GiveWell seeks a Research Analyst to help us evaluate charities, find the most outstanding giving opportunities, and publish our analysis to help donors decide where to give.

This is a high-challenge, high-opportunity position in a young, ambitious organization. Today, there is little public debate or critical thinking around charity: money flows to the groups that tell the best stories. We picture a different world in which donors reward charities for effectiveness in improving lives. New hires have the opportunity to contribute to all facets of the organization from their first day and can make a big difference to our organization and to our mission.

About the position

We’re looking primarily for Research Analysts - people who will provide support to the goal of finding the best giving opportunities. Research Analyst duties mostly consist of:

• Reviewing independent research on the best ways to help people and on other issues relevant to giving
• Reviewing particularly promising charities - including speaking with their representatives and asking critical questions, reviewing and evaluating documents they send, and writing up their answers to critical questions, strengths, and weaknesses
• Taking part in discussions of which giving opportunities are most promising and of general GiveWell strategy
• Miscellaneous duties depending on individual preferences, including networking, outreach, writing, and original analysis on research questions

We encourage analysts to push their abilities to the limit and take on as much responsibility as they can. An analyst can grow into a major role at GiveWell.

This role will best fit people who:

• Are passionate about finding great giving opportunities and making the world a better place
• Value intense discussion and debate
• Have strong critical thinking skills, and approach all claims (including their managers') with skepticism
• Are comfortable with open-ended questions, where no clear precedents or guidelines exist
• Are open to learning a variety of new skills, from quantitative analysis to public speaking
• Value the intensity and open-endedness of a startup over the stability and comfort of a larger corporation

About GiveWell

GiveWell started as a group of finance professionals trying to do as much good as possible with their personal donations. Since 2007, it has been a full-time independent research group. We publish our charity recommendations, research, and the full details of our analysis publicly at www.givewell.org.

In 2011, GiveWell tracked over $5 million in donations to its recommended charities as a direct result of its research. Our research has attracted attention from Peter Singer (who featured it in his manifesto on giving, The Life You Can Save), Nicholas Kristof (who featured it in Half The Sky), the Hewlett Foundation (a current funder of GiveWell) and media including the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, USA Today, CNN and NPR (see our press page for more).

We currently have five full-time employees. We are located in New York City.

More information about GiveWell is available on our about GiveWell page.