Cbai Program Manager at CBAI responsible for designing and improving fellowship program structures to enable effective research. Focuses on program design, mentor onboarding, and enhancing fellow-mentor interactions.
Responsibilities
You'll work closely with our Research Managers, mentors, and program leadership to design and continuously improve the structures that enable fellows to do their best research. This is a program-building role: you'll develop the systems and frameworks that govern how fellows are matched with mentors, how research goals are scoped and tracked, how progress both for the fellows and the program is assessed, and how fellows get unblocked when they need it. You won't be managing fellows day-to-day, but you'll be shaping the environment in which that relationship thrives.
Program Design & Development (0.6 FTE)
Design and iterate on the systems, ranging from improving CBAI's fellow selection process to program deliverables
Identify high-potential outreach channels and methods and own the outreach campaign for future iterations
Develop structured program evaluation frameworks to assess fellow progress and program effectiveness across cohorts
Identify and implement structural improvements between fellowship cycles, drawing on fellow, mentor, and research manager feedback
Support the design and execution of fellowship events, including speaker series and poster days, in coordination with program leadership
Fellow & Mentor Experience (0.4 FTE)
Design and manage the mentor onboarding experience, ensuring mentors have clear expectations, the right resources, and a smooth entry into the fellowship
Develop feedback mechanisms that surface issues early and create strong communication loops between fellows, mentors, and program leadership
Support research managers in navigating complex fellow or mentor situations that require program-level input
Design supplementary programming that strengthens the fellowship's intellectual environment (e.g., reading groups, lightning talk series, workshop sessions, and similar structures that complement fellows' primary research work)
Qualification
You think in systemsYou're an excellent communicatorYou're organized and conscientiousInterpersonally excellentMission-motivatedCurious and adaptablePrevious involvement in AI safetyHoweverWhy This Role May Not Be the Right FitYou're building infrastructure
Required
We expect you to be characterized by most of the qualities listed below.
You understand what good research support looks like. You've been close enough to serious intellectual or analytical work — whether in academia, policy, consulting, or a research organization — to know what separates an environment where researchers thrive from one where they flounder. You don't need to be a researcher yourself, but you need to have seen the process from the inside.
You think in systems. You naturally ask: what structure would make this work better? You can look at a program, identify the friction points, and design solutions that are simple enough to actually work. You have a track record of building processes that others find useful rather than burdensome.
You're an excellent communicator. You write clearly, explain things concisely, and give feedback that moves things forward. You're proactive when you notice a problem and direct when something needs to be said.
You're organized and conscientious. You keep complex, multi-stakeholder projects on track, follow through reliably, and maintain clear documentation. You're receptive to feedback and improve your approach based on what you learn.
Interpersonally excellent. You're a strong collaborator and stakeholder manager. You know how to work across Research Managers, mentors, fellows, and leadership without creating friction, and you take pride in helping others do their best work.
Mission-motivated. You are strongly aligned with CBAI's mission and are familiar with AGI safety and catastrophic AI risks. You want to contribute meaningfully to reducing AI catastrophic risks and are passionate about accomplishing as much as possible.
Curious and adaptable. You're genuinely interested in AI safety research even if you're not a researcher yourself. You actively seek out tools and approaches that can improve fellowship effectiveness and stay current on developments relevant to the program.
The ideal candidate will have meaningful experience designing or improving programs, initiatives, or organizational systems. Experience in research-adjacent environments (labs, think tanks, or similar) is a strong plus. What matters most is that you've built things that worked and improved the work of others as a result.
Preferred
Previous involvement in AI safety, field-building, or research acceleration programs
Experience in research program coordination or academic administration
Familiarity with how research fellowships or grant programs operate
However, there is no such thing as a "perfect" candidate. If you are on the fence about applying because you are unsure whether you are qualified, we strongly encourage you to apply.
Why This Role May Not Be the Right Fit
We want to be transparent about what this position entails so you can make an informed decision about whether it's right for you:
You're building infrastructure, not doing research. Your job is to design the systems and conditions that let fellows do excellent research, but not to contribute to the research itself.
You're not running day-to-day operations. The logistics of running a fellowship — scheduling, communications, event execution — belong to the other members of the team. Your focus is upstream: designing the components of the program to shape the daily functioning. If you're energized by hands-on execution rather than system design, this might not be the right fit.
