EQL Tech is partnering with the Safe Artificial Intelligence Fund (SAIF) to hire a Director of Implementation for the Bio Action Plan, a comprehensive strategy to reduce catastrophic biological risk at the intersection of AI and biotechnology.
Why this role exists
The convergence of AI and biotechnology is creating one of the most serious proliferation risks of our time. Offensive biological capabilities are advancing faster than defensive ones, and the window to close that gap is narrowing. In response, a coalition of leading experts, organizations, and funders has developed the Bio Action Plan: a strategy, a detailed agenda with explicit milestones, and a tracking dashboard to measure progress. SAIF is now building the team to move that plan from strategy to implementation, and this role is its principal owner.
What you'll own
This is a senior, mission-critical role for someone who combines deep fluency in biosecurity and emerging technology with the ability to drive complex, multi-stakeholder execution. The role spans four core functions:
Refine, finalize, and maintain the plan
- Engage leading experts, practitioners, funders, and institutions across biosecurity, biodefense, AI safety, global health security, and biotechnology
- Identify gaps, weaknesses, or missing priorities
- Produce a final, yet living, endorsed version of the plan that reflects broad community input
Build the execution architecture
- Translate the plan into an operational roadmap with milestones, metrics, owners, and funding requirements
- Define and refine those milestones, metrics, and funding needs
- Identify critical gaps where no credible executor currently exists
- Establish a quarterly system to track progress across the plan
Close funding gaps and accelerate execution
- Mobilize funding for the Action Plan, including helping organizations secure resources to hit plan milestones, and working with SAIF leadership to deploy capital where appropriate
- Maintain a current view of where funding is flowing and where it's most needed
- Support organizations and initiatives seeking funding for plan-relevant work
- Help funders evaluate opportunities with rigor, urgency, and technical judgment
Drive accountability across the field
- Establish a quarterly review process for tracking progress against plan milestones
- Prepare concise progress reports for funders, partners, and relevant stakeholders
- Identify where execution is stalled and recommend interventions
- Convene the right people around specific bottlenecks, not just broad discussions
More about the role
The ideal candidate is a strategist and an operator: someone who can read a technical memo, pressure-test an expert claim, run a rigorous planning process, brief a funder, identify an institutional gap, and then help ensure that gap is filled. Reducing catastrophic biological risk takes more than analysis or advocacy. It takes a coordinated execution effort across science, technology, policy, philanthropy, industry, and government, and this role is built to drive that effort.
A note on time commitment: SAIF expects this to become a major leadership role, but is open to beginning with a part-time engagement for the right person, particularly someone bringing deep expertise, strong judgment, and relevant relationships already in place.
Requirements
Required
- Deep commitment to preventing catastrophic and AI-enabled biological risks
- Strong knowledge of the biosecurity, biodefense, and global health security landscape
- Proven ability to drive complex, multi-stakeholder initiatives from strategy to execution
- Exceptional project management and coordination skills
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills
We're particularly excited about candidates who bring some combination of:
- Experience in biosecurity, pandemic preparedness, AI safety, national security, public health, or biotechnology, with familiarity at the intersection of AI and biological risk
- Experience building new organizations or initiatives
- Ability to work effectively with senior government, foundation, and private-sector leaders
- Strong relationships across philanthropy, government, academia, and/or industry
- Experience in fundraising, funder relations, or large-scale resource mobilization
- Comfort operating in a startup-like environment with limited structure and high ambiguity
Benefits
- Compensation: Competitive, commensurate with experience, seniority, and time commitment
- Time commitment: Full-time role with room to start part-time for the right candidate
- Location: Based in the US; initially remote, with periodic travel for key meetings, convenings, and site visits
- The work: A principal-owner seat on one of the most consequential coordination efforts in biosecurity today, working across funders, nonprofits, startups, government, and academia
SAIF has retained to lead this search. To apply, submit your CV and a pointer to your LinkedIn profile, along with a cover letter on why you're a fit. CVs 2 pages maximum are appreciated.
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