Associate Product Manager
The Schmidt Futures Challenges Project is now accepting applications for the initial cohort of its Associate Product Manager (APM) program, an entrepreneurial group of technologists who are motivated to change the world, eager to learn, and adept at seeing and bringing out the best in others. Through the APM program, Schmidt Futures, founded by former Google CEO Eric Schmidt, brings together these talented young leaders with technical training in computer and data science, machine learning, and artificial intelligence--fields central to unlocking progress.
Over the course of a two-year term, APMs will receive a broad exposure to how science and technology can be used to improve people’s lives. They will receive personalized leadership training, have opportunities to deepen their technical skills, participate in APM class trips to field sites in the U.S. and around the world, regularly meet in small groups with CEOs and world leaders, and be mentored by a network of distinguished figures in technology, including Eric Schmidt, who served as CEO of Google and then executive chairman of Alphabet from 2001 to 2017. At the conclusion of the two years, the APM will exit the Challenges Project, with many options at her disposal for onward advancement in the technology industry and policy world, including the ability to continue work on the selected Challenge in a commercial, non-profit or academic context, often with Schmidt Futures support.
The APM program entails a two-year, full-time commitment, during which the APM will be based in New York, with travel to Silicon Valley as well as potentially other geographies. Schmidt Futures is looking for new or recent graduates with a technical background who have deep knowledge in artificial intelligence, hands-on experience or interest in applying AI technology to solve real-world problems, demonstrated abilities in forming and leading successful teams in dynamic situations, are able to listen, build relationships, and draw out expertise and supports from partners, are driven by principles and values, and love to learn and get things done.
Applications are being accepted now through October 31st. If you are interested in applying you can find more background on this new program, including the application here.
To stay up to date on recruiting information, Schmidt Futures invites potential applicants to fill a short form here.
Further Details
Who are we
Schmidt Futures is a venture facility founded by Eric Schmidt, previous CEO of Google, for public benefit that advances society through technology, inspires scientific breakthroughs, and promotes shared prosperity.
The Schmidt Futures Challenges Project harnesses the power of technology, science, and people working together to take on 20 of the biggest challenges facing humanity over the next 20 years. To accelerate progress against these challenges, Schmidt Futures discovers the best work being done around the world and the best people doing that work. We then supply resources (research, expertise, ideas), invest early stage financial capital, foster coalitions and partnerships, and deploy talent to join high-potential efforts that are already underway. Through our activities, Schmidt Futures’ seeks to inspire broader action from other funding partners, philanthropies, and organizations.
Why This Job is Excellent:
As Associate Product Manager for Schmidt Futures, you will be an integral part of our efforts to tackle the 20 biggest challenges facing humanity over the next 20 years. You will directly help shape, strategize, and manage new product initiatives focused on tackling these challenges, learn and grow with an incredible cohort of peers, and do work that matters for humanity.
What you’ll get
You’ll be surrounded and supported by a leading team of experts from industry, government, academia, and civil society eager to create change and get things done. You will have frequent and significant exposure to senior leadership in the organization, who in turn will be eager to help you and learn from your work. You’ll have the scope to push boundaries, to test, develop and implement new ideas for achieving impact across the range of our challenge areas.
You’ll get experience on building strategic partnerships with other key stakeholders (including working with industry and civil society organizations) to frame problems, capture challenge requirements, plan product features and evaluate outcomes.
What You'll Do:
Simply put, you'll have a key role as a leader within Schmidt Futures of a given Challenge. APMs will assess the best work going on in the field, embed in projects funded by Schmidt Futures where they will help develop technical products, and shepherd Schmidt Futures resources to accelerate and drive the greatest impact. The best candidates will have superb technical capabilities, can-do energy, and ability to succeed in open-ended environments.
Advances in artificial intelligence, advanced computing, interdisciplinary science, and hardware (robotics and sensors) will provide the opportunity to address problems that were previously unsolvable. Examples of challenges the candidates will work on through application of these techniques include:
- Healthcare effectiveness. Leverage large-scale repositories of genomic and clinical data to substantially improve healthcare outcomes in the US.
- Social Service Delivery. Strengthen the social safety net at a time when the U.S. economy is growing more volatile for most people.
- Education. Create educational software to create programs as effective as a personal tutor to close the learning gap between rich and poor in the U.S.
- Climate and Environmental Monitoring. More accurately predict hurricanes, tornadoes, flooding, and climate impacts to substantially increase global resiliency.
Responsibilities will include but not be restricted to:
- Lead a project on one of the Schmidt Futures Challenges.
- Discover the most interesting and potentially impactful scientific, academic, and industrial work related to your Challenge. Through this research, become one of the world’s leading experts on the “state of the art” of that Challenge and work being done to address it.
- Establish and monitor metrics to monitor progress against the Challenge.
- Work with other Schmidt Futures team members to identify and advance other projects and people where Schmidt Futures can have a transformational impact using advanced computing techniques like AI and machine learning.
- Help form partnerships and coalitions and oversee the development of platforms and tools by third parties.
What We Need from You:
- Your online application here.
- You must be a recent graduate of a Bachelors, Masters, or PhD program in computer science or adjacent fields such as engineering fields, data science, or a field with a strong computational component.
- You must be passionate and thoughtful about leveraging technology for humanities’ benefit in ethical, innovative, informed ways.
- Preferred: 1+ years of intern or full-time work experience in a product related role within a technical field, and experience in working with technology teams to develop products.
- Preferred: Leadership experience with clear results you can share.
- Must be a great team player that works well in collaborative situations.
The application is open now through October 31st.