Head of Programs

About Constellation

Constellation is an independent research center that brings together people throughout the AI safety ecosystem to accelerate insight, research, and talent through better cooperation. Unlike a conference or summit, Constellation operates continuously, in the form of a physical workspace as well as conference-style talks, workshops, and training bootcamps. Continuous operation allows for relationships and conversations to develop over time, meaningfully fostering trust, collaboration, and shared insight. It also makes Constellation a natural field-building hub by rapidly inspiring, orienting, and connecting people who are newer to the field.

Based in Berkeley, CA, our shared workspace hosts over 100 people per week across dozens of AI safety organizations in nonprofits, academia, industry, and government. Hundreds of other researchers spend time at Constellation for shorter visits each year. We believe this is the strongest and highest-output network of AI safety researchers in the world; dozens of participants in past Constellation programs have gone on to safety-focused roles at companies such as METR, Redwood Research, Anthropic, Google DeepMind, OpenAI, and the US and UK Safety Institutes.

For more information, see our research focus areas and selected publications from Constellation fellows.

About the Programs team

Constellation’s Programs team designs and executes on programs that further Constellation’s mission. Our programs fall into three areas:

- Hosting programs offer different ways for people and organizations to spend time at the workspace and engage with the Constellation network. Each hosting program is tailored to a variety of participant profiles, and include aspects of recruitment, selection, programming, and individual facilitation to make visits maximally worthwhile. An example of a hosting program is the Visiting Fellows program, embedding over 100 researchers from around the world into the Constellation network for 3 months in 2024.

- Community programs increase the amount or quality of network engagement by improving the mediums of interaction. Examples include network culture, design of the physical workspace, workspace meals, and the Constellation Slack. 

- Applied programs actively leverage the Constellation network to achieve specific mission-strategic goals. Applied programs often take the forms of events (talks, workshops, training bootcamps, and so on) but may include other avenues of catalyzing cooperation toward specific goals. An example is the Machine Learning for Alignment Bootcamp (MLAB), a one-month bootcamp program in partnership with Redwood Research which helped 75 participants develop the machine learning skills most relevant to alignment research. Over 20% of MLAB graduates went on to full-time AI safety roles in top organizations.

As a small, entrepreneurial team of three (as of Jan 2025), every new hire fundamentally shapes our future. We're seeking a strategic leader to head our Programs team—someone who can envision and execute impactful initiatives across our Hosting, Community, and Applied program areas while fostering deep collaboration with Operations. The ideal candidate combines strong leadership with hands-on capability: you'll need to toggle seamlessly between shaping program strategy and diving into tactical execution, building and inspiring your team while driving ambitious outcomes in service of accelerating AI safety research and cooperation.

About this role

The Head of Programs is a key leadership role responsible for the strategy, design, and execution of Constellation’s portfolio of initiatives, while managing and supporting the Programs team. This leader will work closely with internal teams and external stakeholders to expand and align programs with Constellation’s mission and strategic objectives. Combining strategic vision, hands-on program development, team leadership, and a deep understanding of Constellation’s ecosystem, the Head of Programs can play an important role in advancing AI safety research and fostering community-building efforts.

This role would report to the CEO, with versions of this position ranging from Director-level to C-level. In the immediate term, this role will have 3-4 direct full-time reports, but you should expect the team to grow quickly—potentially doubling by the end of the year—offering opportunities to shape and scale the organization as it evolves.

Key Responsibilities:

- Develop and implement an overarching strategy for Constellation’s programs in alignment with our mission, balancing strategic priorities, comparative advantages, and operational feasibility.

- Act as a thought partner to Constellation’s leadership, shaping long-term organizational direction and goals.

- Lead and mentor a team of program managers, fostering a culture of collaboration, excellence, and continuous improvement.

- Take ultimate responsibility for the success of all programs, ensuring they deliver meaningful impact and value to participants and the broader ecosystem.

- Oversee the design and execution of Hosting, Community, and Applied programs, ensuring they meet the diverse needs of participants and stakeholders.

- Design and streamline program processes and systems to increase consistency and scalability.

- Support program managers with defining program goals, establishing metrics, and evaluating program outcomes.

- Cultivate and maintain relationships with key stakeholders across the AI safety ecosystem and translate relevant context from these interactions to the wider team.

- Represent Constellation’s programs externally, showcasing their value and impact to funders, partners, and the broader community.

- Collaborate with the Operations team to ensure seamless implementation and logistics for all programs.

- Drive innovation in our programs strategy, leveraging feedback, data, and ecosystem trends to continuously improve offerings.

- Manage program budgets, resources, and team capacity effectively to maximize impact.

Skills Needed

- Deep understanding of AI safety ideas, research, and ecosystem actors (e.g. being able to have in-depth, nuanced discussions about our focus areas).

- Strategic leadership and ability to align programmatic efforts with organizational mission and goals.

- Proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams.

- Experience designing and executing programs that have proven to be impactful, efficient, and scalable.

- Exceptional interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to navigate politically sensitive situations.

- Systems thinking and an intuitive grasp of the motivations and incentives of individuals and organizations.

- Strong quantitative and qualitative analysis skills, with the ability to measure and evaluate program outcomes.

- Reliable prioritization, execution, and delegation of complex projects and tasks.

- High initiative, adaptability, and a strong sense of ownership.

The ideal candidate for this role will have some combination of the skills and experiences described above.  If you are not sure if you are qualified, we strongly encourage you to apply anyway.  

Our office is in downtown Berkeley, CA, thirteen seconds from the nearest BART (metro) stop. 

We value diversity in all respects and base our hiring decisions on the needs of the organization and individual qualifications.  We welcome applicants from all backgrounds, regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age or disability.

Salary : $185,000 - $425,000