European AI & Society Fund: Co-Director (Delivery)
The European AI & Society Fund (EAISF) is recruiting a Co-Director (Delivery) to build on the achievements of our first five years of operation, and continue to drive the AI agenda to serve people and society, and galvanise philanthropy to grow resources for the field. Reporting to the EAISF Steering Committee alongside our current Director, Catherine Miller, you will be jointly responsible for shaping and executing the organisation's strategy and will focus on ensuring that the Fund has the capacity to seize new opportunities and deliver its mission effectively.
About the European AI & Society Fund
Established in 2020, the European AI & Society Fund is a pooled fund that supports public interest organisations to drive the AI agenda to serve people and society and galvanises philanthropy to grow resources for the field.
Since launch, the Fund has experienced rapid growth. We now have 17 funding partners and have more than doubled our income to over €5.5m in the last year. We now support more than 50 organisations across Europe working at the intersection of AI and social justice. As well as grantmaking, we nurture our community's collective strength so that public interest groups can punch above their weight in the AI debate and conduct research and thought leadership to help funders better understand issues around AI.
Our current director, Catherine Miller, joined the Fund in 2022 and leads a talented and committed team of 4, working across 3 locations. We are hosted by the Network of European Foundations which provides the operational framework and legal and financial infrastructure for our work.
In 2026 we will begin a new strategic period, building on the achievements of our current strategy. We are now looking for a co-director to jointly lead the Fund into this exciting new chapter.
What you will do
The two co-directors will jointly and equally share the leadership of the organisation and the responsibility for the Fund's organisational strategy. Catherine will take the role of co-director (programmes) with responsibility for programmatic strategy, thought leadership, communications and external representation. In addition to co-leading on organisational strategy the incoming co-director (delivery) will have responsibility for:
● Delivery & coordination – turning our strategic vision into effective execution, making sure our activities are well planned, resourced, managed and communicated with relevant stakeholders, and ensuring smooth coordination with our host organisation, the Network of European Foundations (NEF).
● Governance – ensure our governance structures run smoothly and meet the needs of both the Fund and its current and future partners, designing and innovating these within our existing framework to adapt to the Fund's changing profile.
● Nurturing team culture and wellbeing – helping our small, distributed team function well together, identifying and addressing needs, supporting their development with training and capacity building and ensuring that the Fund lives its values and is aligned to the policies of our hosting organisation. Direct line management of team members will be distributed between co-directors.
● Budgets – responsibility for the financial planning of the Fund, in coordination with the NEF operations team, using our budget strategically to be responsive to opportunities.
● Risk management and safeguarding – responsibility for addressing issues that arise among our grantees and other stakeholders, assessing and mitigating risks to the organisation and the field.
What you will bring to the role
We're a small team delivering a big, challenging and urgent mission. We are looking for an experienced leader who can get to grips with new challenges in this fast-moving environment, maintaining a practical and positive approach. You do not need to be an expert in technology to apply.
● Experience of grantmaking delivery and/or working in philanthropy ● Experience of team leadership, ideally including managing a distributed team ● Understanding and ideally practical experience of how to grow and scale an organisation with many and varied stakeholders and a diverse portfolio of activities ● Entrepreneurial energy, the ability to seize opportunities and find new ways of problem solving, a willingness to experiment and learn ● A collaborative way of working, combined with a hands-on and empathetic approach that seeks to cultivate people's strengths while offering fair and constructive challenge ● A high-level of professionalism, maturity in responding to challenging situations with good judgement, and the ability to deal with uncertainty and a changing context ● Outstanding organisational skills, and the ability to stay on top of many large and small tasks without losing sight of the big picture ● A strong commitment to the mission and values of the European AI & Society Fund
What we offer
● A gross salary of €92,000-€105,000 per annum gross (pro-rata) depending on level of experience and location; at 0.8 FTE, this would mean a gross salary of €73,600-€84,000 ● A 2-year contract with the potential to become permanent, or contract if preferred ● Flexibility to work remotely ● An inclusive culture and a competent, self-motivated and sympathetic team
Our preference is for the role to be part-time between a 0.6-0.8 FTE basis but we are willing to discuss this with interested candidates. Once the co-director is in post, the current director Catherine will also work 0.8 FTE.
The role is open to applicants based in France, Germany or Belgium and our preference is for the co-director to be based at least partly in Brussels in the office of our host organisation, the Network of European Foundations. Applicants must be eligible to work in their chosen location as EAISF is unable to sponsor visa requests. The role will require regular travel within Europe to meetings with the team and other Fund stakeholders. Catherine is based outside Cologne in Germany.
We welcome applicants with a wide range of backgrounds and experiences. This is a dynamic and growing field which will benefit from people who bring fresh ideas and perspectives. We value diversity and especially encourage applications from people who consider themselves under-represented in this sector.
To apply
The European AI & Society Fund is being supported in this search and appointment process by SCHC Advisors: https://schcadvisors.com/. To learn more about the role and to submit an application, please contact Sophia Copeman at sophia@schcadvisors.com.
Applications should consist of:
- a concise covering letter (no longer than two pages) explaining your motivation and suitability for the role and addressing the following question: "Why are you interested in a co-leadership role? What would you bring to this and what do you perceive as the likely challenges?"
- an up-to-date CV
Applications can be uploaded at: https://schcadvisors.com/apply.
This position was originally posted by the European AI & Society Fund and has been curated by PurposePhil Career. To apply, please visit the original listing on the "apply" link below. We are not affiliated with the employer organization of this job ad or consultancy, and provide this curated listing as a service to our users.
