Program Manager, Math Talent

The mission of Renaissance Philanthropy is to fuel a 21st century renaissance by increasing the ambition of philanthropists, scientists, and innovators. 

Our aim is to activate a virtuous loop of increasing ambition and impact between philanthropists and innovators: by identifying frontier experts both in science and in new ways of solving problems; by tapping into the growing number of emerging philanthropists; and by building multi-sector initiatives that can harness the power of philanthropy, markets, and governments.

Role Summary

We are recruiting a Program Manager to support donor development and policy strategy for a new philanthropic fund focused on identifying and supporting exceptional math talent. 

There are “hidden Einsteins” in the U.S. and globally and we are not doing nearly enough to find them.

Each year the world welcomes roughly 140 million children. If the far right tail of ability—the top 0.01%—contains outlier scientific and mathematical talent, that implies on the order of 14,000 potential outliers every year. Yet only a small fraction of this talent is ever surfaced, and far fewer are supported to reach their full potential.

This should be the beginning rather than the total sum of our efforts. Even under conservative assumptions about the social value of identifying and nurturing another Katalin Karikó or Srinivasa Ramanujan, we should be willing to invest far more to find and support this talent pool. 

As the Program Manager, Math Talent, you will play a dual role: (1) serving as the fund's policy intelligence hub, identifying opportunities and building relationships to advance U.S. STEM talent policy, and (2) driving donor cultivation and fundraising to expand the fund beyond its $50M anchor commitment.

The fund's programmatic strategy will be led by the Fund Director - Josh Taylor, President of Carina Initiatives. Your role is to provide on-the-ground policy expertise, attract additional philanthropic capital, and support portfolio management across the fund's emerging areas.

This role is ideal for someone with deep federal policy networks who is excited about translating policy opportunities into donor engagement and thrives in building something new in a fast-moving, ambitious environment. Fundraising experience is a plus, though candidates without it are still encouraged to apply.

The base compensation range for this role is $140,000 to $190,000 (with ability to flex upwards for exceptional candidates), along with a comprehensive and generous benefits package and 401K contribution. We strongly prefer for this Program Manager to be based in Washington D.C. to enable in-person work and engage key policymakers, with potential flexibility to be based in New York City.

Core Responsibilities

Program Management and Execution

  • Support the Fund Director in managing a portfolio of early grants, partnerships, and initiatives, including diligence, grant structuring, contracting, and reporting.

  • Serve as a relationship manager for partners and grantees: support their work, troubleshoot challenges, and create feedback loops that improve outcomes.

  • Build lightweight but rigorous operating rhythms for initiatives (milestones, check-ins, risk tracking).

  • Synthesize learnings from early execution into clear insights that inform fund strategy and future scaling.

U.S. Policy Strategy Design & Execution

  • Support the Fund Director in developing a U.S. policy strategy for strengthening math talent pathways 

  • Identify, vet, and build relationships with policy-oriented grantees and partners (research organizations, advocacy groups, coalitions, and implementers) positioned to advance priorities 

  • Track key policy windows and stakeholder landscapes at the federal, state, and local levels, and recommend grant opportunities and partnerships aligned with emerging momentum.

  • Support coordination among partners and synthesize insights into clear memos for fund leadership and donors.

International Strategy Design and Execution

  • Support the Fund Director in developing a global expansion strategy for strengthening math talent pathways in non-U.S. geographies. 

  • Identify, vet, and build relationships with grantees and partners in Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe positioned to advance priorities like early identification, acceleration, and expanded enrichment.

  • Support coordination among partners and synthesize insights into clear memos for internal leadership and donors.

Fundraising Support & Donor Development

  • Support the Fund Director in building donor conviction and raising philanthropic capital, particularly with high-net-worth individuals and aligned donors.
    Help build and manage a donor pipeline: prospect research, outreach strategy, meeting preparation, follow-up, and relationship tracking.

  • Prepare donor-facing materials, including briefing memos, investment cases, pitch decks, and impact updates.

  • Support donor engagement opportunities (small convenings, salons, dinners), including content development and logistics.

If you are successful in this role, you will have helped execute on a strategy that dramatically succeeded in increasing the proportion of exceptional math talent that the world identifies and successfully nurtures to their full potential.

Key Qualifications

  • 5–12 years of experience in federal policy, government affairs, or policy advocacy, ideally in education, science policy, technology policy, or STEM-related fields.

  • Established relationships and credibility within the policy ecosystem.

  • Strong project management skills and the ability to execute in ambiguous environments.

  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to produce crisp memos and donor-facing materials.

  • Strong relationship management skills and comfort working across diverse stakeholders.

  • High agency, strong judgment, and comfort working at pace.

  • Experience with fundraising, donor relations, or philanthropic advisory.

Values

You will thrive within our team if you:

  • Have strong mission and vision alignment: You believe in the power of science, innovation, and technology to create a brighter future for all.

  • Exhibit high agency: You can move mountains and break perceived constraints.

  • Inspire others and are highly collaborative: You can motivate others to join your mission and goals. You understand the value of going further by working with others.

  • Value exceptional talent and the power of networks: You can spot or nurture exceptional talent and believe in the value of building networks and the power law of talent.

  • Are comfortable working in fast-moving and ambitious teams: You are not afraid of ambiguity and enjoy working at pace.

Diversity

We encourage anyone who is interested in this role to apply, regardless of whether you feel you meet 100% of the qualifications. The top candidates will bring their own unique perspectives, experiences, and backgrounds from a variety of industries along with many but not necessarily all the skills listed above.

Recruiting, hiring, mentoring, and retaining a diverse workforce is critical to our success. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran. 

Renaissance Philanthropy is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.

Next Steps

Apply here.