Take ownership of the largest AI safety research fellowship in the field and make it dramatically more ambitious.

Note: This role description is a first draft. Scope, salary, and responsibilities may evolve as our plans develop over the coming weeks, and we’ll keep you in the loop about any changes if you apply.

About Kairos

Kairos is a nonprofit accelerating talent into AI safety and policy. In just under two years, we’ve trained over 1000+ people through our flagship programs:

• SPAR: The largest AI safety research fellowship, with 400+ mentees per round mentored by researchers from Anthropic, Redwood Research, RAND, MIT, the UK AI Security Institute, and others.

• Generator Residency: In partnership with Constellation, a platform for generalist talent to pitch, build, and ship projects that build capacity and infrastructure across the AI safety ecosystem, with advisors from OpenAI, AI Futures Project, METR, and more.

• Global Challenges Project: A workshop series introducing promising students to careers in AI safety and biosecurity, run several times a year across Oxford, Boston, and Berkeley.

• Pathfinder Fellowship: Helping grow the global network of AI safety university groups from a few dozen to nearly 100, with $1.4M+ in funding to support their work.

We see ourselves as a portfolio of highly impactful projects in a fast-evolving field. By the end of 2027, we expect to double in size and launch several new initiatives addressing critical gaps in the ecosystem.

The Role

We’re looking for a Head of SPAR to own and grow our research mentorship program, SPAR. SPAR is a remote, part-time research program that runs twice a year, with 400+ mentees, 130+ mentors, and 2,000+ applicants per cohort. SPAR has outgrown the bandwidth currently available to it, and we want to put renewed effort into making it bigger, better, and overall more ambitious.

What You’ll Do

• Own SPAR end-to-end. You’ll set the timeline, run mentor and mentee recruiting, manage project matching, overall oversee and own the whole program. Most of the team contributes to SPAR in some capacity, but you’re the one accountable for the round.

• Push SPAR to be more ambitious. There are many directions we’re considering: mentor and/or mentee stipends, a third round per year, higher-touch research management, and more. It’ll be up to you to decide and lead the vision for how SPAR will grow and change.

• Hire and manage research managers. The plan for a more ambitious version of SPAR likely includes bringing on more people, notably research managers. You’ll own their hiring, onboarding, and management, and likely grow this team further as the program scales.

• Maintain and grow mentor relationships. You’ll cultivate relationships with researchers at top labs and orgs, recruit new mentors, and make sure existing ones have a great experience.

• Improve the program’s systems. SPAR has a lot of moving parts: applications, matching, check-ins, feedback, project grants, Demo Day. You’ll work with the team to improve and grow these systems.

• Contribute to Kairos beyond SPAR. As bandwidth allows, you’ll help shape org-wide strategy, weigh in on new programs, and participate in cross-cutting work.

Who You Are

• Experience running similar programs. We want someone who can take ownership quickly, so experience running a comparable research, fellowship, or mentorship program is a strong signal.

• Deep AI safety context. SPAR sits in a specific niche, and decisions about its theory of change require a clear picture of how it fits into the broader landscape of fellowships, hubs, labs, and talent pipelines.

• Mission-aligned. SPAR exists to train researchers who go on to do work that shapes how AI development plays out. You care about that, not just the program for its own sake.

• Ambitious. You’re excited to push SPAR well past its current size and quality bar.

• Highly organized. SPAR’s 400+ participants, and 130+ mentors makes it operationally highly complex, with many overlapping workstreams, hard deadlines, lots of stakeholder communication.

• High agency. You’ll be making strategic calls about the program’s direction. We want someone who can improve SPAR proactively, and take full ownership over the program.

• Comfortable managing a small team. Within a year, you’ll likely begin managing 2 or more people. Prior experience managing operational or programmatic teams is a strong plus.

Why Work With Us

• You’ll be working toward reducing risks from advanced AI, potentially the most important challenge of our time. SPAR shapes who becomes an AI safety researcher and what they work on.

• You’ll have real ownership over how SPAR runs and how the program evolves.

• SPAR already has a strong brand, a robust mentor and mentee pipeline, and working relationships with most of the top AI safety orgs.

• We’re building a world-class team, so you’ll be in good company. Work alongside people from METR, Coefficient Giving, Rethink Priorities, and CEA who share your commitment to impact.

• Collaborate regularly with leading AI safety researchers, policy professionals, funders, and organizers.

What We Offer

• Base salary: $170,000–$230,000, depending on experience and location, with potential for additional compensation for exceptional candidates

• Location: Access to office space in Berkeley, London, or Cambridge, MA; optional coworking elsewhere. If you work from an AI safety office in Berkeley, London, or Boston, we cover food, lunches, and office expenses.

• Benefits: Flexible working hours, competitive health insurance, dental and vision coverage, generous vacation policy, and professional development budget

• Team retreats: We host all-team retreats three times a year to connect in person, collaborate, and build team culture.

• Travel: Work-related travel and expenses covered.

Logistics

• Start date: Flexible, though we generally expect new hires to be able to start within a couple of months of applying

• Remote, with expected travel a few times a year for conferences and events, predominantly in the US

• We’d also be happy for you to work out of any AI safety office in Berkeley, London, Oxford, or Boston.

• We prefer candidates who can be available for meetings during the ET time zone.

• Visa sponsorship (particularly O-1) may be possible depending on circumstances, but we can’t guarantee it

Our Culture

We’re a small, high-trust team motivated by the urgent challenge of making advanced AI go well. We try hard to figure out where we’re wrong, which means we say uncomfortable things to each other and change our minds fairly often. We value scout mindset, agility, and collaboration with the broader ecosystem over territorial thinking.

We also believe meaningful work should be enjoyable. We support each other’s well-being, celebrate wins, and maintain a healthy sense of humor even when the work is hard.

Application Process

1. Application form (10–20 mins)

2. Screening call (15 mins)

3. Take-home assignment (1.5–3 hours, paid)

4. Interview (45 mins)

5. Reference checks

6. Work trial (3–4 days, paid)

7. Offer

If you’re excited about this role but unsure whether you meet every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. If you’re interested in multiple roles, apply to the one that best fits your skills and interests, and note in your application the other roles that you’d like to be considered for.

Questions? Reach out at [email protected].

Know someone who might be a good fit? If your referral gets hired and completes 6 months with us, we’ll pay you a $5,000 referral bonus. Learn more here.