Fixed-Term Operations Lead (1 year)
for Arkose, an AI safety field-building organization, directed by Vael Gates[This position has been filled.]
Summary
Arkose is looking for an Operations Lead to work alongside its founder, Vael Gates. The starting salary range is $65,000 - $90,000, depending on prior experience and location.
Arkose is an early-stage nonprofit working on AI safety field-building. If you're looking for somewhere you can learn quickly, aim to reduce risks from advanced AI, and take ownership for a wide range of tasks, please consider applying. The deadline to apply is 13 August.
Apply hereAbout the role
In this role, you'll have the opportunity to learn a set of operations and community-building skills — but it's a flexible role and, as the work develops, we should discuss what skills you're hoping to develop! The role will likely include aspects of an Operations Generalist, Executive Assistant, and Research Assistant.
It's a fixed-term position for 1 year, with the possibility of extension if the project continues. This is a remote position that can be either part-time or full time, employee or contractor, depending on preference. Vael is located in the US, and you'll need to be available for regular meetings sometime within the range of 10 am and 7 pm PT. International applications are welcome. Sadly we aren't currently able to sponsor visas.
About Arkose
Arkose is an early-stage, AI safety field-building nonprofit, with the mission of reducing risks from advanced AI. Our approach will likely encompass a range of activities and responsibilities, primarily involving surveys, calls, and supportive programs. Arkose is supported by the Survival and Flourishing Fund.
Our recent work aims to facilitate discussion and evaluation of potential risks from advanced AI, with a focus on soliciting and engaging with expert perspectives on the arguments and providing resources for stakeholders. Our results can be found at AI Risk Discussions. Going forward, our future work will likely include introducing programs to support researchers interested in contributing to AI safety.
Major activities will likely include developing and running a reproducible and modular survey aimed at researchers, and building out support programs aimed at interested AI researchers (like pairing programs or one-on-one calls). You'll also be responsible for day-to-day operations, including finance, HR, and compliance.
We're planning to hire 1-2 new people to begin as soon as available. This project may not necessarily grow further, so you should be comfortable working primarily with Vael for the first year.
Key responsibilities
You'd be the second person to join the project, so we're looking for a generalist who is keen to be involved in many things. Likely responsibilities include:
- Communicating with stakeholders via email and effectively handling individual requests and inquiries
- Supporting with setting up a new project, e.g. developing and operating payroll systems, HR systems, and onboarding
- Recruiting and managing contractors for short-term tasks like data collection or website improvement
- Setting up and modifying infrastructure on pilot surveys and other programs
- Supporting survey project deployment and ensuring a smooth process for participants via email and system improvements
About you
You'll likely:
- Have an operations mindset – you're good at identifying issues, prioritizing, generating solutions, and efficiently implementing new ideas.
- Be able to communicate professionally and clearly with various stakeholders, both in writing and verbally, and framing sensitive text.
- Be conscientious and detail-oriented — you easily notice typos and don't misspell names.
- Communicate in a direct way with Vael, either via Slack or in meetings, updating them about your uncertainties, needs, and flagging any issues you encounter.
- Feel comfortable owning projects and managing tasks (even if they're tedious or boring), and thrive in autonomous work environments.
- Be available for regular video calls sometime within the range of 10am-7pm Pacific Time.
This role is somewhat flexible depending on your skillset, so if you happen to have any of the below skills, you'll likely take on more tasks that involve them!
- Familiarity with quasi-coding / online automation software (e.g. Zapier)
- Some experience with registering entities in the US
- Proficiency in data analysis (e.g. Python, R, Excel)
- Experience in survey design and deployment
- Previous experience in academia
- Involvement with effective altruism / AI safety
Salary and benefits
The starting salary range is $65,000 - $90,000, depending on prior experience and location. There may be flexibility in salary for exceptional candidates with significant experience.
Depending on your preferences for the role, you may be designated as a contractor or employee.
- As an employee, benefits include health insurance, competitive PTO, and an annual learning and development stipend (we're still setting up benefits, so please talk with us if you have something you're hoping for in particular!)
- As a contractor, you do not receive benefits, but will likely receive a higher salary to compensate (to be discussed, based on the degree to which you're full or part-time).
Application
The deadline for this application is 13 August, and we will be assessing candidates on a rolling basis.
The application process itself will vary by candidate but for successful candidates will typically involve:
- An initial application
- A 30-minute initial trial task
- A paid 4-hour work test
- A 45-minute interview
- A 1-2 week paid work trial
If you are not available for a work trial we may be able to find alternative ways of testing your fit.
Diversity and inclusion
We're aware that factors like gender, race, and socioeconomic background can affect people's willingness to apply for roles for which they meet some but not all the suggested attributes. We'd especially like to encourage people from underrepresented backgrounds to express interest.
There's no such thing as a "perfect" candidate. If you're on the fence about applying because you're unsure whether you're qualified, we'd encourage you to apply.
Apply hereIf you have questions about the role, please reach out to team@arkose.org!