Program Director, Grants

Compensation: $90,000 - $125,000+ in the US; £60,000 - £75,000+ in the UK; higher for exceptional candidates

Location: London preferred; 4 hours daily overlap with UK business hours required

Application deadline: Sunday, March 8, 2026

The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism is hiring a Chief of Staff to support our Executive Director during a pivotal period of growth – scaling from 10 to 20+ staff and from an annual budget of $4M to $14M+ by 2027.

This is a high-autonomy generalist role. You'll take on a rotating set of the organization's most important projects: coordinating across programs, supporting fundraising, owning external communications, and stepping in wherever your skills are most needed. The specific mix will shift as Tarbell's priorities evolve – what stays constant is that you'll be working closely with the Executive Director on problems that matter.

We're looking for someone who can drive projects to completion, navigate ambiguity, and represent Tarbell credibly to external stakeholders. Strong performers will have clear paths to expanded responsibility within 18-24 months, whether that's senior Chief of Staff, program leadership, or moving into executive roles elsewhere.

Apply here by March 8

About the Tarbell Center

The Tarbell Center for AI Journalism supports journalism that helps society navigate the development and deployment of advanced AI. We provide funding and training to strengthen AI reporting at major news outlets.

Since 2023, we've raised ~$20M in funding and supported 50+ journalists through fellowships, grants, and residencies. We're now entering a period of rapid expansion as we scale from a $4M budget in 2025 to $14M by 2027.

Across our programs, we’ve supported a wide range of impactful reporting:

Accountability reporting: Our journalists have broken corporate accountability stories about OpenAI’s legal tactics against nonprofits and xAI violating its own safety policies. A recent investigation about Character.AI's failure to protect minors on its platform contributed to the company banning under-18s within a week of publication.
AI policy coverage: Our reporters have produced expert policy analysis, revealed exclusive information about state-level AI policy developments, and investigated AI policy lobbying.
Impacts from AI: Coverage of the impacts from current systems, ranging from the climate impacts to mass discrimination, and the emerging risks from frontier models, such as sabotaging shutdown mechanisms or helping engineer pandemics.
Sensemaking: We’ve supported explanatory journalism that helps the public make sense of the circular funding deals, advancements in automating AI R&D, military integration, and developments in China.

We believe journalism will be essential to helping society understand and respond to AI advancements in the coming years. By 2030, we aim to grow Tarbell into the leading institution supporting AI journalism globally – providing the funding and training needed to make that possible.

About the role

You'll work directly with the Executive Director, taking ownership of projects across the organization. Your mission is to help Tarbell run smoothly and grow sustainably as we scale from 10 to 20+ staff over the next two years.

The specific responsibilities will evolve based on Tarbell's needs – this is a role for someone who thrives on variety and can shift focus as priorities change.

Current priorities include:

Cross-program coordination: Act as a central liaison across Fellowship, Grants, Transformer, and Residencies. Track progress against organizational goals, surface bottlenecks early, and ensure information flows effectively across teams.
Fundraising support: We've secured significant funding for 2026–2027, including a 1:1 donation match of up to $2.5M. The focus now is funding diversification – identifying new foundations and high-net-worth individuals, preparing proposals and pitch materials, and coordinating outreach to build relationships beyond our primary funder.
External communications: Own Tarbell's institutional voice, running our newsletter, social media (LinkedIn, X), website content, and external announcements. Build our visibility in the AI journalism space.
Executive support: Serve as a sounding board for the ED on priorities and decisions. This might include preparing briefs and talking points for key meetings and ensuring follow-through on important projects.
Special projects: Lead initiatives that span multiple workstreams or don't fit neatly into existing programs. Examples might include: supporting a key hiring process, helping launch a new program (like institutional grantmaking or residencies), running events (our DC summit, networking gatherings, or alumni retreats), or establishing an Advisory Board.

This isn't a rigid job description. The best Chief of Staff will help identify what they should be working on, not just execute a predetermined list.

What success might look like

By the end of your first year, depending on how priorities evolve, you might have:

Led or supported fundraising efforts that bring in $2.5M+ from new sources
Headhunted a senior hire to lead our institutional grantmaking program (a $4M+ portfolio funding newsrooms directly)
Transformed Tarbell's external communications – building a strong social media presence and consistent rhythm for our 3,000+ subscriber newsletter
Successfully launched or significantly advanced a new program or major initiative, e.g. an expanded residency program for senior reporters
Identified and executed on a high-impact project that wasn't in the original job description

Who we’re looking for

We expect:

Strong project management. You can juggle multiple workstreams, maintain organization under pressure, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks. You might have honed these skills at a high-performing startup, a top consulting firm, a leading newsroom, or a fast-growing AI institution.
Independent execution. You take ownership of complex programs and drive them forward without needing constant direction, even when that means doing difficult or unusual work yourself.
Clear communication. Excellent written and verbal skills. You can represent Tarbell professionally and tailor messages to diverse audiences – from donors to journalists to AI researchers.
Good judgment. You build trust easily, navigate organizational dynamics skillfully, and know when to escalate issues versus handle them independently.
Ambition. We expect top candidates will have enormous growth potential. We’re especially interested in those who aspire to found organisations within 3-5 years or help scale a promising initiative in a COO role.
Mission alignment. You believe in Tarbell’s mission to support journalism that helps society navigate the development and deployment of advanced AI.

Bonus points for:

3+ yrs experience in demanding, multi-stakeholder environments (e.g. in strategy consulting, startup operations, program management, or supporting senior leadership)
Deep familiarity with AI development and governance topics
Background in journalism or media

We care more about evidence of these criteria than a conventional resume. If your background is unusual but you can demonstrate these capabilities, we want to hear from you.

Progression Opportunities

This role offers strong development opportunities for someone interested in organizational leadership:

Senior Chief of Staff: More strategic responsibility and autonomous decision-making as Tarbell grows
Program leadership: Moving into a Director role for our fellowship program, grants program, or another core function within Tarbell
CEO/COO elsewhere: We're excited about candidates who see this as preparation for executive leadership at other organizations.

We'll work with you to identify the right path forward and support your professional development along the way.

Salary and location

We’ll offer a salary of $90,000 - $125,000+ in the US; £60,000 - £75,000+ in the UK based on experience and seniority. For exceptional candidates, we’ll consider higher compensation.

Our benefits include:

33 days of annual leave in total (including national holidays)
16 weeks of paid parental leave, increasing to 24 weeks after 3 years of service
$2,000+ per year in professional development funding
Up to 5% employer contribution towards a standard pension/401(k)
For employees based in the US: Platinum health, dental, and vision plans, with 95% of premiums paid for by Tarbell
Flexible working hours
Productive, collaborative offices in London and San Francisco

We strongly prefer candidates to be based in London (2 days/week in office). We're also open to San Francisco (2 days/week in office), New York, or Washington DC. All candidates must be able to overlap at least 4 hours daily with UK business hours (9am–6pm GMT). We are able to sponsor UK work visas for this role.

Please inquire with recruitment@tarbellcenter.org if questions or concerns regarding compensation or benefits might affect your decision to apply.

Application process

Interested candidates should express initial interest by filling out an application (<15 minutes) by Sunday, March 8, 2026 at 11:59pm PT.

The application process will involve paid work tests, a structured interview, reference checks, and a paid in-person work trial. We will acknowledge receipt of all applications and aim to get back to candidates within 10 business days of the application deadline. Our ideal start date is May 2026, though flexibility is offered for exceptional candidates.

Tarbell is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate against qualified employees or applicants based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, sexual preference, marital status, gender identity, gender expression, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, genetic information, or any other characteristic protected by federal or state law or local ordinance.