Office Manager

Location: San Francisco, CA (in-office). Local candidates only.

A quick note before you apply: We’d love to hear why you want to work at CAIS. That question is optional, but it’s the first thing we read.

About The Center for AI Safety (CAIS)

The Center for AI Safety (CAIS) is a leading research and advocacy organization focused on mitigating societal-scale risks from AI. Some of our past achievements include: releasing the most widely used measure of AI capabilities used by all major AI companies, running a large compute cluster to facilitate AI safety research which has been cited over 16,000 times, and publishing a global statement on AI Risk signed by Geoffrey Hinton, Yoshua Bengio and top AI CEOs.

The Role

This is a full-time, on-site role in San Francisco (local candidates only).

CAIS is looking for an Office Manager to report to the Senior Manager of Operations. You’ll own the day-to-day running of our office for a growing team of about 30 people, heading toward 50, making sure the space, the tools, and the small things that keep people productive just work.

This is a hands-on role with real ownership. You’ll be the go-to person for anything office-related and the first stop for operational requests from across CAIS, from facilities and vendors to in-office events, new-hire setup, and support for our People Ops, IT, and Finance functions. You’ll have the room to improve how things run rather than only keeping them running. Some days that means negotiating with a vendor or automating a process; other days it means restocking the kitchen or helping coordinate moving furniture.

What You'll Do

Run the Office

• Own day-to-day office operations to keep the workspace functional and welcoming.
• Own the office meal and snack program end to end: manage vendors like DoorDash for Business and Forkable, keep the pantry stocked, and gather feedback so options fit the team’s tastes and dietary needs.
• Serve as the primary contact with building management, overseeing maintenance, security, janitorial services, and repairs, including after-hours coverage when needed, along with space requests and small improvement projects.
• Manage building access and visitor logistics, including key card requests and up-to-date access records, and keep the office welcoming and professional for visitors, partners, and candidates.

Manage Vendors

• Coordinate office vendors such as cleaning, supplies, and maintenance, and hold them to clear expectations.
• Work with our managed IT provider on in-office needs, such as equipment, setup, and access for new and departing staff.

Support Onboarding and the Employee Experience

• Prepare the office side of onboarding and offboarding, including welcome kits, workspace setup, access, and first-day orientation, in partnership with People Operations.
• Setup for all-hands, celebrations, and in-office events, some of which may fall after hours or on weekends (seldom), and partner with our external events team on larger company events.
• Support the team’s remote employees, contractors, and guests when they visit the office.

Build Systems That Scale

• Identify what’s broken or missing in how the office runs and propose fixes.
• Keep SOPs current and flag gaps before they become problems.
• Look for opportunities to automate recurring work, using AI tools and other software, while keeping a person in the loop where it matters.
• Support operational projects as needed, such as an office move or build-out.

Operational Coordination & Team Support

• Be the first stop for staff questions and ops requests, making sure each one is tracked and closed out.
• Handle ad hoc requests from CAIS leadership, Ops, and other teams, from logistics and scheduling to light research. Share updates with the org as needed.
• Coordinate recruiting logistics: schedule interviews, manage candidate communication, and keep hiring trackers current.
• Support People Ops, IT, and Finance with day-to-day tasks, such as account setup, tool access, People programs, invoices, and receipts.
• Keep Ops documentation and trackers current.

What We're Looking For

• 3+ years of experience in office management, workplace operations, administrative operations, or a similar hands-on role, including time owning an office or operations function with minimal oversight.
• Experience managing vendors and tracking a budget.
• Strong organization and follow-through: you keep many small things moving and context-switch comfortably without dropping them.
• A friendly, professional presence: guests and teammates feel welcome, and you use good judgment about what matters most when everything feels urgent.
• Clear, friendly written and verbal communication, including comfort sharing updates and process changes with the whole team.
• High agency and low ego: you notice what’s missing before anyone asks, follow through on your commitments, and no task is beneath you.
• Discretion handling sensitive information, such as personnel matters, access lists, and vendor relationships.
• Comfort with physical, on-your-feet work as part of the job, such as receiving deliveries, rearranging spaces, and lifting up to 30 lbs, with or without reasonable accommodation.
• Genuine interest in AI safety and CAIS’s mission.

Nice to Have

• Experience in a startup, research organization, or nonprofit.
• Experience supporting a team through rapid growth, an office move, or a build-out.
• Experience planning internal events.
• Experience with recruiting coordination or basic finance administration, such as invoices and expenses.
• Familiarity with workplace and vendor tools such as Google Workspace, Slack, Notion, DoorDash for Business, and Forkable, and comfort using AI tools to work faster.

Pay Range

$40–$50 per hour, depending on experience. This is a full-time, non-exempt (hourly) role, eligible for overtime.

Referral Program

Know someone who could be a great fit for this role? Submit their details through our Referral Form. If we end up hiring your referral, you’ll receive a $1,500 bonus once they’ve been with CAIS for 90 days.

Benefits

• Health insurance for you and your dependents
• 401K plan + 4% matching
• Unlimited PTO
• Lunch and dinner at the office
• Annual Professional Development Stipend
• Access to some of the top talent working on technical and conceptual research in AI safety

Equal Opportunity Employer

The Center for AI Safety is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We consider all qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, ancestry, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, military or veteran status, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable federal, state, and local laws. In alignment with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records for employment.

If you require a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact [email protected].

We value diversity and encourage individuals from all backgrounds to apply.