Hey Micah! Thanks for the helpful context. I’ll address your questions below in the order you’ve posed them:
It’s hard to say if these roles are in demand relative to other roles you’ll commonly find on EA job boards, but operations roles of various stripes certainly draw on many of the skills you’ll have developed working in marketing and communications: clear writing, cross-functional coordination, systems and process design, and data analysis, to name but a few. Operations staff at smaller and growing orgs in the EA space tend to wear many hats, so being openminded and attentive to actual job descriptions even if the job titles don’t immediately grab your eye is helpful (e.g. an Operations Coordinator at a young org could very well be a key contributor to that org’s communications function). I’ll further add that, from my experience, strong writing skills seems more like a common denominator than a differentiator in the EA ecosystem, and so it’s relatively tough to find jobs for which that’s your comparative advantage. Superb project and stakeholder management skills are in shorter supply.
From my perspective, the value of knowing a job applicant comes from an EA org is being able to more or less trust that that person cares about actually high-impact work. But you can get on fine without this heuristic benefit. Does your resume reflect your own tangible contributions to the orgs you’ve worked at, rather than generalized fluff? When filling out job applications, do you provide examples of how you improved processes that needed improving? Have you demonstrated initiative to solve problems that officially fell outside your remit, but mattered for your organization’s mission? Consider these questions (and others like them) when polishing your application materials. Prove you care about impact—and that you have the track record to deliver more of it—and you’ll more likely stand out. (By the way, I’ve deliberately skipped over some of the more obvious answers to your question that nonetheless remain true, e.g. clear and error-free writing, thoughtful application answers, etc.)
I’m going to let my colleague, Dee Kathuria, speak to your third question—she drafted a response at the same time I did, and hers is better than mine 😀
Hi Micah, fellow (ex) marketer here! I largely agree with what Evan says, and I made a similar switch a few years ago. The resources you mentioned are great ones, some others that really helped me were:
Successif’s program (specifically for careers in AI Safety)
I really appreciate the additional resource suggestions, especially HIP’s accelerator program and the reminder about 1:1s. I’ve found these first few informal conversations valuable already and will keep seeking out more. Also, your career path gives me hope that a pivot into higher-impact work from a comms background is not only possible but can really add value.
Thanks again for the encouragement and practical tips. Hope we can stay in touch!
Your point about ops roles drawing on transferable skills from marketing and communications really helped reframe how I’m approaching certain job titles. I’ll definitely look more closely at roles that may not explicitly mention comms but involve cross-functional work and systems design. Also really appreciated your comment on writing being a baseline rather than a standout. That’s a helpful nudge to emphasize project ownership, process improvement, and initiative more clearly in my resume and applications.
Hey Micah! Thanks for the helpful context. I’ll address your questions below in the order you’ve posed them:
It’s hard to say if these roles are in demand relative to other roles you’ll commonly find on EA job boards, but operations roles of various stripes certainly draw on many of the skills you’ll have developed working in marketing and communications: clear writing, cross-functional coordination, systems and process design, and data analysis, to name but a few. Operations staff at smaller and growing orgs in the EA space tend to wear many hats, so being openminded and attentive to actual job descriptions even if the job titles don’t immediately grab your eye is helpful (e.g. an Operations Coordinator at a young org could very well be a key contributor to that org’s communications function). I’ll further add that, from my experience, strong writing skills seems more like a common denominator than a differentiator in the EA ecosystem, and so it’s relatively tough to find jobs for which that’s your comparative advantage. Superb project and stakeholder management skills are in shorter supply.
From my perspective, the value of knowing a job applicant comes from an EA org is being able to more or less trust that that person cares about actually high-impact work. But you can get on fine without this heuristic benefit. Does your resume reflect your own tangible contributions to the orgs you’ve worked at, rather than generalized fluff? When filling out job applications, do you provide examples of how you improved processes that needed improving? Have you demonstrated initiative to solve problems that officially fell outside your remit, but mattered for your organization’s mission? Consider these questions (and others like them) when polishing your application materials. Prove you care about impact—and that you have the track record to deliver more of it—and you’ll more likely stand out. (By the way, I’ve deliberately skipped over some of the more obvious answers to your question that nonetheless remain true, e.g. clear and error-free writing, thoughtful application answers, etc.)
I’m going to let my colleague, Dee Kathuria, speak to your third question—she drafted a response at the same time I did, and hers is better than mine 😀
Hi Micah, fellow (ex) marketer here! I largely agree with what Evan says, and I made a similar switch a few years ago. The resources you mentioned are great ones, some others that really helped me were:
Successif’s program (specifically for careers in AI Safety)
Joining HIP’s Talent Directory (like you mentioned + their Accelerator program)
Intro to EA course
Facebook EA jobs group
Attending EA conferences whenever possible
Generally, lots of 1:1 conversations (I think these were disproportionately more helpful than I first predicted)
Local/smaller groups—e.g., city groups, EA for Christians, etc., may also be helpful for discussions and connections.
Hi Dee,
It’s great to hear from a fellow (ex) marketer!
I really appreciate the additional resource suggestions, especially HIP’s accelerator program and the reminder about 1:1s. I’ve found these first few informal conversations valuable already and will keep seeking out more. Also, your career path gives me hope that a pivot into higher-impact work from a comms background is not only possible but can really add value.
Thanks again for the encouragement and practical tips. Hope we can stay in touch!
Best,
Micah
Hi @evandermeer!
Thank you for the detailed response.
Your point about ops roles drawing on transferable skills from marketing and communications really helped reframe how I’m approaching certain job titles. I’ll definitely look more closely at roles that may not explicitly mention comms but involve cross-functional work and systems design. Also really appreciated your comment on writing being a baseline rather than a standout. That’s a helpful nudge to emphasize project ownership, process improvement, and initiative more clearly in my resume and applications.
This was really helpful!
Thanks again,
Micah