Head of Generator

Job description

**Take our in-person residency for AI safety generalists from a successful first cohort to an established, more ambitious program.** ***Note:** This role description is a first draft. Scope, salary, and responsibilities may evolve, and we’ll keep you in the loop about any changes if you apply.* Applications are due by September 25, 2026. We’ll review applications after the deadline and get back to everyone shortly after. # About Kairos Kairos is a nonprofit accelerating talent into AI safety and policy. In just over two years, we’ve trained 1,200+ people through our flagship programs: - [**SPAR**](https://sparai.org): The largest AI safety research fellowship, with 800+ mentees per round mentored by researchers from Anthropic, Redwood Research, RAND, MIT, the UK AI Security Institute, and others. - [**Generator Residency**](https://generatorresidency.org/): 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**](https://www.globalchallengesproject.org): 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**](https://pathfinder.kairos-project.org): Helping grow the global network of AI safety university groups from a few dozen to nearly 100, with $9.5M in funding over the next two years to support their work. We see ourselves as a portfolio of highly impactful projects in a fast-evolving field. Over the next six months, 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 Generator to own and grow the [Generator Residency](https://generatorresidency.org/), our in-person program for AI safety generalists, run jointly with Constellation. Generator brings a cohort of builders, operators, and organizers to Constellation’s Berkeley office for three months to pitch, build, and ship projects that add capacity and infrastructure across the AI safety ecosystem. Each cohort is guided by 25+ advisors from organizations like METR, Redwood Research, RAND, and Coefficient Giving. The first cohort, run in summer 2026, recently wrapped up, and we want to turn a successful first round into an established, more ambitious program. You can read about what the cohort worked on [here](https://forum.effectivealtruism.org/posts/gyPcpsgvbANjcaLdF/what-27-ai-safety-generalists-are-building-this-summer). Where Kairos Labs, our upcoming incubator, supports founders setting out to start new organizations, Generator gives generalists a platform to build projects within the ecosystem. # What You’ll Do - **Own Generator end-to-end.** You’ll set the timeline, run resident and advisor recruiting, drive project sourcing and matching, and oversee the residency itself, from onboarding through final presentations and placement. Others at Kairos and Constellation contribute, but you’re the one accountable for the round. - **Own Generator’s strategic direction.** The first cohort is a starting point, and there are many directions the program could go. It’ll be up to you to decide and lead the vision for how Generator will grow and change. - **Own the Constellation partnership.** Generator is run jointly with Constellation, and you’ll be Kairos’s lead on the relationship, coordinating closely with their team and shaping how the collaboration evolves as the program grows. - **Recruit residents and advisors.** You’ll build the pipelines that find exceptional generalist talent, cultivate relationships with experienced advisors across top AI safety orgs, and make sure both have a great experience. - **Improve the program’s systems.** Generator has a lot of moving parts, including applications, project sourcing, advisor matching, onboarding, project funding, and placement support. You’ll work with the team to improve and grow these systems. - **Contribute to Kairos beyond Generator.** 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 fellowships or residencies.** We want someone who can take ownership quickly, so experience running a comparable residency, fellowship, or accelerator program is a strong signal. - **AI safety context.** Generator’s theory of change depends on a clear picture of what the ecosystem is missing. You should know which projects are worth building, which gaps generalists can fill, and where residents can land after the program. - **Strong judgment about projects and people.** You’ll be making calls about which residents to admit, which projects are promising, and which resident-advisor pairings will work. - **Mission-aligned.** You care deeply about making advanced AI go well, and you think Generator is one of the most promising ways to get the ecosystem the people and infrastructure it needs. - **Ambitious and high-agency.** You’re excited to push Generator well beyond its current form. We want someone who’ll make strategic calls about the program’s direction, improve it proactively, and take full ownership over it. - **Highly organized.** An in-person residency with dozens of residents, advisors, and projects, plus a partner organization, is operationally complex, with many overlapping workstreams, hard deadlines, and lots of stakeholder communication. - **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. Generator shapes who builds the infrastructure the AI safety ecosystem runs on. - You’ll own how Generator runs and how the program evolves. - Generator already has a strong foundation, with a successful first cohort, an advisor network, and a close partnership with Constellation. - We’re building a world-class team, so you’ll be in good company. Work alongside people who’ve come to Kairos from METR, Coefficient Giving, Rethink Priorities, the UK AI Security Institute, and CEA who share your commitment to impact. - Collaborate regularly with leading AI safety researchers, policy professionals, funders, and organizers. # What We Offer - **Salary**: $140,000–$195,000 (baseline), $175,000–$245,000 (supported hubs, like London, DC, Boston, and NYC), or $195,000–$270,000 (San Francisco Bay Area), depending on experience, with potential for additional compensation for exceptional candidates - **Location**: You’ll work in person from the Constellation office in Berkeley, and we cover food, lunches, and office expenses. - **Benefits**: Flexible working hours, highly 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**: Ideally by October or early November 2026, ahead of the next Generator cohort - This role is in person at the Constellation office in Berkeley, where the residency is hosted. - Kairos is happy to sponsor visas to the US (typically H-1Bs or O-1As) and will likely be able to sponsor UK visas in the coming months. We can’t guarantee visa approvals, however. # 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 collaborative truth-seeking, a scout mindset, agility, and an alliance mindset with the broader ecosystem. 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 Applications are due by September 25, 2026. We’ll review applications after the deadline and get back to everyone shortly after. 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 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 [careers@kairos-project.org](mailto:careers@kairos-project.org). **Know someone who might be a good fit?** If your referral gets hired and completes two months with us, we’ll pay you a $10,000 referral bonus. [Learn more here](https://kairos-project.org/referrals).