Community Lead

FAR.AI•Berkeley, CA

3d•$85,000 - $125,000•Onsite

About The Position

FAR.AI is seeking a Community Lead to strengthen and connect the global AI safety community. The role will shape FAR.AI’s community strategy, identify high-impact opportunities, and help turn relationships into meaningful collaborations and greater adoption of important safety research. The Community Lead will build on FAR.AI’s established Bay Area community and global network, connecting people across organizations and geographies and supporting promising relationships and ideas beyond individual events and programs. The Community Lead will own FAR.AI’s overarching community strategy and work with the Futures, Research, and Communications teams to implement it. The role includes managing the existing Community Manager, who leads day-to-day programming at FAR.Labs and supports the Bay Area community. Success is defined by sustained relationships, productive collaborations, and real-world impact, rather than simply increasing participation or event volume. The role reports to the Head of Programs. This is a full-time position based in Berkeley, California, with regular in-person presence at FAR.Labs, flexibility for travel, and occasional evening events. Travel may be required up to 20% of the time. Candidates must be legally authorized to work in the United States; visa sponsorship may be considered case by case. Compensation is 140–180 per year, depending on experience.

Requirements

Familiarity with the AI safety field, including its research landscape, major organizations, key people, and evolving priorities, with the ability to engage credibly with researchers and practitioners.
Demonstrated experience building communities or networks and bringing people together around shared interests or goals to foster relationships and collaborations.
Established trusted relationships within the AI safety community and the ability to build new relationships across organizations, geographies, and areas of work.
Strategic judgment to identify high-value opportunities, recognize gaps in the field, and determine where community-building is most likely to create impact.
Strategic leadership and people-management ability, including setting direction, establishing priorities, delegating effectively, and supporting a team member’s growth and success.
Strong communication skills, including the ability to synthesize field insights into clear recommendations and plans.
Willingness to spend meaningful time at FAR.Labs and participate in local community activities, with flexibility for travel and occasional evening events.
Legally authorized to work in the United States.

Nice To Haves

Research experience or graduate-level training in AI safety, machine learning, computer science, or a related discipline.
Experience designing and running seminars, workshops, research visits, or small-group discussions that foster substantive exchange.
Experience working across research, industry, policy, and philanthropy, with an understanding of how these sectors can collaborate to advance AI safety.

Responsibilities

Develop and own FAR.AI’s community strategy and theory of change, identifying where community-building can have the greatest impact.
Map the ecosystem to identify gaps, emerging opportunities, and unmet needs; translate insights into priorities, experiments, and measures of success.
Build relationships with researchers, practitioners, technical organizations, academics, entrepreneurs, funders, policymakers, and community leaders across organizations and geographies.
Represent FAR.AI at relevant conferences, workshops, and community gatherings, coordinating with the Community Manager and Futures leadership on priority events, relationships, and desired outcomes.
Facilitate introductions and help promising connections develop into collaborations, mentorships, and partnerships.
Develop ways for people to remain connected between major convenings and beyond initial interactions with FAR.AI.
Experiment with formats such as small-group discussions, virtual gatherings, curated content, and research visits; evaluate which approaches create lasting value and adapt programming accordingly.
Identify high-impact follow-on opportunities for FAR.AI Futures to support directly or advance in collaboration with other organizations.
Translate community priorities into a focused programming portfolio aligned with FAR.AI’s broader goals.
Manage and develop FAR.AI’s Community Manager, setting priorities and ensuring Bay Area programming advances the broader community strategy.
Coordinate with FAR.Labs/Ops on local programming, visiting researchers, and effective use of the physical space.
Clarify ownership and responsibilities across Community, FAR.Labs/Ops, and Futures; identify gaps and opportunities for improvement and recommend future resource and capacity needs.