Hi Renee. I think every function within Ops is adapting to the pace and scale of change at GiveWell. Some functions are building infrastructure from scratch. For example, People Ops has always been quite manual, and that was okay when we were onboarding a dozen or so people a year. But at our current and expected growth rate, we can't just throw more people at the same manual processes; we need the team to build a good systems foundation and automate what they can, then use our human capacity to provide better service when it really matters. Other functions, like Grants Administration have good processes to start with, but need to figure out how to update those processes to accommodate different styles of grantmaking and dramatically higher grant volumes.
Across the board what I'd like to do is build for increased resilience and flexibility for the future. We need to learn to expect even more change, and build systems and processes that can accommodate that by design.
I know I didn't answer your exact question, so let me know if you have any follow-ups.
Hi Adam, thanks for your question! Something you can do now (and ongoing) is to be curious about and engage with our work. That could mean keeping up with our blog or podcast, or digging in to our research write-ups (such as specific grant pages). When candidates apply to jobs at GiveWell, we are always happy to see genuine engagement with our mission, methods, and programs. (Note: you do not need to be a GiveWell donor to be considered or qualified for a role.)
I'll also say that, although we do have roles that are open to recent graduates, we generally find that candidates are more successful in our hiring process if they've already begun developing their professional skills -- clear writing, analytical skills, interpersonal skills, and higher-context thinking -- before coming to GiveWell. So if you're not successful in our hiring process right off the bat, I hope you will consider coming back and trying again after you've built professional experience and relevant skills at other organizations.
Hi Renee. I think every function within Ops is adapting to the pace and scale of change at GiveWell. Some functions are building infrastructure from scratch. For example, People Ops has always been quite manual, and that was okay when we were onboarding a dozen or so people a year. But at our current and expected growth rate, we can't just throw more people at the same manual processes; we need the team to build a good systems foundation and automate what they can, then use our human capacity to provide better service when it really matters. Other functions, like Grants Administration have good processes to start with, but need to figure out how to update those processes to accommodate different styles of grantmaking and dramatically higher grant volumes.
Across the board what I'd like to do is build for increased resilience and flexibility for the future. We need to learn to expect even more change, and build systems and processes that can accommodate that by design.
I know I didn't answer your exact question, so let me know if you have any follow-ups.
Hi Adam, thanks for your question! Something you can do now (and ongoing) is to be curious about and engage with our work. That could mean keeping up with our blog or podcast, or digging in to our research write-ups (such as specific grant pages). When candidates apply to jobs at GiveWell, we are always happy to see genuine engagement with our mission, methods, and programs. (Note: you do not need to be a GiveWell donor to be considered or qualified for a role.)
I'll also say that, although we do have roles that are open to recent graduates, we generally find that candidates are more successful in our hiring process if they've already begun developing their professional skills -- clear writing, analytical skills, interpersonal skills, and higher-context thinking -- before coming to GiveWell. So if you're not successful in our hiring process right off the bat, I hope you will consider coming back and trying again after you've built professional experience and relevant skills at other organizations.
I hope this helps!
thank you mattross!