Senior IT Specialist

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 Role

We’re seeking a proactive and versatile Senior IT Specialist to optimize and secure our IT infrastructure, supporting a fast-paced AI research environment. You’ll manage enterprise network operations, cloud services, and device security, ensuring seamless connectivity and system performance.

Our multi-floor workspace in downtown Berkeley operates more like a high-growth startup than a nonprofit, hosting numerous research organizations, members, and visitors. As the backbone of our IT operations, you'll provide technical support and strategic improvements, balancing day-to-day troubleshooting with long-term IT planning.

You’ll collaborate with the Operations team on facilities, AV, security, and event logistics, while engaging with leading AI safety experts. This is a full-time, on-site role in Berkeley, CA, with core hours from 9 AM to 5 PM and occasional off-hours for upgrades or urgent issues.

Responsibilities

Your exact responsibilities will be tailored to your strengths and interests. They are likely to include:

• Network & Infrastructure Management
  
  • Maintaining and optimizing our enterprise WiFi network (Ubiquiti preferred)
  • Administering staff IT systems and accounts
  • Managing and securing office devices (staff laptops, guest kiosks, room reservation tablets, etc.)
• IT Strategy & Project Execution
  
  • Developing a roadmap for IT improvements and updates
  • Planning and implementing IT projects (e.g. upgrading guest sign-in kiosks)
  • Selecting and managing IT vendors and service providers
• Security & Compliance
  
  • Conducting security audits and vulnerability assessments
  • Implementing and maintaining IT documentation (network diagrams, system configurations, SOPs)
• End-User Support & Training
  
  • Providing technical support to our network participants and staff
  • Leading IT onboarding and offboarding for staff

Skills & Experience

• Experience managing and troubleshooting enterprise wifi networks (Ubiquiti experience strongly preferred)
• Expertise in enterprise Google Workspace administration
• Strong grasp of IT security best practices, including endpoint protection, device management solutions and IT service management (ITSM) principles
• Proven track record of balancing urgent requests with long-term initiatives
• Excellent problem solving skills and ability to manage multiple priorities 
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to synthesize complex, ambiguous situations into clear, actionable plans 
• Clear, concise written and verbal communication skills
• Hands-on technical support experience with highly technical users
• Strong customer-oriented mindset, focused on improvement user experience
• Strong vendor and partner management skills

You might be a good fit for this role if you:

• Care about AI safety and improving researcher productivity
• Enjoy working in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment
• Can prioritize and juggle a variety of competing requests effectively
• Take ownership of your work and eat gray area proactively

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Compensation & Benefits

Compensation will depend on experience and will likely be in the range of $120,000-160,000 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 position at our Berkeley office, just steps from the nearest BART (metro) and bus stop. On-site parking is also available. We may be able to sponsor visas, depending on circumstances.

If you're excited about helping humanity safely navigate the development of transformative AI, we encourage you to apply—even if you’re unsure whether you meet every qualification.

‍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.