The posting
We review applications on a rolling basis and strongly encourage candidates to apply early rather than wait until the deadline.
ABOUT CEA
The Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA) stewards the movement of people putting effective altruism (EA) principles into practice to solve the world's most pressing problems. We’re working to build a flourishing future by applying evidence, reason, and compassion to challenges like global poverty, animal suffering, and risks from transformative AI.
Our work centers on growing and supporting a global community of people who rigorously analyze where they can do the most good – and take action on those insights. Current strategic priorities include increasing understanding of effective altruism and its principles, growing the number of people who are motivated by EA principles to take significant action to address pressing problems, and diversifying funding sources for high-impact work.
We had significant success in 2025, building momentum within CEA. Our headcount grew from 42 to 66 core staff. Program participation (e.g., events, courses, groups) grew https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/NKrpEdg7wAgcoHNRG/cea-is-growing-again-25-more-people-engaged-with-our-1 by 20-25% year over year. We merged https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/BLvTcMMEQGFYsh6Jw/ea-funds-and-cea-are-merging with EA Funds https://funds.effectivealtruism.org/ and are rapidly scaling up our capacity for grantmaking and associated fundraising.
In 2026, we’re maintaining ambitious momentum https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/Dy4iGHbAkKAQ4t2Dw/building-sustainable-momentum-progress-report-on-cea-s-2025 while building the foundations for a step-change in the wider EA ecosystem’s growth trajectory from 2027 onwards. We’re in the midst of the best fundraising year in CEA’s history and are looking for the right talent to help us take advantage of the many opportunities in front of us.
ABOUT THE MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS TEAM
The Marketing and Communications Team primarily exists to help people discover, understand, and engage with effective altruism, as well as CEA’s own work. This team of seven has grown significantly in the past two years, and we have existing plans to add at least four more full-time staff in the next six months.
The work of the team spans brand strategy, editorial storytelling, media relations, social media, digital and product marketing, all in service of helping people engage more deeply and thoughtfully with EA. In the past year, we've landed coverage in outlets such as the Financial Times and The Economist, run campaigns that brought thousands of people to the largest EA event in CEA’s history, and grown our social media following by 40% to over 86,000 followers.
This work is an essential part of CEA’s mission to build a global community of people who think carefully about the world's most pressing problems and take action to solve them. People applying the ideas of effective altruism have helped protect hundreds of millions of people against malaria, freed hundreds of millions of hens from battery cages, and passed lead paint regulations projected to prevent lead exposure in tens of millions of children.
As CEA scales, the Director of Marketing and Communications will develop the leadership, capabilities, and systems needed to reach new audiences, while communicating thoughtfully with the existing community. While the work of the team is primarily focused on the ideas of effective altruism, the Director will also set the team’s strategy for showcasing CEA’s role in the ecosystem, through thought leadership, brand building, and marketing.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We’re looking for an ambitious senior leader to build and lead a fast-paced, integrated Marketing and Communications function. You will set direction across external media, brand, content, and marketing; develop and empower leaders with complementary expertise; and turn strategy into measurable positive impact.
This role represents an opportunity to be a transformative leader at an inflection point for both CEA and the wider EA ecosystem:
- For CEA: We’re in the midst of our best fundraising year ever, building on a year of accelerating growth. We reversed a slightly negative growth trend into 20–25% year-over-year growth across our programs in 2025, and we're now scaling from that momentum. Our headcount has approximately doubled over the past two years, and we’re looking to grow even faster. You’ll have the opportunity to build and nurture a core function as a strategic partner to the CEO and CEA's leadership team.
- For the EA community: Interest in and scrutiny of effective altruism is rising – yet most people still haven’t heard of the movement or its powerful ideas. At the same time, there’s a new wave of philanthropy leading to a wide variety of new, impactful opportunities. You will own the strategy that shapes how EA is defined by influential commentators and understood by our key audiences, leveraging CEA’s unique role in stewardship of the EA brand. In collaboration with leaders across the EA ecosystem, your work will steer public narratives around EA and its cause areas, while maintaining the trust of an existing community that engages thoughtfully and rigorously with the work of CEA.
You will bring sound editorial and reputational judgment to equip your team to communicate EA ideas with accuracy and creativity, to navigate sensitive issues, and to maintain trust with key stakeholders, including major donors and senior leadership. As part of this role, you will also set the tone for how CEA presents itself to target audiences, expanding awareness of and engagement with our products and services.
You will have the opportunity to challenge established approaches, build new capabilities, and launch creative initiatives. You do not need to be the foremost expert in every discipline: success will depend on knowing where you bring depth, recruiting and supporting outstanding specialist leaders, and leading effectively through others.
We’re open to candidates from a range of marketing, communications, media, and brand backgrounds. You don't need to be an expert in every area; we're looking for someone who brings deep expertise in at least one of these disciplines, alongside the leadership skills and judgment to build, develop, and empower a team with complementary expertise.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
In this role, you will:
- Build and lead an exceptional Marketing and Communications Team. Hire, coach, and develop the leaders of Media, Brand and Content, and Marketing, empowering them to build high-performing teams and deliver results. You'll shape the function's structure and capabilities, set clear expectations, manage performance, and foster a culture of trust, collaboration, and accountability.
- Set an ambitious marketing and communications strategy. Lead an integrated strategy that advances CEA's priorities, strengthens its brand, and expands the reach and understanding of effective altruism. You'll identify opportunities to engage new audiences, develop creative initiatives, and turn awareness and interest into meaningful participation and action.
- Shape public narratives and protect CEA's reputation. Guide how CEA communicates effective altruism to new audiences and the existing EA community, ensuring communications are compelling, accurate, and accessible. You'll exercise independent editorial judgment, oversee high-profile communications, and navigate sensitive issues and reputational challenges.
- Build relationships and influence across the EA ecosystem. Collaborate with leaders and communications teams at EA-aligned organizations to identify shared opportunities, coordinate communications where appropriate, and strengthen public understanding of effective altruism.
- Help shape CEA's organizational direction. As a strategic partner to the CEO and leadership team, contribute to organization-wide decisions, align communications priorities with CEA's broader goals, and challenge existing approaches to build new capabilities and drive greater impact.
WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR
You might be a great fit for this role if you:
- Bring deep expertise and a strong track record in at least one of marketing, communications, media, or brand, together with enough breadth to guide strategy and recruit and lead complementary experts.
- Have substantial experience leading teams through managers or other senior leaders, coaching their development, building buy-in, empowering specialists with complementary expertise, and delivering results through others.
- Have experience building and scaling teams or functions in startups or similarly fast-growing environments, including attracting and hiring exceptional talent, setting clear expectations, and managing performance effectively.
- Have experience operating in publicly visible or reputationally sensitive environments and can provide steady leadership under scrutiny.
- Bring an entrepreneurial, ambitious approach: you can challenge assumptions, create new initiatives, operate without a fixed playbook, and turn ideas into execution.
- Collaborate across functions and keep senior stakeholders informed of risks, trade-offs, and progress.
- Are strongly aligned with CEA’s mission and core principles, and can engage substantively with effective altruism’s ideas, arguments, and debates; prior employment in, or long-standing membership of, the EA community is not required.
- Can independently assess the accuracy and appropriateness of communications about EA and exercise sound judgment in shaping narratives for different audiences.
Bonus:
- Direct experience handling crisis communications, public controversy, or a significant reputational challenge.
OTHER INFORMATION
- This is a full-time, remote position. We prefer applicants who are able to work in time zones between US Pacific Time and CET.
- We have an office in Oxford, UK, that you would have access to.
- Start date: January 2027 or sooner
- Reports to: Zachary Robinson, CEO
- Compensation:
- US: For this role, we offer a base salary of $219,700, and a 10% unconditional 401k contribution.
- For candidates outside the US, base salary is converted from USD to your local currency using a fixed exchange rate.
- Benefits include private health insurance, flexible work hours, a $6,000 annual professional development allowance, a $6,000 mental health support allowance, extended parental leave, ergonomic equipment, 25 days of paid vacation or country-specific time off entitlements, whichever is greater.
- This role will involve travel. There are likely to be 4–6 trips annually to attend team retreats and other events, including several international trips.
We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. We especially encourage applications from self-identified women and people of colour who are excited about contributing to our mission. The Centre for Effective Altruism is an equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, or have any other questions about applying, please contact [email protected].
CEA participates in E-Verify for US employees.
We are committed to protecting your data. See our privacy policy https://www.centreforeffectivealtruism.org/privacy for more information.
EVALUATION PLAN
We expect the interview process to include the following steps, subject to minor changes:
1. Application
2. Paid test task 1 (2–3 hours)
3. Short interview
4. Paid test task 2 (3 hours)
5. Final interviews (3–4)
6. 1–2 day work trial
7. Reference checks
