• Exercise discretion when dealing with sensitive information.

• Manage contractors and external partners; currently no direct management of RP staff.

• Allocate approximately half of the time to farmed terrestrial invertebrates and half to wild invertebrates, adjusting as opportunities evolve.

⛳️ Requirements

• Proficient level of English is essential.

• Strong analytical judgment under time constraints.

• Ability to define ambiguous questions, pinpoint critical assumptions, select defensible methods, and deliver actionable answers by deadlines.

• Experience in specifying tasks for and supervising contractors, consultants, agencies, or external teams.

• Solid quantitative reasoning skills with the ability to construct, interrogate, and clarify simple models.

• Capable of performing rough calculations and confidently communicating findings using both numbers and words.

• Clear written communication intended for non-specialist decision-makers.

• Comfortable operating amid deep uncertainty and delivering transparent, well-caveated, decision-oriented responses.

• Good judgment regarding the management of sensitive information.

• Pragmatic and adaptable when priorities shift.

• Dedicated to truth-seeking and adhering to research ethics.

• Passionate about enhancing the welfare of neglected animals, with a willingness to focus on terrestrial invertebrates.

• Availability to work at least 30 hours per week; full-time is preferred.

• Ideally able to attend 4–6 work-related events annually, often involving international travel.

• Desirable: experience in techno-economic analysis, unit-economics modeling, or industry/market analysis.

• Desirable: familiarity with interpreting company financial statements, statutory accounts, or investor disclosures.

• Desirable: knowledge of invertebrate biology or entomology.

• Desirable: understanding of agricultural production systems, animal feed, crop protection, or waste management.

• Desirable: experience in low- and middle-income countries, especially in Sub-Saharan Africa or Southeast Asia.

• Desirable: background in grantmaking, due diligence, procurement, or contract management.

• Desirable: experience with funder, grant-maker, or board reporting.

• Desirable: ability to convene or facilitate processes involving multiple organizations.

• Desirable: skills in stakeholder mapping, scenario analysis, or SWOT analysis.

• Desirable: proficiency in R or Python.

• Desirable: experience within the animal advocacy movement.

• Desirable: working proficiency in a language other than English.

• Desirable: experience in overseeing projects with remote, distributed teams.

• Desirable: comfort in an AI-forward workplace.

🏝️ Benefits

• Remote-first work environment with flexible hours and scheduling.

• Comprehensive global benefits package, including statutory and country-specific supplemental benefits.

• Unlimited vacation time, with a minimum number of statutory days off.

• Three weeks of organization-wide breaks at mid-year and year-end.

• Unlimited paid and unpaid personal and sick leave.

• 4–9 months of combined paid and unpaid parental leave.

• Additional paid and unpaid leave options, including bereavement leave.

• Technology stipend of $2,000 USD-equivalent available every three years.

• Monthly budget of $40 USD-equivalent for AI tools.

• Workshops and training opportunities.

• 10% of work time allocated for professional and personal development.

• Paid travel for work-related events, including an annual all-staff Mega Team Retreat and relevant conferences.

• Access to virtual co-working spaces.

• RP Peer Support Program for new employees.

• Flexible work schedules and locations.

• Mental health coverage through medical benefits, where applicable.

• Additional benefits as determined by RP Leadership.

• Paid skills assessments.

• Reasonable accommodations and accessibility support.