TL;DR: SERI MATS is looking for a Community Manager, 1-3 Scholar Support Specialists, and 4 operations staff to support our next cohort of AI safety researchers. Apply by Jun 12 to help grow the field of AI alignment research. Our job descriptions can be accessed here as well as below.

Introduction

The SERI 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 alignment research. We aim to provide the mentorship, curriculum, financial support, and community necessary to aid this transition. Please see our theory of change and website for more details.

We are generally looking for candidates who:

• Are excited to work in a fast-paced environment and are comfortable switching responsibilities and projects as the needs of MATS change;
• Want to help the team with high-level strategy;
• Are self-motivated and can take on new responsibilities within MATS over time; and
• Care about what is best for the long-term future, independent of MATS’ interests.

All positions will be employed or contracted by the Berkeley Existential Risk Initiative (BERI) as part of their collaboration with MATS. Please apply via this form.

Community Manager

We are looking for an experienced individual with strong interpersonal skills who will work with the MATS team to support the needs of scholars and grow the MATS community. Strong candidates are excited about alignment field-building, enjoy supporting others, and have experience managing community health for similar programs.

Details

Compensation will be $30-55/h, depending on experience. Must be willing to work from Berkeley, CA. Office space provided. Start ASAP. Full-time work during Q3-4 2023 (preferably continuing beyond this).

Responsibilities

A community manager needs to be proactive and responsive to the MATS scholars’ needs and able to enhance scholar experience through personal discussions, event planning, and project management. Reports to the Director of Program. Specific responsibilities will change depending on cohort and program needs, but you can expect tasks like:

• Meeting with scholars to provide emotional support and receive community feedback;
• Supporting scholar orientation and offboarding;
• Coordinating and supervising talks, workshops, and social/networking events (for example, see the MATS 2023 winter program);
• Setting up and monitoring systems to improve the program based on scholar feedback;
• Liaising with with an external HR team;
• Gathering information on physical and mental health and connecting scholars with appropriate resources; and
• Reporting community health concerns to the MATS Executive team.

Examples of tasks the previous community manager completed include:

• Drafting a community health policy and scholar handbook for MATS;
• Collecting resources on ADHD to support scholars seeking a diagnosis;
• Leading weekly lightning talks in the office for scholars to communicate their research;
• Creating surveys to gather information about scholar health and program value;
• Conducting scholar interviews post-program;
• Organizing a career fair.

Criteria

• US work authorization required;
• Located in or willing to move to Berkeley, CA;
• Strong interpersonal skills;
• High cognitive empathy;
• Autonomy and proactivity;
• Comfortable working with private and confidential information;
• Able to function in a crisis (e.g., assault);
• Ideally some knowledge of AI safety-specific concerns (e.g., "doomerism," "infohazards," etc.)

Applying

Please apply via this form.

Scholar Support Specialist

We are looking for a resourceful individual with strong interpersonal skills to help bolster the MATS program’s effectiveness through providing 1-1 cognitive support (i.e., pair debugging, check-ins, accountability, etc.) to our researchers-in-training. The ideal Scholar Support Specialist is able to aid scholars’ long-term professional development as well as help maximize their research effectiveness during the MATS Summer 2023 program. Strong candidates are particularly excited about problem-solving and empowering alignment researchers. Bonus criteria include possession of broad technical knowledge of the AI alignment and/or ML fields, as well as pedagogical knowledge or experience. This is a 3-month position with some possibility of extension.

Details

Compensation will be $35-60/h, depending on experience and location. Must be willing to work from Berkeley, CA, though we may be able to offer flexibility for exceptional candidates. Office space provided. Start from mid-June. Estimated between 20-40 hours per week for 3 months (late June - early September) during Q3 2023 (potentially continuing beyond this).

Responsibilities

A scholar support specialist’s primary role is to accelerate and enhance scholar development through the MATS program through offering personalized support to our researchers in training. Reports to the Scholar Support Lead. Specific responsibilities will change depending on cohort and program needs, but you can expect tasks like:

• Meeting with scholars to provide 1-1 cognitive support, unblocking, goal planning, and advice (sometimes in the same session);
• Performing regular check-ins with scholars via text, phone, virtually, or in-person;
• Coaching and running workshops for scholars in meta-level techniques to accelerate research progress (e.g., backchaining, builder/breaker methodology, crux decomposition);
• Directing scholars towards appropriate resources to help them flourish throughout the MATS program;
• Assisting scholars with preparation for meetings with their mentor;
• Relaying specific questions or concerns (with scholar permission) to the executive team when appropriate;
• Identifying emergent trends in scholar needs or stress points over the course of the MATS program and flagging these to the Scholar Support team and/or the management;
• Participating in regular Scholar Support team meetings and 1-1s with the team lead to troubleshoot any emergent systemic issues holding scholars back, and strategize solutions as the program progresses.

Criteria

• US work authorization required;
• Located in or willing to move to Berkeley, CA;

We encourage you to apply even if you are not sure that you sufficiently meet all of the following criteria

• Ability to solve highly abstract problems;
• Introspective skills;
• Well-developed “theory of mind” (people-modeling skills) and cognitive empathy;
• Autonomy and proactivity, especially if/when friction points arise;
• Can “zoom in” or “zoom out” in context as needed to achieve goals;
• Eagerness to continue learning new problem-solving methods and tools;
• An understanding of confidentiality, as well as the ability to maintain confidentiality where predefined boundaries exist;
• Willingness to do some amount of navigation of emotionally heavy topics should they arise in scholar meetings (note we will have a separate Community Manager acting as the primary support for scholars’ emotional and mental health concerns);
• Familiarity with AI safety-specific concerns (e.g., “doomerism,” “dual-use” research, “infohazards,” etc.)

Applying

Please apply via this form.

Operations Generalist

We are looking for capable and self-motivated generalists to help support our fast-growing AI alignment research community. Strong candidates are excited about alignment field-building, have experience in operations, and enjoy fast-paced, dynamic work.

Details

Compensation starts at $35-50/h, depending on experience. Must be willing to work from Berkeley, CA. Full-time work for 3 months, from late June to early September. The role will likely end after this, although there is some possibility of part-time work after the summer program ends.

Responsibilities

Reports to the Director of Operations. Specific responsibilities will vary depending on our needs, but standard tasks will include:

• Coordinating the lease and set up of office space with our vendors;
• Securing and arranging accommodation for scholars;
• Helping coordinate events (in-person workshops, online seminars, our symposium, networking events, etc.);
• Assisting with video recording and editing of presentations;
• Organizing catering;
• Interfacing with relevant organizations, such as SERI, BERI, FAR Labs, Lightcone, Constellation, and Conjecture;
• Responding to independent scholar operations requests in Airtable;
• Managing and iterating upon MATS tools and communication systems;
• Responding to spontaneous operational needs as they arise; and
• Generally helping ensure the smooth operation of MATS.

Criteria

• US work authorization  required;
• Located in or willing to move to Berkeley, CA;
• 2-4 years of professional experience or equivalent academic experience;
• Attention to detail;
• Experience with event production;
• Organizational skills;
• Familiarity with Airtable and Google Workspace;
• Customer service mindset;
• Autonomy and proactivity;

Preferred but not required

• Has some familiarity with the alignment problem and is interested in AI safety field-building.

Applying

Please apply via this form.

Office Manager

We are looking for capable and self-motivated generalists to help the MATS operations team support our fast-growing AI alignment research community. Strong candidates are excited about alignment field-building, have experience in operations and/or office management, and enjoy fast-paced, dynamic work.

Details

Compensation will be $35-50/h, depending on experience. Must be willing to work from Berkeley, CA. Full-time work for the 3 months (late June - early September) during Q3.

Responsibilities

Reports to the Senior Operations Generalist. Specific responsibilities will vary depending on our needs, but standard tasks will include:

• Managing office inventory (track expenses and keep our inventory sheet up-to-date);
• Stocking bathroom supplies, food items, and office supplies;
• Tracking shipments and coordinating with contractors for shipping and receiving, delivery reception and assembly;
• Coordinating with the Community Manager to plan socials and events in the office space;
• Scheduling catering for office meals;
• Gathering feedback from scholars about office setup, equipment, etc. and implementing changes accordingly;
• Responding to office-related Airtable requests from scholars;
• Continuing work to improve the space to be more welcoming, comfortable, and practical;
• Delivering announcements regarding the office space to the cohort;
• Miscellaneous cleanup;
• Remaining responsive on Slack; and
• Generally helping ensure the smooth operation of MATS.

Criteria

• US work authorization required;
• Located in or willing to move to Berkeley, CA;
• 1-2 years of professional experience in hospitality, administration, or a related field;
• Customer service mindset;
• Attention to detail;
• Multitasking;
• Organizational skills; and
• Ability to use Airtable, Notion, and Google Workspace

Applying

Please apply via this form.

Residence Coordinator

We are looking for a capable and self-motivated Residence Coordinator to help the MATS Co-Directors and Senior Operations Generalist support our fast-growing AI alignment research community by managing our social venue. In addition to keeping the space running smoothly and assisting with preparation for onsite events, the Residence Coordinator will work on-call to respond to potential scholar emergencies. Strong candidates are excited about alignment field-building and have experience in hospitality and/or customer service. 

Details

Compensation will be $35-40/h, depending on experience. Must be willing to live in and work part-time from our group house in Berkeley, CA for 3 months, during our research program duration. Accommodation is provided.

Responsibilities

Report to the Senior Operations Generalist. Specific responsibilities will vary depending on our needs, but standard tasks will include:

• Assist scholars with housing check-in and check-out processes;
• Maintain house inventory and stock supplies;
• Assist the operations team with coordinating events held at the residence (orientation, workshops, our symposium, socials, etc.);
• Interface with the Lightcone team and contractors to ensure the safety and upkeep of the space;
• Be prepared for COVID (and other illness) response;
• Manage house cleanliness and organization;
• Respond to independent scholar housing requests in Airtable;
• Must forward community health concerns along to our Community Manager; and
• Respond to spontaneous operational needs as they arise.

Criteria

• US work authorization required;
• Willing to live in Berkeley, CA for 3 months;
• Strong organizational skills;
• Welcoming presence;
• Hospitality or customer service experience preferred; and
• Basic first aid training (MATS is happy to cover the cost of courses if certification is not already acquired).

Applying

Please apply via this form.