Deputy Director

What you'll own

Operations

You'll oversee the core machinery that keeps MBDF running: finance, HR, compliance, event logistics, and grantmaking operations. You'll manage our Business Operations Lead, our Operations Associate, and the systems and vendors that support our Operations functions. This is a leadership role—we're hiring you to ensure these functions run well, not to do everything yourself. But we're a 10-person org, so senior leaders here roll up their sleeves when something needs doing.

Strategy & execution. 

You'll drive our goal-setting and planning processes, help translate high-level priorities into concrete plans, and keep us accountable to what we said we'd do. When initiatives get stuck or complicated, you’ll help unblock them.

Organizational health.

You'll think holistically about how the team is structured, how communication flows, and whether we're building a culture where people can do great work. You'll be a thought partner to other leaders across MBDF—helping them navigate challenges and develop their teams.

Room to grow

The core of this role is operations and organizational leadership. But we're a small team, and our other functions—science, policy, communications, strategy—all could benefit from additional support and senior attention.

For the right person, there's scope to expand into these areas. You might help shape how we engage with policymakers, or guide our external communications, or support our science team's planning. Exactly what this looks like depends on your background and interests. We're excited to figure it out together.

About You

You're deeply motivated by MBDF's mission and excited to help a maturing organization take on the risks mirror life could pose.

You're an entrepreneurial leader who has managed diverse functions. You have strong judgment about stakeholders, reputation, and organizational priorities. You're the kind of person who can look at a messy situation involving external relationships, figure out what actually matters, and make a call.

You bring:

• Demonstrated ability to make things happen. You don't just have good ideas—you've executed on them. You've got a track record of tackling hard problems and delivering.

• Sound judgment on people and stakeholders. You're good at mentally modeling how others will react, what they care about, and how to navigate tricky situations. You've dealt with thorny stakeholder dynamics and come out the other side.

• Comfort with an unusual portfolio. You don't need to be an expert in everything you oversee. You know how to manage functions where you're not the subject-matter expert, ask the right questions, and ensure good outcomes.

• A bias toward ownership. You take responsibility for your portfolio end-to-end. When something isn't working, you fix it or flag it — you don't wait for someone else to notice.

• Pragmatism about what matters. You balance ambition with practicality. You're the person who asks "but will this actually work?" and helps the team understand and navigate real constraints.

• Comfort with ambiguity. You're energized rather than paralyzed by novel problems and blank slates. MBDF is a young organization tackling unprecedented challenges — you'll regularly encounter situations without playbooks.

• Alignment with our mission. You want to work on problems that matter. You care deeply about understanding and addressing the potentially catastrophic risks of mirror life.

Experience & Skills

We're not looking for a unicorn. This role touches a lot of areas, and we don't expect you to be an expert in all of them. We're looking for a strong leader with good judgment who can grow with us.

That said, we're excited about candidates who bring some combination of:

• Experience overseeing operations functions (finance, HR, compliance, events)—you don't need deep expertise in all of these areas, but you should be comfortable providing direction

• Background in communications, stakeholder management, or public affairs—particularly where reputation and messaging matter

• Strong instincts for project management and keeping many things on track

• Experience managing and developing a small team

• Comfort working with senior leadership and external stakeholders

• Background in nonprofits, policy, science-adjacent orgs, or other mission-driven environments

Practicalities

• Compensation: $180-210k USD + full benefits; exact offer will reflect experience and fit.

• Location: Remote. MBDF is a fully remote organization.

• Working hours: Must be available during core hours (10am-2pm ET) for overlap with team members across time zones.

• Start: As soon as practical — applications reviewed on a rolling basis.

• Reports to: Executive Director

MBDF is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse and inclusive team.