Director, Political Economy of AI and New Technologies

The Global Fund for a New Economy

Director, Political Economy of AI and New Technologies 

One-year initial term 

Introduction

The Global Fund for a New Economy (GFNE) seeks a Director, Political Economy of AI and New Technologies to develop and execute a multi-layered, global strategy. This role will work in service of the dual priorities of GFNE: 1. Securing funding to expand the ecosystem; and 2. Establishing a robust infrastructure for the sector. In order to do this, this position will bring a series of sub-strategies to life, spanning a range of geographies, methods, and domains.

We are seeking candidates who can demonstrate significant leadership and expertise in issues relevant to political economy, AI, and new technologies, bring strong network and relationship-building skills, and provide the energy and drive necessary to inspire and bring life to this ambitious agenda. 

About the Global Fund for a New Economy (GFNE)

Founded in 2024, the Global Fund for a New Economy (GFNE) is dedicated to building an economic system that benefits all people, protects our planet, and strengthens democracy. GFNE partners with leaders, changemakers, and innovative organizations to provide the strategic funding, partnerships, and infrastructure needed to drive this transformation.

As a remote-first organization, GFNE is committed to building a global team rooted in diversity, equity, and inclusion. We value a wide range of perspectives and strive to foster a collaborative, inclusive workplace culture that aligns with our mission. Our work spans partnerships with think tanks, community organizations, academic institutions, labor unions, and advocacy groups, building a global movement for a sustainable and democratic economy.

With founding support from the Hewlett Foundation, Open Society Foundations, the Ford Foundation, and the Omidyar Network, GFNE is prioritizing efforts in ten countries: Brazil, India, the United States, South Africa, Kenya, Germany, the United Kingdom, Colombia, Mexico, and Indonesia. Our current focus areas include exploring the economic opportunities and challenges of the green transition and addressing the impact of AI and emerging technologies. Specifically, GFNE will invest in field building, mobilize resources for the ecosystem, and support partner organizations through catalytic grants and strategic and operational support. 

We invite those who share our commitment to a sustainable, inclusive, and equitable economy to join us in this transformative work.

About the role 

This position will be responsible for developing and executing a comprehensive, multi-layered global strategy focused on public interest and political economy issues surrounding AI and emerging technologies. The strategy will encompass key objectives, including socializing a political economy analysis of AI and new technologies, regulating the concentrated power of the technology sector, protecting democracy, advancing a public interest agenda for AI, addressing the impacts of these technologies on economic inequality, job quality, and working conditions, and strengthening labor’s position as a vital counterbalance on behalf of the public interest. Additionally, it will tackle the environmental and energy consumption challenges posed by data centers and other infrastructures that support AI and digital technologies. This role directly contributes to the dual priorities of GFNE: 1. Securing funding to expand the ecosystem; and 2. Establishing a robust infrastructure for the sector.

The Director, Political Economy of AI and New Technologies will work with the Co-Presidents of GFNE and other senior colleagues to raise funds and to devise and execute a series of strategies to advance the agenda in concert with other functional teams within GFNE and the Chief Economist, to whom this role reports. The role inherently will involve a lot of collaboration internally and externally.

We are building out a new field in many respects or combining and reimagining extant fields in new forms. Given the nascent nature of both GFNE and this work, we will be posting this position as a one-year opportunity with the possibility of extension or revision to the role relative to the evolving structure and needs of the organization and work program. 

Responsibilities

The work will entail a range of activities, including:

Policy Development/Research

• Contributing to the development of a comprehensive, multi-layered global strategy focused on public interest, democracy, and political economy issues surrounding AI and emerging technologies.
• Scoping the needs for policy and research in the field and soliciting or commissioning work as needed. 
• Tracking the agenda-setting needs and anticipating changes in the field to sense check and make course corrections to strategies and plans.

Philanthropic Mobilization

• Cultivating relationships and collaborating with the participating philanthropies in this space.
• Raising new monies to deploy within the various projects under the banner of the overall effort.
• Supporting the organization of activities to educate wider philanthropy circles about the political economy of AI and digital technologies and related strategies.
• Collaborating with philanthropies to raise and distribute resources to sub-projects in the program area.

Coordination and Project Management

• Overall project management of this program area including strategy development process, communications, research and advocacy management, and other pieces of program execution.
• Coordinating and aligning with other relevant teams and staff in the organization and allies in the execution of this program area.
• Identifying and supporting a series of sub-coalitions of actors aligned around specific projects of primary interest to field leaders working on issues related to AI, new technologies, and political economy. 
• Hiring staff and consultants to execute on strategic work and specific projects, including managing these relationships. 
• Engaging in grant-making to support partner organizations to advance the strategic areas of work within the AI and digital technology space prioritized by GFNE.

Person specification

The Director, Political Economy of AI and New Technologies will be a well-established leader in the field - ideally with direct experience working on AI and digital technology regulatory action, governance, research and policy. They will have:

• Experience writing and developing program strategies with a good sense of deliverability.
• Ambition and vision for the fields of AI, new technologies, and the New Economy movement more broadly.
• Experience in building organizations or projects and line management with a proven ability to support the success, development, and growth of others. 
• An understanding of how to work effectively and with sensitivity across different cultures, country and regional contexts, and time zones.
• The ability to speak multiple languages and work experience in more than one country, including at least one country in the Global South, is highly desireable.
• A sense of humor and self-awareness.
• Ability to build strong relationships with fellow team members and to work collaboratively.
• Established leadership and authority on questions of AI, new technologies, political economy, and the New Economy, preferably focusing on Global South nations in a global context.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills.
• Experience raising multi-million budgets from philanthropy, major donors, and public funding would be desirable.

Compensation and terms & conditions

Location: Remote, but travel is expected to meet colleagues from the Fund, partners, and allied organizations. 

Working hours: Full-time. Some flexibility will be available and necessary to ensure effective working with a global team. 

Compensation for this role will be competitive relative to the market in which candidates are based. The Fund is currently determining benefits packages. The details of these will be discussed with candidates in due course. 

This position is for an initial one-year term. 

How to apply

If you wish to be considered for this appointment, please submit your CV and cover letter outlining your interest in and relevance to the role at globalneweconomy.org or via email to [email protected].  

The deadline for applications is  20^th Jan 2025. We currently aim to interview shortlisted candidates through Jan and early Feb, though this may be subject to change as schedules allow. 

The Global Fund for a New Economy is committed to building a diverse team. All qualified applicants will receive consideration, irrespective of racial or ethnic background, opinions or beliefs, gender, sexual orientation, health, or disabilities. We positively encourage applications from those from under-represented or marginalized groups.