Full TimeEN
We're hiring a Development Officer to build and run major donor fundraising for the Animal Welfare Fund (AWF). This role is responsible for developing our fundraising strategy, managing relationships with high-net-worth donors, and running the systems that make those relationships work. This role will start as an individual contributor position on the EA Funds team, reporting to Karolina Sarek, Chair of the Animal Welfare Fund, and collaborating with AWF’s grantmakers, EA Funds Leadership, Marketing and Communications, and the future Partnerships team when it is developed – and will have opportunity to grow into a management position.
The Centre for Effective Altruism (CEA) stewards the movement of people putting effective altruism principles into practice to solve the world's most pressing problems. We’re working to build a flourishing future by applying evidence, reason, and compassion to challenges like global poverty, animal suffering, and existential risks.
Our work centers on growing and supporting a global community of people who rigorously analyze where they can do the most good—and take action on those insights. Current strategic priorities include increasing understanding of effective altruism and its principles, growing the number of people who are motivated by EA principles to take significant action to address pressing problems, and diversifying funding sources for high-impact work.
We had significant success in 2025, building momentum within CEA. Our headcount grew from 42 to 66 core staff. Program participation (e.g., events, courses, groups) grew by 20-25% year over year. We merged with EA Funds and are rapidly scaling up our capacity for grantmaking and associated fundraising: our first Fund staffed with full-time employees (EA Animal Welfare Fund) raised almost as much as the previous three years combined.
In 2026, we’re maintaining ambitious momentum while building the foundations for a step-change in the wider EA ecosystem’s growth trajectory from 2027 onwards.
Effective Altruism Funds (EA Funds) is the grantmaking arm of CEA and aims to increase the amount of funding that is dedicated to particularly cost-effective and altruistically impactful projects across global health & development, animal welfare, long-term future and EA infrastructure. The EA Animal Welfare Fund (AWF) exists to reduce animal suffering by rigorously evaluating, funding, and catalyzing the most effective interventions for the world's most neglected animals, supporting the people and programs with the greatest potential to create lasting impact.
We fill critical gaps in the animal advocacy ecosystem by:
Identifying and supporting work across regions and species where suffering is the largest yet remains neglected
Funding promising early-stage projects and helping them get off the ground until other funders can take over
Scaling proven work that other grantmakers won't or can't fund
Pushing frontiers by actively seeking interventions to address emerging or newly recognized sources of suffering
Deploying rigorous evaluation to ensure maximum impact per dollar
Coordinating with other funders to strengthen the entire movement
Key long-term objectives we are working towards include (but are not limited to):
End the confinement of egg-laying hens in cages globally, focusing on accelerating this transition in the Global South
Improve the welfare of aquatic animals in the Global South by establishing and scaling on-farm welfare improvements
End the worst forms of death for billions of animals by making effective, humane slaughter for farmed shrimp the default standard in European and U.S. supply chains
Protect numerous and neglected species from intensive confinement systems as new forms of animal agriculture emerge
Reduce wild animal suffering at scale by validating and implementing cost-effective interventions in urban and agricultural settings
Improve farm animal welfare in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, where the scale of production is the largest
You can read our 3-year grantmaking strategy here.
Since its founding in 2017, the AWF has emerged as a major funder in effective animal advocacy, distributing $24.1M across more than 362 grants. We've experienced rapid growth, raising $10M in 2025 alone – more than the previous two years combined. In 2026 we plan to raise and regrant at least $20M+, with potential to scale to ~$50M+ as funding opportunities materialize, and we expect further growth beyond 2026. This growth trajectory means your work will directly shape how tens of millions of dollars flow to the most impactful interventions for animals.
We've also built a reputation as a recognized leader in the space: Giving What We Can lists the AWF as one of only two top-recommended effective animal advocacy charities due to our high potential for impact, and in the two most recent years, AWF was recommended by Coefficient Giving (formerly Open Philanthropy) staff, as the sole best giving opportunity in farmed animal welfare due to our program officer’s experience and focus on tangible impact for animals.
AWF is at an inflection point, experiencing rapid growth. We need to build a fundraising operation that matches our ambitions – and that's what this role is for. We're looking for a Development Officer to be the operational and strategic engine behind AWF's fundraising. This is a new position and the person who takes this role will have the opportunity for significant ownership – you will build our fundraising infrastructure from the ground up, turn strategy into executable plans, and make sure every donor touch point is thoughtful, timely, and well-executed.
This role sits at the intersection of high-stakes relationship management, careful project execution, and strategic thinking about how philanthropic capital can be mobilized to improve animal welfare on large scales. You'll work in close partnership with the Head of AWF, Karolina Sarek on fundraising strategy and potentially with Communications team members on donor-facing content.
Depending on your background and interests, there will also be opportunity to directly manage a portfolio of donor relationships – though this is not a requirement of the role.
If fundraising outcomes are strong, we expect to expand the development team, and the Development Officer would help shape that.
Fundraising strategy
Co-develop AWF's major donor fundraising strategy with the Chair, including approaches to donor segmentation, gift levels, acquisition, and long-term portfolio growth
Build and maintain testing frameworks to evaluate what's working across gift programs, and incorporate data-driven insights into strategy
Stay current with AWF's programs, grantmaking strategy, and theory of change, ensuring all fundraising activity reflects our mission, strategic vision, and measurable impact
Donor cultivation and engagement
Own the donor cultivation process – ensuring every donor in our portfolio is actively and intentionally engaged, with a clear sense of where they are in their journey with AWF and what comes next
Develop and maintain individualised engagement plans for donors across our portfolio, covering the full arc from discovery and cultivation through to solicitation and stewardship
Ensure donors have an outstanding experience with AWF at every touchpoint – that they feel informed, appreciated, and genuinely connected to the impact their giving makes possible
Support the Chair in preparing for donor interactions: briefings, discovery questions, talking points, and follow-up plans
Collaborate with CEA’s Director of Partnerships when they are brought onto the team
Donor engagement systems and CRM
Build AWF's donor engagement infrastructure from the ground up – including our CRM (Bloomerang), and other systems that keep cultivation active and nothing slipping through the cracks
Own our CRM, maintaining clean data and tracking engagement
Build reporting infrastructure to monitor progress against fundraising goals
Ensure systems are in place ahead of time-sensitive, high-value donor moments
Donor communications and materials
Lead on drafting all donor-facing written communications, including impact reports, funding proposals, and general updates
Review donor communications, ensuring they clearly articulate AWF’s mission, strategy and measurable impact and are audience-appropriate and compelling to effectiveness-driven donors
Fundraising initiatives
Support the development and execution of specific fundraising initiatives, such as thesis-driven funds, from initial framing through to donor engagement and administration
Identify and develop new fundraising approaches aligned with AWF's philanthropic operating model
Project management
Translate fundraising strategy into concrete plans, timelines, and workstreams
Oversee day-to-day operations, ensuring fundraising strategies and activities are consistently translated into practice
Manage multiple fundraising initiatives simultaneously, proactively flagging when priorities or timelines need to shift
Manage up effectively, keeping stakeholders informed without requiring close oversight
Donor relationships (optional)
Depending on the candidate, there may be a future opportunity to directly manage relationships with a portfolio of donors – including cultivation, solicitation, and ongoing stewardship
You might be a great fit for this role if you are:
Experienced in major gift fundraising or high-net-worth relationship management, with a strong track record of cultivating and closing significant gifts or comparable high-value relationships
A skilled project manager who can define scope, set timelines, and deliver high-quality work across multiple workstreams simultaneously. You are organised and detail-oriented and able to keep everything on track without requiring close oversight.
An exceptional writer and communicator, able to produce or review donor-facing content that is precise, credible, and compelling to sophisticated audiences
Comfortable with CRM systems and data management. You don't need to be a technical expert, but you should be the kind of person who keeps records clean, improves systems for fundraising effectiveness and use data to inform strategy and decision making
Genuinely excited about the potential for strategic philanthropy to reduce animal suffering at scale
A clear and rigorous thinker with strong analytical and decision-making skills who is able to identify causes of a problem, implement effective solutions, and bring structure to ambiguous situations
Someone who thrives in a fast-moving environment, adapts quickly when circumstances shift or new opportunities emerge, and takes initiative without waiting for direction
Interested in innovative, non-standard fundraising initiatives such as thesis-driven funds
This is a full-time, remote position. We prefer applicants who are able to work in time zones between US Pacific Time and CET, with some availability to overlap with US West Coast hours
We have an office in Oxford, UK, that you would have access to.
Start date: As soon as possible. We have time-sensitive fundraising priorities in spring 2026.
Reports to: Karolina Sarek, Chair of the Animal Welfare Fund
Compensation
US: total compensation package of $131,988, comprising a base salary of $119,989, and a 10% unconditional 401k contribution.
UK: total compensation package of £79,402, comprising a base salary of £72,184 and a 10% pension contribution.
Other locations: For candidates outside the US and UK, we base compensation on our UK salary structure and adjust for the cost of employment and fixed local benefit costs to create an equivalent package.
Benefits in the US/UK include private health insurance, flexible work hours, a $6,000 / £5,000 annual professional development allowance, a $6,000 / £5,000 mental health support allowance, extended parental leave, ergonomic equipment, 25 days of paid vacation, and more.
This role will involve travel. There are likely 4 trips annually to attend team retreats and other events, including several international trips.
We are committed to fostering a culture of inclusion and encourage individuals with diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. We especially encourage applications from self-identified women and people of colour who are excited about contributing to our mission. The Centre for Effective Altruism is an equal opportunity employer. If you need assistance or an accommodation due to a disability, or have any other questions about applying, please contact jobs@centreforeffectivealtruism.org.
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