Standards Program Manager (Youth AI Safety Institute)

COMMON SENSE MEDIA • San Francisco, CA

7d • $90,000 - $110,000 • Onsite

About The Position

Common Sense Media is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the research-backed information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the age of apps, algorithms, and AI. We rate, educate, and advocate for policies to protect and prepare kids online. Our ratings, research, and resources reach more than 150 million users globally, over 1.4 million educators, and more than 100,000 schools worldwide every year. The Youth AI Safety Institute, launched in May 2026, is Common Sense Media's newest programmatic pillar. The Institute establishes safety standards, builds open-source evaluations that AI developers can run against their models, independently tests AI products, and publishes the results to provide transparency and accountability. It is an independent research and testing ground dedicated to ensuring the AI that children use is safe and developmentally appropriate. The Standards Program Manager will plan, coordinate, and sustain the Institute's multi-stakeholder input processes: the convenings, working groups, and expert sessions through which the Institute gathers the input needed to develop and evolve its AI safety standards. This is a high-volume, high-organization role that requires someone who can manage complex logistics, think strategically about participant engagement, and maintain active relationships with working group members between events. The Standards Program Manager is not the primary facilitator in these sessions. Rather, this person ensures that every convening is well-designed, well-staffed, and set up for success: the right people in the room, a clear agenda, and strong follow-through on what comes out of it. This role operates in close coordination with the Head of AI & Digital Assessments and the Standards Analyst, and is essential to the Institute's ability to run a credible, transparent, and high-quality standards-setting process.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (public policy, communications, nonprofit management, or related).
• 3–5 years of experience in program coordination, project management, or stakeholder engagement, preferably in a research, policy, or mission-driven organizational context.
• Demonstrated experience planning and executing professional convenings, roundtables, or multi-stakeholder meetings, including logistics, communications, and follow-through.
• Proven ability to manage ongoing professional relationships with diverse external stakeholders in a way that reflects well on the organization.
• Exceptional attention to detail and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams without dropping balls.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to represent the Institute professionally in external correspondence.

Nice To Haves

• Experience supporting standards-setting, policy development, or advisory processes in a multi-stakeholder environment.
• Familiarity with AI safety, technology policy, or child and youth safety issues.
• Experience working with technical or expert communities (researchers, industry professionals, policymakers).
• Background in stakeholder or community engagement in a research or advocacy context.
• Experience working in mission-driven or nonprofit organizations.

Responsibilities

• Plan and execute a high volume of convenings across multiple formats, including kickoff sessions, closed-door expert roundtables, and technical working groups with industry representation.
• Manage all logistical elements of each convening: invitations, scheduling, venue or virtual platform coordination, travel arrangements, reimbursements, materials preparation, and participant communications.
• Develop and maintain systems and timelines to manage multiple concurrent convenings at different stages of planning and execution.
• Coordinate with Institute staff and organizational partners to ensure convenings are appropriately resourced and supported.
• Contribute informed recommendations on who should be invited to each convening and why, with attention to expertise, perspective, stakeholder balance, and the specific goals of each session.
• Maintain an evolving roster of potential participants (including subject matter experts, field practitioners, researchers, advocates, and industry representatives) and help the Institute think strategically about participant mix across its portfolio of input processes.
• Draft and send invitation communications that clearly represent the Institute's purpose, independence, and expectations for participation.
• Help design agendas that are appropriately scoped, sequenced, and calibrated to the goals of each session.
• Prepare session materials, including briefing documents, discussion guides, background readings, and participant bios.
• Ensure facilitators and Institute staff are well-prepared for each session with the context and materials they need.
• Serve as a consistent point of contact for working group members and participants between convenings, maintaining active and professional relationships on behalf of the Institute.
• Track commitments, action items, and follow-up items emerging from each session, and ensure they are appropriately routed and resolved.
• Circulate materials, summaries, and updates to participants in a timely and organized manner.
• Help the Institute maintain its credibility and relationships with a broad and diverse participant community over time.
• Maintain clear records of convening activity, participant engagement, and working group status across the Institute's standards program.
• Track and report on program milestones, upcoming convenings, and open action items for the Head of AI & Digital Assessments.
• Identify and flag logistical or relationship issues early, before they become problems.

Benefits

• A great health and welfare benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, a matching 401(k), and other key benefits.
• An organization that offers work/life balance.
• The opportunity to really make a difference in the lives of kids and families!

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Mid Level