Chief Operating Officer (COO)

About Us

FAR.AI is a non-profit AI research institute dedicated to ensuring advanced AI is safe and beneficial for everyone. Our mission is to facilitate breakthrough AI safety research, advance global understanding of AI risks and solutions, and foster a coordinated global response.

Since our founding in July 2022, we've grown quickly to 25+ staff, producing 30+ influential academic papers, and established the leading AI Safety events for research, and international cooperation. Our work is recognized globally, with publications at premier venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, and ICLR, and features in the Financial Times, Nature News, and MIT Technology Review.

We drive practical change through red-teaming with frontier model developers and government institutes. Most recently, we discovered major issues with Anthropic’s latest model the same day it was released, and worked with OpenAI to safeguard their latest model. Additionally, we help steer and grow the AI safety field through developing research roadmaps with renowned researchers such as Yoshua Bengio. We also operate FAR.Labs, an AI safety-focused co-working space in Berkeley housing 40 members, and support the community through targeted grants to technical researchers.

About the role

We're seeking a Chief Operating Officer to lead our operations through a period of significant growth as we expect to approximately double in size over the next eighteen months. You'll oversee all operational functions, while directly managing three departments and respective leads: Finance, People, and Business Operations. This role requires someone who can translate strategic vision into operational excellence, build scalable systems, and develop high-potential team members.

This is an opportunity to shape the operational backbone of one of the most impactful organizations in AI safety. You will be working directly with our two co-founders, Adam (CEO) and Karl (currently COO, transitioning into the new role of President), and department leads to ensure our operations enable our mission-critical work.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Operations Leadership

• Lead all operational functions across FAR.AI: Finance, People, Business Operations, Co-working space (FAR.Labs), Compliance, Legal, and Risk.

• Translate organizational strategy into operational execution, ensuring alignment with research and field-building priorities.

• Build and optimize systems that can rapidly scale from ~30 to 75+ team members while maintaining operational excellence.

• Support strategic growth efforts by identifying and tracking high leverage opportunities - such as partnerships, funding pathways, or capacity building initiatives - in coordination with the President and CEO.

Team Development & Cross-Functional Coordination

• Develop and lead exceptional operations talent, building a world-class team across Finance, People, & Business Operations.

• Unlock high-potential team members to take on new positions of responsibility as we grow through development plans in consultation with executive leadership.

• Serve as organizational multiplier - unlock new opportunities and amplify impact across research, programs, events, and communications.

• Support our breakthrough research and world-class events through robust operational infrastructure and capabilities.

Financial & Risk Management

• Oversee financial operations for FAR.AI’s $10mn+ annual budget, including research funding, grants, and international contracts.

• Ensure team compliance with complex global grant requirements, regulatory obligations, and risk management protocols.

• Guide financial planning and reporting processes, including board-level operational updates.

About You

You are an experienced operations leader who thrives in mission-driven, high-growth environments. You combine strategic thinking with hands-on execution, and have a proven track record of scaling operations while developing teams. You're someone who builds trust across functions, operates with low ego, and is energized by enabling others to do their best work.

Note: You don’t need to have worked in AI or research before. We’re excited to bring in operational expertise from adjacent sectors.

Must-Have Experience

• 7+ years of experience leading operations or similar functions in high-growth, mission-driven environments.

• Proven ability to scale systems and teams from early stage toward maturity, with hands-on experience building or improving finance, people and/or compliance systems.

• Strong financial acumen, including forecasting, cash flow management, and oversight of multi-million dollar budgets.

• Demonstrated leadership of senior team members, with the ability to coach and grow talent.

• Low-ego, high-trust operator who excels at translating strategy into execution.

• Mission alignment and a desire to drive impact.

Nice-to-Have Experience (ideally 3+ of these)

• Experience in rapid-growth environments with evolving strategic priorities.

• Has led operations in a nonprofit, think tank, or R&D-heavy org.

• Scaled a team or org from <30 to 75+ people.

• Experience reporting to ED/CEO or serving a Board of Directors.

• Experience operating across multiple geographies (US, EU, APAC) or legal entities.

• Familiarity with grant-making compliance, philanthropic funding, and/or government reporting.

• Experience in the AI, tech, or scientific research ecosystem.

• Exposure to AI safety.

Logistics

You will be a full-time employee of FAR.AI, a 501(c)(3) research non-profit.

• Location: Strong preference for Berkeley, CA. Hybrid or remote arrangements may be considered for exceptional candidates who can work with significant overlap with PST timezone. We can sponsor US visas for this role (strict education requirements would apply for those requiring US visa sponsorship).

• Hours: Full-time (40 hours/week).

• Compensation: $175,000-$250,000/year depending on experience and location. We will also pay for work-related travel and equipment expenses. We offer catered lunch and dinner at our offices in Berkeley.

• Hiring process: A phone screen and/or a short call with the hiring manager, a paid task test, in-depth interviews with the team, and a full-day work trial, followed by reference checks.

If you have any questions about the role, please do get in touch at [email protected].

If you don't have questions, the best way to ensure a proper review of your skills and qualifications is by applying directly via the application form. Please don't email us to share your resume (it won't have any impact on our decision). Thank you!