MATS is hiring!
post by Ryan Kidd (ryankidd44), VVN (vivian) · 2025-04-08T20:45:15.280Z · LW · GW · 0 commentsContents
Roles Applying Operations Director Responsibilities Compensation Program Lead/Director Responsibilities Compensation Research Manager, Governance Responsibilities Compensation Research Manager Responsibilities Compensation Community Manager Responsibilities Compensation Operations Generalist Responsibilities Compensation None No comments
TL;DR: The MATS team is growing and has several new roles, from leadership to entry-level positions. Review the full extent of job descriptions and apply by Apr 25!
The ML Alignment & Theory Scholars (MATS) program aims to find and train talented individuals for what we see as the world’s most urgent and talent-constrained problem: reducing risks from unaligned artificial intelligence. We believe that ambitious young researchers from a variety of backgrounds have the potential to contribute to the field of AI alignment research.
We aim to provide the mentorship, curriculum, financial support, and community necessary to facilitate this contribution. Please see our theory of change [LW · GW] for more details.
Roles
We are excited to expand our program and grow our MATS team with several new roles. As our program grows, we’re searching for senior managers and experienced researchers and operations talent to help scale our program. If you are passionate about reducing risks from unaligned AI and promoting sentient forwarding, we encourage you apply to our team!
Open roles include:
- Operations Director
- Program Lead/Director
- Research Manager, Governance
- Research Manager
- Community Manager
- Operations Generalist
Applying
Review full job descriptions here. Applications close on Apr 25, 2025 for the Operations Director and Program Lead/Director roles and on May 2, 2025 for all other roles. Apply now!
Operations Director
This role involves developing and implementing operations strategy, managing the operations team, overseeing financial resources, maintaining multiple facilities, and administering technology systems. A great Operations Director creates seamless processes that allow scholars, mentors, and team members to focus on their core work while ensuring operational excellence across the program.
Responsibilities
An Operations Director's primary role is to build and maintain the operational foundation that enables MATS to run efficiently and effectively. This role reports to the Executive Team. Specific responsibilities include:
- Developing organizational strategy with a focus on operational needs;
- Managing the operations team, including hiring, training, performance reviews, goal-setting, and weekly management
- Supporting scholars, mentors, and team members by overseeing the request form system;
- Overseeing internal financial matters and day-to-day budget management, including expense tracking and accounting;
- Managing multiple facilities, including scholar offices, scholar accommodations, and the team office, including for program events;
- Maintaining digital services and systems, including the MATS wiki, databases, and project management system;
- Collaborating with Research, Community, and Program teams to ensure alignment across program activities.
Compensation
Compensation will be $155-210k/year, depending on experience. Must be willing to work full-time from Berkeley, CA. Office space, catered lunches and dinners on work days, and health, dental, and vision insurance are provided.
Program Lead/Director
This role involves directing key program activities including selection processes, curriculum development, talent investigation, and impact measurement. A great Program Lead/Director demonstrates excellent judgment in selecting mentors and scholars, designing effective learning experiences, and evaluating program outcomes. You will work closely with the Executive Team and other MATS managers to maintain program quality and maximize impact in the AI safety field.
Responsibilities
A Program Director's primary role is to shape and guide the overall direction of the MATS Program through strategic decision-making and careful evaluation. This role reports to the Executive Team. Specific responsibilities include:
- Managing 2-5 FTEs on the following projects;
- Leading selection processes for mentors, applicants, and program extensions;
- Developing and overseeing curriculum, including seminars and workshops;
- Creating and implementing milestone rubrics and symposium evaluation criteria;
- Performing comprehensive impact analyses to measure program effectiveness;
- Conducting investigations into talent needs within the AI safety ecosystem;
- Collaborating with Research, Community, and Operations teams to ensure alignment across program activities.
Compensation
Compensation will be $130-210k/year, depending on experience. Must be willing to work full-time from Berkeley, CA. Office space, catered lunches and dinners on work days, and health, dental, and vision insurance are provided for full-time workers.
Research Manager, Governance
The MATS Research Management team supports the development of AI safety researchers through personalized support, structured guidance, and iterative feedback. This role focuses on technical AI governance - supporting scholars working at the intersection of AI alignment and policy as they grow to inform standards, oversight mechanisms, and other interventions grounded in technical understanding.
Responsibilities
A Research Manager's primary role is to support scholars and mentors in achieving program goals while accelerating scholar development and research progress. This role reports primarily to the Research Director and to the Executive Team or Program Lead/Director for special projects. Specific responsibilities include:
- Partner with 3-5 mentors to understand their research goals and provide structured support for scholars' governance research development.
- Coach and support 8-10 scholars through regular 1:1 meetings, providing feedback on research plans, policy analysis, institutional design proposals, and governance frameworks.
- Help scholars develop strong research practices and maintain momentum throughout the program.
- Host research meetings and facilitate connections between scholars and relevant policy stakeholders as appropriate.
- Help develop impactful support strategies, resources, and structures for governance-focused research streams.
- Support “special projects” based on your strengths (e.g., milestone rubrics, applicant selection, workshop planning, talent needs reports).
- Attend weekly Research Management team meetings and 1:1s with the team lead.
- Direct scholars to appropriate resources, including support from the Community Manager or Executive Team when needed.
Compensation
Compensation is $48-82/hr depending on experience. We strongly prefer candidates who work full-time from Berkeley, CA. Full-time hires receive catered meals on workdays, health/dental/vision insurance, and case-by-case relocation support. A 16-week default probationary period applies.
Research Manager
The MATS Research Management team supports the development of AI safety researchers through personalized support, strategic, structured guidance, and iterative feedback. Research Managers play a pivotal role in accelerating scholar growth, facilitating high-quality research, and guiding participants toward impactful AI safety careers.
Responsibilities
A Research Manager's primary role is to support scholars and mentors in achieving program goals while accelerating scholar development and research progress. This role reports primarily to the Research Director and to the Executive Team or Program Lead/Director for special projects. Specific responsibilities include:
- Partner with 1-4 mentors to clarify research goals and help accelerate their mentorship process.
- Coach 8-10 scholars via regular 1-1s, offering guidance and feedback on deliverables such as research plans, grant applications, papers, blog posts, presentations, and overall research directions as appropriate.
- Help scholars develop strong research practices and maintain momentum throughout the program.
- Host group meetings and facilitate productive collaboration between mentors and scholars.
- Support “special projects” based on your strengths (e.g., milestone rubrics, applicant selection, workshop planning, data analysis).
- Attend weekly Research Management team meetings and 1:1s with the team lead.
- Direct scholars to appropriate resources, including support from the Community Manager or Executive Team when needed.
Compensation
Compensation is $48-82/hr depending on experience. We strongly prefer candidates who work full-time from Berkeley, CA. Full-time hires receive catered meals on workdays, health/dental/vision insurance, and case-by-case relocation support. A 16-week default probationary period applies.
Community Manager
As a Community Manager on the MATS team, you will help build a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment where researchers can flourish. You will work with the Community Lead to support scholar welfare, foster community connections, and enhance the MATS experience. Ideal candidates have experience in emotional support, conflict resolution, and creating inclusive environments.
Responsibilities
A Community Manager's primary role is to support the needs of scholars and improve the MATS community environment. This role reports to the Community Lead. Specific responsibilities include:
- Building meaningful relationships with scholars through one-on-one meetings to learn about their needs, provide emotional support, talk through scholar challenges, and receive community feedback;
- Coordinating with the Community Management Lead about scholar needs;
- Collaborate with Research Management and Operations teams, as needed, to support scholars;
- Supporting scholar orientation and offboarding;
- Facilitate community building by organizing and supervising socials, networking events, and workshops (for example, hosting board game nights, hikes, 1-on-1 speed networking, remote scholar events, lightning talks, and more);
- Setting up and monitoring systems, e.g. writing surveys and analyzing data, to improve the program based on scholar feedback;
- Proactively identifying community health concerns and coordinating with appropriate team members to address them, connecting scholars with appropriate resources.
We are a small team running a large program, so we expect team members to enthusiastically take on tasks unrelated to their job title. For example, MATS team members have compiled a MATS Alumni Impact Analysis [LW · GW] and conducted analyses for internal use and external publication [EA · GW].
Compensation
Compensation will be $44-58/hour, depending on experience. Must be willing to work full-time from Berkeley, CA during our Summer/Winter programs. Office space, catered lunches and dinners on work days, and health, dental, and vision insurance are provided.
Operations Generalist
We are seeking proactive and dedicated operations professionals to join the MATS team as Operations Generalists. These individuals will support scholars, mentors, and team members by creating an environment that allows them to focus on their core work. Ideal candidates are detail-oriented, service-minded, and adaptable to the changing needs of a dynamic research program.
Responsibilities
An Operations Generalist's primary role is to ensure the smooth functioning of daily program activities and address emerging needs. This role reports to the Operations Director. Specific responsibilities include:
- Managing office facilities and addressing maintenance concerns;
- Welcoming and coordinating office guests and visitors; Interfacing with external contractors and service providers;
- Supporting the planning and execution of program events and community gatherings;
- Addressing scholar and mentor requests for equipment, supplies, and resources;
- Managing the office request system and responding promptly to needs;
- Taking ownership of special projects as they arise during the program;
- Collaborating with Research, Community, and Program teams to ensure aligned support for scholars.
Compensation
Compensation will be $40-53/h, depending on experience. Must be willing to work from Berkeley, CA. Office space, catered lunches and dinners on work days, and health, dental, and vision insurance are provided for full-time workers.
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