Frontier Risk Strategist

ImpactAlpha; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits

Relocation assistance

Dynamic startup environment

Ground-level impact

Flexible capital deployment

Job summary

Global Risks Fund seeks a Frontier Risk Strategist to join the leadership team and help launch and scale ambitious initiatives across nuclear security, biosecurity, and advanced AI risks.

You will design and implement systems for pipeline tracking, grantee reporting, and field mapping while shaping funding decisions from concept to scale.

Qualifications

• Analytical thinking with structured problem solving.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills for principals, experts, and funders.
• Proactive self-starter who can operate with high agency and navigate ambiguous problems.
• Willingness to rapidly learn modern AI tools and related tech.

Responsibilities

• Launch and scale frontier risk initiatives across nuclear, biosecurity, and AI domains.
• Build field assets: AI-enabled workflows, datasets, trackers, and forecasting tools.
• Identify compelling opportunities for grants, investments, or incubation.
• Lead portfolio operations: pipeline tracking, grantee reporting, field mapping.
• Develop memos, concept notes, and pitch materials to attract partners and funders.
• Collaborate across program areas to maximize organizational impact.

Skills

Analytical thinking

Strong communication

Self-starter

Learning mindset

Tools

AI tools

Risk modeling tools

Forecasting systems

Job description

About Global Risks Fund

Global Risks Fund is a newly established philanthropic organization dedicated to reducing catastrophic risks across nuclear weapons, biological threats, and advanced artificial intelligence. The organization enters the funding landscape with substantial capital resources and minimal existing commitments, positioning itself to make significant impact in these critical areas. The fund launches at a strategic moment when emerging technologies—including artificial intelligence, open data platforms, satellite imagery, and biotechnology—are simultaneously accelerating both the magnitude of frontier risks and the capacity to develop effective mitigation strategies. The organization is structured around a mission-driven, entrepreneurial approach to organization building and risk reduction. Global Risks Fund distinguishes itself through its ability to deploy capital flexibly across nuclear security, biosecurity, and AI safety domains, operating in a dynamic startup environment that emphasizes innovation and rapid response to emerging threats. The team comprises seasoned professionals with experience in building organizations and managing complex portfolios across multiple risk domains.

About this Role

As a Frontier Risk Strategist at Global Risks Fund, you will serve as a core member of the organization’s leadership team, playing a pivotal role in launching and scaling the fund’s ambitious initiatives to address frontier risks. This position offers a unique opportunity to work across the organization’s entire portfolio, spanning nuclear security, biosecurity, and advanced AI risks, allowing you to focus your efforts where organizational needs are most critical. The role encompasses strategic analysis, operational systems design, and external engagement. You will be responsible for identifying and evaluating compelling opportunities worthy of capital deployment through grants, investments, or internal incubation efforts, maintaining active involvement throughout the entire lifecycle from initial concept through scaling. Your analytical work will directly inform funding decisions that shape the organization’s strategic direction. A significant component of this position involves building the operational infrastructure necessary for the fund to scale effectively. You will design and implement systems for pipeline tracking, grantee reporting, and field mapping using modern tools and technologies, enabling the organization to expand its impact without proportional increases in headcount. Additionally, you will contribute to launching new organizations and designing novel initiatives to address emerging threats, including developing AI-enabled workflows, datasets, risk modeling tools, and forecasting systems that fill gaps in the field. Your external-facing work will be equally important, as you will craft compelling memos, concept notes, and pitch materials designed to attract partners, funders, and talent into the nuclear security, biosecurity, and AI safety fields.

Responsibilities

• Help launch new organizations and design novel initiatives to address emerging threats in nuclear, biological, and AI risk domains
• Build field assets including AI-enabled workflows, datasets, trackers, risk modeling and forecasting tools that the field currently lacks
• Identify compelling work opportunities worthy of backing through grants, investments, or internal incubation efforts
• Maintain active involvement with funded initiatives from ideation through building and scaling phases
• Establish and maintain systems that support portfolio operations including pipeline tracking, grantee reporting, and field mapping
• Implement modern tools and processes to enable program scaling without proportional increases in headcount
• Develop and write memos, concept notes, and pitch materials to attract partners, funders, and talent to frontier risk fields
• Work across program areas where the organization needs strategic support most

Requirements

• Background or demonstrated interest in nuclear security, AI safety, biosecurity, or other systemic risk areas
• Experience in policy, commercial, technical, or grantmaking backgrounds
• Builder mindset with experience developing products, writing code, or developing side projects
• Fluency with modern tools including AI, or demonstrated deep willingness to rapidly learn them
• High agency with proven ability to operate as a self-starter who solves problems and finds solutions proactively
• Analytical horsepower with sharp, structured thinking capabilities
• Ability to size funding opportunities and pressure-test technical claims from first principles
• Excellent communication skills with ability to deliver precise, polished work including clean analysis, tight writing, and compelling presentations to principals, experts, and funders
• Authorization to work in the United States

Benefits

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Retirement plan with employer contribution
• Relocation assistance provided for candidates moving to the San Francisco Bay Area
• Opportunity to work at ground level of an ambitious new platform at a world-class organization
• Dynamic startup environment with substantial capital resources
• Ability to leverage skills across multiple frontier risk domains
• Target start date: Q4 2026