Program Director, Open Benchmarks Grants

Snorkel AI • New York City, NY

2d

About The Position

Snorkel AI is hiring a Program Director to own Open Benchmarks Grants end-to-end. The program is Snorkel’s $30 million commitment to funding and supporting researchers and independent builders developing new AI evaluations. It supports teams behind projects such as Terminal-Bench, OSWorld 2.0, and Senior SWE-bench, and includes a Research Fellows program for PhD students and postdocs. Supported research areas include physical AI, scientific discovery, cybersecurity, safety, and alignment. The program also helps teams test and strengthen benchmarks before public release.

The Program Director will lead grant operations from applications and review through funding, project milestones, and public release; serve as the primary contact for external partners and strategic programs; and manage the portfolio, budget, and resources. The role brings together research, delivery, legal, finance, and marketing teams, and builds a multi-year research program by measuring impact and using findings to improve future cycles.

The successful candidate has built a durable program, partnership, or process; makes sound decisions with incomplete information; is resourceful and takes ownership when work is blocked; is deeply curious about research and AI and can engage with technical discussions about benchmarks; and follows through reliably with partners, budgets, and commitments. Experience running research, grants, or partnership programs, familiarity with academic research and university partnerships, and knowledge of publication practices are preferred.

Snorkel AI describes itself as a rapidly scaling company with market-proven solutions and robust funding, offering opportunities to shape priorities and strategic decisions and to develop skills and career opportunities. The company is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable accommodations during the application and interview process and in performing essential job functions.

Requirements

• Experience building a program, partnership, or process from an idea into something durable and relied upon; ability to explain what was built, learned, and how it scaled.
• Ability to set priorities and make decisions with incomplete information, including knowing when to act independently, involve others, or change course.
• Resourcefulness and ownership in resolving project obstacles and finding workable solutions.
• Deep curiosity about research and AI; ability to follow technical discussions about benchmarks, ask useful questions, understand implications for a project, and recognize when researcher expertise is needed.
• Reliable follow-through, including making clear commitments, maintaining accurate budgets, keeping partners informed, and addressing problems proactively.

Nice To Haves

• Experience running a research, grants, or partnership program with external collaborators and a budget.
• Familiarity with academic research, university partnerships, and publication practices.

Responsibilities

• Own Open Benchmarks Grants end-to-end, including grant cycles and service-level agreements from applications and review through funding, project milestones, and public release.
• Lead external research partnerships and serve as the point of contact for partner organizations and strategic programs, translating ideas into clear plans and outcomes.
• Manage the portfolio, budget, and resources, including budget and capacity planning, tracking spending and commitments, identifying projects needing additional support, and making resource allocation decisions within agreed limits.
• Lead cross-functional execution by aligning research, delivery, legal, finance, and marketing teams around responsibilities and decisions.
• Build and scale a multi-year research program, measure and improve program impact, and use findings to improve future cycles.
• Help research teams test and strengthen benchmarks before public release.

Benefits

• Career development opportunities, including support for deepening technical expertise, exploring leadership opportunities, and learning skills across multiple functions.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director
• Education Level: No Education Listed