Programs Team Manager

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.

About this role

The Programs Team Manager drives high-impact programs one across one or more of Constellation’s core program areas—Applied, Hosting, or Community. You’ll help drive program direction, guide Program Managers, and foster a culture of open innovation. Our programs work like interconnected “products” within Constellation’s ecosystem—each amplifying the others’ impact. You’ll lead with a systems mindset, ensuring rigorous execution and measurable outcomes. At the heart of it all is a commitment to AI safety. We’re seeking a leader who thrives on curiosity and can uphold an environment that encourages rapid progress, practical impact and productive dialogue.

The Programs Team Manager will manage and develop a team of Program Managers while driving high-level strategic initiatives that enhance program effectiveness. This role also focuses on optimizing processes, driving measurable impact, and fostering network engagement.

Example responsibilities

Day-to-day work can vary substantially depending on the program. Example responsibilities specific to Applied Programs include:

• Lead the overall strategy and execution for a designated program area
• Design and refine systems and processes that enable experimentation, rapid iteration, efficient execution, and continuous improvement of programs
• Own high-level stakeholder management, including cross-functional leadership and external partnerships
• Shape and own the strategic roadmap for your domain, by spotting new opportunities, testing them with rigor, and creating new ways to  make programs more effective
• Gather and integrate feedback from a diverse set of participants—researchers, partners, and the Constellation community—to refine program designs based on real evidence and on-the-ground insights
• Track, measure, and iterate on program outcomes with epistemic rigor, leveraging both qualitative insights and quantitative metrics–and encourage reflection on whether your methods of measurement capture the real-world impact you aim to create
• Build, manage and mentor a high-performing team of Program Managers. Uphold an environment where everyone feels comfortable sharing insights and questioning each others’ conclusions.
• Ensure team-wide coordination and effective delegation to scale impact

Skills & experience needed

• Strong understanding of AI safety concepts, key research areas, and ecosystem actors
• Ability to translate Constellation’s mission and strategy into a concrete vision and strategy for your domain  
• Strategic thinking with the ability to align programs with broader company objectives
• Ability to swiftly iterate on ideas to move them from theory to impactful action
• Effective communication and collaboration with technical researchers, policy experts, and industry leaders
• Experience with planning and executing high-impact programming for senior stakeholders
• Strong analytical skills for measuring qualitative goals and making data-driven decisions
• Systems thinking—understanding organizational dynamics, culture, and incentives
• Proven ability to design scalable, efficient processes and drive execution at speed
• Strong leadership, including coaching, mentoring, and fostering team success
• Excellent stakeholder management, communication, and problem-solving skills

Compensation & Benefits

Compensation will depend on experience, but will likely be $180,000 to $205,000 per year

Our benefits include:

• Generous vacation policy
• 401(k) with employer match
• Employer-paid commuter benefits
• PPO health, dental, and vision insurance
• Catered lunches and dinners, plus unlimited snacks & drinks
• Regular interaction with AI safety researchers and thought leaders
• A friendly, mission-driven team

Logistics

This is a full-time, on-site role. We are willing to sponsor visas as needed. We would like the candidate to start as soon as possible after receiving an offer, though there is some flexibility. We offer catered lunches and dinners, cover PPO health, dental, and vision insurance, and a 401(k) as well as monthly commuter expense reimbursements.

Our office is in downtown Berkeley, CA, 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.