Head of Emerging Technology and Security Initiative

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation•Menlo Park, CA

20d•Hybrid

About The Position

The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, based in Menlo Park, California, seeks a Head of its newly created Emerging Technology and Security Initiative. This role is a 5-year term limited position. The Emerging Technology and Security Initiative (ETSI) is a brand-new, five-year $100 million grant-making initiative within the Special Projects team and focuses on addressing the rapidly evolving risks posed by advanced technologies, such as artificial intelligence, biotechnology, and quantum computing. The initiative aims to strengthen governance, reduce systemic risks, and support resilient democratic institutions through strategic grantmaking, partnerships, and convening. The Head of Emerging Technology and Security Initiative will play a central role in designing and executing a cutting-edge grantmaking portfolio at the intersection of emerging technology, security, and governance. This individual will translate the initiative’s strategy into action—building a high-impact portfolio, mapping the field and its most consequential players, cultivating trust-based relationships with leading experts and institutions, and helping shape the field through convening and thought leadership. This is a role for an entrepreneurial, intellectually voracious professional who can operate with substantial independence in a fast-moving and often ambiguous environment. The successful candidate will combine deep analytical capacity with sound judgment—able to scan a complex landscape, identify where the field is heading, spot the rising experts who are not yet getting enough attention, and form a clear point of view on where philanthropic capital can have the greatest impact. We expect this person to bring roughly 10–15 years of relevant professional experience and the credibility to represent the foundation among senior leaders across government, academia, and industry.

Requirements

Subject-matter expertise in one or more relevant domains: Artificial intelligence and security; Cybersecurity; Quantum technologies and/or biotechnology and biosecurity; and/or Geopolitics or global governance, and/or other emerging technology and security topics.
Knowledge of the emerging technology and security ecosystem, especially key nonprofit organizations, academic research centers, government decision-makers, and corporate leaders.
A minimum of 10 years of relevant professional experience.
Experience at a national think tank, federal agency, leading research center, technology company, or comparable technical or policy institution is highly valued.
Demonstrated ability to translate strategy into execution and manage complex projects through to successful completion.
Intellectual horsepower: the analytical ability to absorb and assess large, complex volumes of information quickly, connect the dots, identify key insights and implications, and think ahead.
Sound judgment in the face of an ever-shifting external landscape, with the ability to calibrate on risk and operate well under uncertainty.
An entrepreneurial orientation to deftly build out the Initiative and get things done with limited direction.
Creativity, curiosity, and a penchant for proactive problem-solving.
Strong written and oral communication skills, including the ability to influence and engage diverse, senior audiences and to represent the foundation credibly in external settings.
A demonstrated ability to develop trust-based relationships and work constructively with a diverse range of stakeholder organizations and individuals.
Curiosity and genuine hunger to learn about philanthropy, emerging technologies, and their security implications for society.
Modesty, humility, collegiality, and strong collaboration skills—a low-ego approach paired with high professionalism and integrity.
Comfort operating in ambiguity and navigating rapidly changing environments.
Relationship-builder and strategic thinker.
Ability to work from the Hewlett Foundation’s Menlo Park, CA office; role carries a five-year term limit
This role will require up to 25% domestic and international travel to attend key events and discussions.

Responsibilities

Implement the initiative strategy approved by the Board in July 2026; monitor and assess the impact of the strategy, and identify and lead pivots or refinements as the landscape evolves.
Oversee day-to-day grantmaking, including sourcing, selection, and diligence of grantee organizations and projects, recommendation, and ongoing performance monitoring.
Build, manage, and evolve a high-impact grants portfolio aligned to strategic priorities, adapting approaches to maximize impact in a dynamic field.
Develop a granular understanding of the emerging technology and security field, and build a robust network across its major nodes, experts, and stakeholder groups.
Map the field: know who the leading experts are, identify the up-and-coming stars who are not yet getting enough airtime, and understand where new opportunities and gaps are emerging.
Build and maintain strong, trust-based relationships with grantees, experts, policymakers, and cross-sector leaders across government, the private sector, and academia.
Identify and pursue opportunities to partner and co-fund, building relationships with other funders (philanthropic, corporate, government, and individual).
Design and help organize impact-oriented convenings that strengthen collaboration and leverage the foundation’s unique role as a convener for grantees and others.
Represent the foundation externally by attending key events and producing and sharing thought leadership through writing and speaking.
Continuously analyze large and complex volumes of evolving information to identify strategic opportunities, risks, and implications—and translate those insights into concrete follow-up actions.
Routinely exercise sound judgment in a shifting external landscape, including calibrating risk, spotting and mitigating potential risks, and identifying inflection points.
Contribute to shaping the initiative’s learning agenda and adapt strategy based on evidence and insight.
Work closely and collaboratively within the Special Projects team and with cross-functional partners across the foundation.
Contribute to a collaborative team environment grounded in humility, collegiality, and shared accountability.