About Us

Founded in 2024, the Mirror Biology Dialogues Fund (MBDF) works to advance and support the global effort to understand and address risks posed by mirror life. We fund and co-organize international conferences, workshops, public seminars, and other initiatives to foster constructive dialogue and decision-making between academic, policy, commercial, and public stakeholders.

The Role

The Executive Director's Associate is a high-trust, high-impact role for an early-to-mid career professional with exceptional potential. This role will have a front-row seat to how a mission-driven organization is led. You'll work side by side with MBDF's Executive Director (ED) as a true extension of the office, acting as a force multiplier whose core purpose is to make the ED more effective across everything they touch.

This is a generalist role with real range. A day in this role could go from drafting a briefing note on which AI companies have put in place safeguards for mirror life, to troubleshooting a last-minute logistics issue, to crafting high-stakes stakeholder communications, to preparing an agenda for the weekly All-Hands meeting and then hopping on a flight to join the ED for a stakeholder meeting. The work spans communications and writing, research and synthesis, executive and meeting support, project and task management, and the tools and workflows that keep the office running. 

Much of the value you create is anticipatory. You'll develop a sharp sense of the ED's priorities, voice, and working style, then use it to get ahead of what they need: surfacing the decision a document is really asking for, flagging the risk no one has named yet, and following up on commitments so nothing falls through the cracks. You'll exercise judgment constantly about what matters, what can wait, and when to escalate, and you'll handle sensitive stakeholder dynamics and high-stakes communications with discretion.

The role rewards low ego and a bias for action in equal measure. You're as comfortable formatting a deck and chasing a signature as you are scoping a new initiative. Because MBDF is small and the field moves fast, the scope of what you own will grow as quickly as you can earn it.

For the right person, this role is a deliberate launching pad. The trust, proximity, and breadth of exposure build deep context on the organization's strategy, its stakeholder relationships, and the craft of leading a high-stakes nonprofit. This is not primarily a strategy or leadership role today., but for the right person, the trust, exposure, and responsibility it offers are a genuine foundation for growth, and there is a clear path to a more senior role over time.

What You’ll Own

Communications & Writing

You will draft a wide range of professional communications on behalf of the ED:

• Drafting correspondence including emails, letters, and updates to a range of stakeholders, including scientific and policy leaders, MBDF’s advisory committee, and funders, that reflect the ED’s voice and priorities
• Preparing presentations, slide decks, and visual materials for internal and external audiences
• Writing and editing briefing documents, memos, reports, and other materials to a high standard
• Conducting first-pass review of incoming documents and proposals before they reach the ED, flagging key issues and the decisions required
• Reviewing outgoing materials for clarity, accuracy, and tone before the ED’s sign-off
• Owning recurring internal moments such as the all-hands end-to-end: shaping the agenda; preparing content and slides; and making sure they run well
• Drafting internal and leadership communications on the ED’s behalf including: team updates, chasing staff for deliverables and other staff-facing notes

Research & Analysis

You will be asked to turn a question or topic into a clear, usable output:

• Conducting research on topics relevant to MBDF’s strategy, programs, stakeholders, or sector trends
• Synthesizing findings into crisp briefing notes, one-pagers, or talking points for the ED
• Preparing background materials ahead of meetings, calls, and events
• Gathering data and drafting analyses or summaries to inform organizational decisions

Executive Support

While our Operations & Executive Coordinator handles basic admin for the ED, you will provide targeted support that keeps operations running smoothly:

• Providing logistical and coordination support for meetings, events, and engagements where the ED is involved
• Managing follow-up on actions and commitments arising from the ED’s meetings
• Handling ad hoc requests that require discretion, good judgment, and a “no task too small” mindset

Project & Task Management

As a key extension of the Executive Director, you'll keep critical work moving by having oversight on projects and helping the ED focus their time where it matters most by: 

• Helping triage and prioritize the ED’s workload, judging what to take on directly, what to delegate, and what can wait
• Scoping, planning, and tracking work across multiple concurrent initiatives, keeping tabs on progress and surfacing risks or decisions that need the ED's or other stakeholders' input
• Building out project plans, managing action logs, and following up with contributors to ensure nothing falls through the cracks

Tools & Workflows

You will help the ED work more efficiently by strengthening the tools and systems that support the office:

• Helping the ED set up and maintain effective AI skills and workflows
• Identifying and implementing other tools or processes that make the ED more effective

What Success Looks Like

About You

Must-Haves

• Minimum of 3-6 years of professional experience in a fast-paced environment 
• Exceptional written communication skills: you write clearly, concisely, and in a way that adapts to your audience.
• Strong research and synthesis skills: you can turn ambiguous questions into clear, actionable outputs
• High organizational capacity: you manage your own work effectively, track many parallel threads without dropping balls, and follow through on commitments
• Low ego; comfortable doing both administrative and substantive work
• A bias for action: you’re proactive, anticipating needs rather than waiting to be told, and comfortable moving forward with incomplete information and asking clarifying questions early rather than late
• Professionalism and discretion in handling sensitive information and high-stakes communications
• Strong judgment about what matters, what can wait, and when to escalate
• A genuine commitment to MBDF’s mission 

Nice-to-Haves

• Familiarity with transformative technology, biology, biochemistry, biosecurity, policy, AI, or adjacent fields strongly preferred
• Experience working directly with a senior leader or executive
• Familiarity with AI assistants such as Claude, comfort with project management tools, and a knack for designing workflows that make work run smoothly
• Strong presentation design skills

Practicalities

• Location: Remote, the UK or BST-aligned time zone is preferred.
• Working Hours: You must be available for core working hours of 10am–6pm BST, with the need to be available for additional hours as required.
• Travel Requirement: This role involves meaningful travel (roughly 25-50% of the time, depending on your base location) putting you in the room with the ED, and potentially for convenings, partner meetings, and events where MBDF's most important work happens. Financial support to relocate near Cornwall, UK may be discussed to reduce the travel requirements. 
• Compensation: ￡75,000 - ￡105,000 GBP + full benefits; exact offer will reflect experience and fit.
• Deadline to Apply: Round 1 Application Deadline - EOD June 28th.
• Start: As soon as practical, preference is on or before August 31, 2026.
• Reports to: Executive Director.