Global Ecosystem Director

Actual Education; Cupertino (CA); Hybrid; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

Equity incentives

High ownership over strategy

Job summary

An innovative educational organization is seeking a Global Ecosystem Director to create and scale a global network of entrepreneurs, researchers, and engineers focused on AI and technology. This role demands a strong background in community building and partnership development, along with a knack for hosting high-quality events. Candidates should have a global outlook, leadership skills, and the ability to work in ambiguous environments, contributing to a cutting-edge initiative in human capability development.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of ecosystem building experience.
• Proven ability to attract and engage high-caliber individuals.
• Experience launching distributed global initiatives.
• High adaptability in early-stage environments.

Responsibilities

• Design and grow a global community of entrepreneurs.
• Build partnerships with leading organizations.
• Organize high-quality events fostering collaboration.
• Establish systems for ongoing engagement across the network.

Skills

Ecosystem & Community Building

Partnership Development

Event Programming

Execution & Leadership

Global Orientation

Job description

We are hiring a Global Ecosystem Director for a specially funded initiative focused on building a global network of entrepreneurs, researchers, and engineers working at the frontier of AI, technology, and human capability.

This is not a traditional community or operations role. This is a high-ownership position for someone who has built or scaled meaningful ecosystems and wants to shape a global network from first principles.

You will be responsible for designing and expanding a distributed, high-caliber community across cities, institutions, and disciplines. You will be connecting people who are not just consuming ideas, but actively building and collaborating.

If you have experience building networks that attract exceptional people and want to do it at a global, intellectually serious level, this role is for you.

What You’ll Do

Build and Scale a Global Ecosystem

• Design and grow a network of entrepreneurs, researchers, and engineers across major global hubs
• Launch and develop city-based nodes with strong local leadership
• Define the structure, incentives, and identity of the ecosystem
• Ensure the network attracts high-caliber, contribution-oriented individuals

Partnership Development & Network Expansion

• Build relationships with leading organizations, institutions, and communities
• Identify and onboard strategic partners across technology, research, and education
• Create pathways for collaboration across founders, engineers, and researchers
• Expand the ecosystem through high-signal, targeted outreach

Design High-Quality Events and Intellectual Programming

• Design and execute small, high-quality gatherings (salons, forums, curated events)
• Develop recurring event formats that foster meaningful exchange and collaboration
• Ensure events prioritize depth, signal, and long-term relationships—not scale for its own sake

Establish Systems for Ongoing Engagement

• Build systems for communication, collaboration, and knowledge exchange
• Create frameworks for members to find co-founders, collaborators, and research partners
• Maintain high engagement and participation across a distributed global network

Shape Ecosystem Identity and Direction

• Define how the network positions itself globally
• Set quality standards for participation and contribution
• Continuously refine the ecosystem as it scales

What We’re Looking For

Strong candidates typically have:

Ecosystem & Community Building Experience (Most Critical)

• 5+ years of experience building or scaling communities, networks, or ecosystems
• Proven ability to attract and engage high-caliber individuals
• Experience managing or launching distributed/global initiatives
• Strong intuition for what creates long-term, high-quality networks

Partnership & Relationship Development

• Experience building strategic partnerships across organizations
• Strong network across founders, researchers, or technical communities
• Ability to operate credibly with senior stakeholders

Event & Programming Experience

• Experience designing and running high-quality, idea-driven events
• Ability to curate participants and maintain high signal-to-noise ratio
• Strong sense of what creates meaningful intellectual exchange

Execution & Leadership

• Highly organized with strong ownership and follow-through
• Ability to operate in ambiguous, early-stage environments
• Comfortable building from zero with minimal structure

Global Orientation

• Experience working across geographies and cultures
• Ability to scale initiatives internationally
• Strong communication skills across diverse audiences

Strong Plus If You Have

• Experience at organizations such as Y Combinator, TED / TEDx, Singularity University, or similar ecosystems
• Background in venture, startup platforms, or innovation networks
• Experience launching or managing city-based communities
• Track record of building networks that led to real collaborations or companies
• Exposure to frontier technology, AI, or research communities
• Experience working with founders, engineers, and researchers at a high level

Why Join Us?

• Build a global network from first principles
• Work directly with a small, high-caliber founding team
• High ownership over strategy, structure, and execution
• Opportunity to shape a long-term platform at the intersection of AI, research, and human capability
• Competitive salary and equity incentives
• Operate at the level of ideas, people, and systems—not surface-level engagement

Position Details

• Location: San Francisco Bay Area preferred (open to global candidates)
• Compensation: Competitive salary + equity incentives
• Compensation determined based on experience and expected impact

Who This Role Is Not For

• Traditional community managers focused on engagement metrics or social growth
• Event coordinators without experience building lasting networks
• Candidates looking for clearly defined, low-ambiguity roles
• Individuals without a strong interest in technology, research, or intellectually driven communities