Head of Talent Operations

The role

You will lead the talent operations function by setting strategy and building systems to place early-career talent in AI safety roles. You will identify promising people, support their career progression, and manage a recruiter.

What you will do

• Set the strategy for talent operations.
• Identify top talent by building ways to spot promising people in programs.
• Keep accurate and up to date records on people.
• Design support for top participants including career advice and introductions.
• Match people to open roles, fellowships, grants, and programs.
• Turn informal referral work into a structured and repeatable process.
• Measure where people from programs end up to improve matching and show achievement.
• Help shape Talent Commons and bring hiring organizations onto the platform.
• Manage the recruiter on priorities and process.
• Contribute to org-wide strategy and new programs as bandwidth allows.

Required qualifications

• Well-developed views on what makes someone promising and how to get talented people into high-impact work.
• Relationship skills to build trust with hiring organizations, candidates, and partner orgs.
• Systems skills to build processes and tooling for relationship-dependent work.
• Mission-aligned with context on AI safety.
• Judgment about people regarding readiness and placement.

Nice to have

• Direct experience in talent placement, recruiting, or headhunting in AI safety or adjacent spaces
• Experience with hiring, selection, or other processes involving high-stakes decisions about people
• Existing relationships with organizations in the AI safety ecosystem

Benefits

• Flexible working hours
• Highly competitive health insurance
• Dental and vision coverage
• Generous vacation policy
• Professional development budget
• All-team retreats three times a year
• Work-related travel and expenses covered
• Food, lunches, and office expenses covered if working from an AI safety office in specific cities
• Home office expenses covered if working from home

Before you apply

• Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis.
• AI tools help review applications; some may be declined based on AI review alone.
• Process includes an application form, a paid take-home assignment, an interview, reference checks, and a paid 3-day work trial.
• Kairos is happy to sponsor visas to the US (typically H-1Bs or O-1As) and likely UK visas in the coming months.

About the company

Kairos is a nonprofit accelerating talent into AI safety and policy. They run programs like SPAR, Generator Residency, Global Challenges Project, and Pathfinder Fellowship.