Director, Operations

Location: San Francisco, CA (on-site 5 days/week). Local candidates only.

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 a Director of Operations to report to the VP of Operations, who oversees Finance, IT, Compliance, Legal, HR, and Facilities for a growing, fast-moving organization. You will manage the small, agile, and driven Operations Associate team, who keep the org running day to day, from facilities and vendor logistics to recruiting support, and take ownership of ad hoc, high-stakes operational projects.

This is a senior, hands-on role. You should be able to take an ambiguous, important problem, something with no existing playbook, and carry it through to completion. That might mean fixing a broken cross-team process, leading the org through a system integration or new tool rollout, figuring out how AI should change the way a function works, or managing change across teams that don't naturally coordinate. You'll represent CAIS to senior external stakeholders one day and restock the fridge or move boxes the next, whatever the moment calls for.

What You'll Do

Lead the Ops Associate Team

• Manage and develop the Operations Associates: set priorities, delegate, coach, and own performance.
• Create leverage for the VP of Operations by taking ownership of day-to-day execution across the function.
• Build systems and processes that allow the team to scale with the organization.
• Step in personally on tactical, in-the-weeds work when the team needs it

Own Complex Projects End to End

• Lead operational projects from scoping through execution, including office build-outs and moves, systems implementations, compliance initiatives, and other cross-functional work.
• Navigate ambiguity with sound judgment, make tradeoffs, and keep work moving without senior leaders managing each step.
• Surface risks early and bring solutions, not just problems.

Own the Office and External Experience

• Establish and run CAIS's new office as a professional, functional environment for the team and guests.
• Serve as a steward of how CAIS presents itself to outsiders, from the physical office environment to how the broader team (employees, vendors, etc) shows up in meetings, events, and day-to-day interactions.
• Establish CAIS's new office as a space that reflects well on the organization, from build-out through ongoing use.

Note: Depending on org needs, this role may also take on direct management of facilities and vendor relationships.

What We're Looking For

• 7-10 years in operations, program management, or a similarly high-ownership role, including direct people management.
• A track record of solving dynamic cross-organizational operational challenges, in finance, IT, HR, facilities, or similar back-office functions, from scope to completion autonomously.
• Executive presence and comfort with senior external stakeholders.
• Experience acting as a force multiplier for a senior leader, taking on their priorities as your own rather than working in a separate lane.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• High agency and low ego, you take ownership of what's broken or missing rather than waiting to be asked.
• Highly organized and detail-oriented.
• Discretion handling sensitive information.
• Genuine interest in AI safety and CAIS's mission.
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience.

Nice to Have

• Experience standing up or scaling operations at an early-stage or fast-growing mission-driven organization.
• Experience in a research organization, AI or technology company
• Experience operating in high-visibility, executive-facing environments.

Salary Range

$170,000 - $230,000 annually, depending on experience.

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.