Principal, Responsible Technology

Established by philanthropists Pam and Pierre Omidyar, Omidyar Network (ON) is a social change venture that has committed more than $1 billion to innovative for-profit companies and nonprofit organizations since 2004. Omidyar Network works to reimagine critical systems and the ideas that govern them, and to build more inclusive and equitable societies in which individuals have the social, economic, and democratic power to thrive. To learn more, visit www.omidyar.com and follow on Twitter @omidyarnetwork.

The Programs team spans Omidyar Network’s three impact themes: Responsible Technology, Reimagining Capitalism, and Belonging. Our strategies reflect the intertwined nature of technological, economic, and cultural transformation. Each theme houses a dynamic portfolio for shifting ideas, narratives, rules, and power in concert with partners. Supervised by our Senior Vice President of Programs, team members join ON from a wide range of backgrounds in technology, investing, consulting, philanthropy, policy, advocacy, nonprofits, community organizing, education, and the arts. The programs team strives to embody ON’s values of Boldness, Connection, Curiosity, Integrity, and Respect.

This is an exciting time to join the team! We are looking for two Principals who are creative, curious, and passionate about our mission. This position reports to directors in the responsible technology team.

Responsible Tech’s work is rooted in ON’s core belief that technology can and should be a force for good in our society. The speed and scale of technological innovation brings opportunities that shape our economies, our politics, and our communities. At the same time, it can exacerbate inequalities, pose new risks, and raise issues about accountability and values.

Our priorities span across both upstream issues related to paradigmatic shifts and downstream harms to democracy, disinformation, privacy, and unaccounted power. In doing so, we deploy a broad range of toolkit including support for policy, advocacy, multidisciplinary evidence generation, grassroot power building, convenings, issue amplification campaigns, purposeful startups, and nonprofits, to name a few. In addition, we are open to new and untested interventions for systems change

A common thread through our strategic priorities is our belief that if we can shift upstream assumptions related to the nature of data and technology, we will be able to build a more equitable technology ecosystem. We strive to clarify the public harms of tech platforms, while addressing their dominance over data and markets. We support civil society and tech companies better manage disinformation and dangerous speech, while protecting user privacy. Moreover, we support development of mutualistic and community-driven technology and responsible innovation. We cultivate an active portfolio of exploratory themes such as the role of open source software and standards, relationship and interactions of digital natives with technology, and the emerging opportunities of Web3.

This is a full-time, salaried position that features competitive pay and benefits, including health care (medical/dental/vision), paid time off, and a generous employer 401k contribution. The salary will be $187,000 in Washington D.C. and $207,000 in Redwood City, CA. While we are currently working in a hybrid capacity. The position will be based out of our Redwood City (CA) or Washington DC offices, or remotely from New York State. Candidates must have a current U.S. work authorization to be considered.

Strategy and Learning: You will contribute to all aspects of strategy development while co-leading on a set of strategic priorities. Advance our impact goals using an array of tools such as narrative change, policy advocacy, convening, grant making, equity investments, research, partnerships, and more. Engage with ongoing learning activities, including listening, reflection, research, assessment, and course correction. Surface new insights for consideration under Responsible Tech, complementing our strategies under other impact areas of Reimagining Capitalism and Belonging.

Portfolio Management: Coordinating the full life cycle of programmatic activities for a given portfolio, pipeline of investment opportunities, grants, partnerships, and conduct diligence. Make resource allocation tradeoffs in accordance with our strategy. Portfolio development will cut across the entire set of tools deployed by Omidyar Network.

Community: You will identify ways to collaborate with key partners and other funders. Cultivate a wider network representing different communities, sectors, and perspectives. Stewarding coalitions and communities of top thinkers and change makers.

Communications: Partnering with our Strategic Communications team, you will provide the expertise and connections to help craft Omidyar Network’s thought leadership, including its points-of-view on technology issues. Additionally, you will help communicate the impact we seek, our approach, our decisions, our learning, and our partners’ stories to targeted groups of people and organisations via private meetings, written communication, presentations, conferences and workshops as well as social media, blogs, videos, and earned and paid media.

• Ability to understand and address the priorities of multiple participants on complex issues in the tech ecosystem, with a lens on equity and inclusivity.
• Passion for Omidyar Network’s mission and our goals for Responsible Technology.
• 8-10 years work experience in one or more of following areas: early-stage investing, entrepreneurship / start up, philanthropy, community building, development consulting or other approaches to advance social change. Work experience anchored in select themes, such as:
• Application of technology, data governance, privacy, open source, AI, ethical technology
• Multi-dimensional appreciation of legal, economic, social justice, and ethics in tech
• Ability and experience working with a diverse mix of thinkers, researchers, academicians, technologists etc.
• Community and ecosystem building, social movement and power building, inclusive capital deployment or trust-based philanthropy
• Ability to think through and communicate the interplay of responsible tech goals with emerging trends in Web3, open source etc.

To apply, submit your resume and a short cover letter (1-page maximum) describing your interest and fit with the role.

At Omidyar Network, diversity, equity, and inclusion are directly aligned with our fundamental belief that people are inherently capable, but they often lack opportunity. We know that a diverse workforce allows us to see problems in more nuanced ways, creating the thought leadership needed to have outsized positive returns on the world. We actively recruit, develop, and retain the most talented people from a diverse candidate pool. Omidyar Network is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes people from all experiences, abilities, and perspectives to apply.