SVP, Expeditionary Futures
X is Alphabet’s moonshot factory: we invent and launch breakthrough technologies aimed at 10x impact on the world’s most intractable problems. We approach projects with the aspiration and riskiness of research, and the urgency and craft of a startup.
As AI becomes ambient, uneven, and culturally consequential, “the future” is no longer a single roadmap. It’s a moving set of practices, incentives, narratives, and institutional adaptations. SVP Expeditionary Futures is an executive-level role for a leader who treats exploration as a core operating function: sensing adjacent possibility spaces early, turning insights into credible prototypes and ventures, and building shared conviction across disciplines without flattening the complexity.
This role leads expeditionary exploration across technical, social, and cultural domains—where the next moonshots often hide in plain sight. You will operate with range: equally comfortable in the mechanics of engineered systems and the dynamics of human systems (rituals, incentives, institutions, meaning-making).
You will shape a portfolio of investigations at the earliest stage: finding “the question” before the organization prematurely optimizes for “the fix.” You’ll convene researchers, engineers, operators, domain experts, and external partners, then translate field findings into prototypes, narratives, and venture theses that can survive skepticism.
This is not a purely instrumental research role. It is a leadership role where speculation is disciplined: you will produce legible evidence (demos, pilots, artifacts, partnership structures, venture pitches) that makes uncertain futures actionable—without pretending they are predictable.
- 12+ years as a leader, builder, or entrepreneur in a technical industry, with demonstrated ability to operate hands-on when needed.
- Proven track record taking new technology from early conception to real-world pilot or product launch—especially in messy, ambiguous, ‘no-map’ conditions.
- Demonstrated ability to move fluidly across domains (engineering, design, social science, product, operations) and translate between them without losing rigor.
- Strong generalist orientation: rapid learning of new domains, strong pattern recognition, and comfort forming and testing hypotheses in unfamiliar terrain.
- Demonstrated ability to create external partnerships around early-stage technology, including convening, negotiation, and alignment of incentives.
- Exceptional communication and narrative ability: can speak to mixed audiences, produce compelling written artifacts, and align teams around a shared problem frame.
- Evidence of community leadership: building networks, hosting convenings, mentoring others, and sustaining momentum through trust and clarity.
- Bias to action paired with judgment: you know when to prototype, when to pause, and when to reframe the question.
- Lead a portfolio of expeditionary investigations that identify breakthrough opportunities at the intersection of technology, culture, and institutional change.
- Use critical thinking, networking, research, and prototyping to propose, assess, and progressively de-risk moonshot directions from both technical and value-creation perspectives.
- Build shared understanding across disciplinary silos by translating weak signals into credible artifacts (prototypes, pilots, field reports, narratives, venture theses) that teams can test and argue with.
- Convene and recruit cross-functional ‘A+ teams’—and create the conditions for them to operate effectively under ambiguity (clear questions, bounded experiments, fast feedback loops).
- Develop and refine moonshot stories and pitches as evidence accumulates, aligning stakeholders without oversimplifying uncertainty.
- Design and run public-facing convenings (salons, workshops, talks) that attract partners, talent, and early adopters—and that expand X’s sensing surface area.
- Establish partnership pathways (industry, academic, civic) for early-stage work, including shared prototypes, pilots, and risk-managed field deployments.
- Represent X externally as a credible voice on invention under uncertainty—public speaking, narrative leadership, and culture-building as part of the job.
- Advanced degree (PhD, Master’s) or equivalent experience in disciplines that support cross-silo invention, such as: History of Science/Technology, STS, Anthropology, Human-Computer Interaction, Media Arts, Philosophy of Technology, Design Research, Systems Engineering, or related fields.
- Demonstrated technical competence (software, systems, prototypes) alongside human-systems literacy (institutions, incentives, practices, culture).
- Public portfolio of work that shows range—ventures, products, prototypes, publications, talks, exhibitions, or widely adopted artifacts.
- Thrive in ambiguity and manage your own work with tenacity, urgency, and an ability to keep teams oriented to what matters.
- Comfort operating at multiple altitudes: field sensing, executive narrative, technical review, partnership formation, and team-building.
- Ability to engage skeptics productively—turning critique into sharper experiments rather than softer ideas.
- Willingness to travel for fieldwork, partner development, and convenings.
- Demonstrated ability to de-risk a product or venture thesis from both technical and business perspectives without prematurely narrowing the space.
- Experience designing and running workshops, salons, or public forums that generate actionable insight and durable networks.
- Track record of publishing or presenting work that changes how organizations see and act (papers, essays, talks, exhibitions, open-source).
- Experience in ‘deep tech’ contexts where engineering realities meet human realities—governance, safety, labor, education, media, or infrastructure.
- Motivated by purpose and passion: you fall in love with problems, not solutions.
The US base salary range for this full-time position is $320,000 - $480,000 + bonus + equity + benefits. Within the range, individual pay is determined by work location and additional factors, including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your location during the hiring process.
Please note that compensation details reflect the base salary only and do not include bonus, equity, or benefits.