Senior Technical Specialist, AI Risk Assessment

Position OverviewSenior Technical Specialist to join our Comprehensive Risk Assessment team. This role combines original research in AI safety and technical governance with emphasis on conceptual depth and quality assurance leadership. The ideal candidate will bring methodological rigor to assessment methods and analyses of AI risk pathways, contributing to the development of frameworks that shape industry standards and policy. You will serve as a subject matter expert bridging technical AI safety with governance approaches, enhancing team research quality while driving forward key aspects of our risk assessment methodologies for increasingly capable AI systems, all within our established strategic research program. This position is entirely remote but occasional travel is required.About CARMAThe Center for AI Risk Management & Alignment (CARMA) works to help society navigate the complex and potentially catastrophic risks arising from increasingly powerful AI systems. Our mission is specifically to lower the risks to humanity and the biosphere from transformative AI.We focus on grounding AI risk management in rigorous analysis, developing policy frameworks that squarely address AGI, advancing technical safety approaches, and fostering global perspectives on durable safety. Through these complementary approaches, CARMA aims to provide critical support to society for managing the outsized risks from advanced AI before they materialize.CARMA is a fiscally-sponsored project of Social & Environmental Entrepreneurs, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public benefit corporation.Key ResponsibilitiesDevelop techniques for discovering threat models and generating risk pathway analyses that capture societal and sociotechnical dimensionsModel multi-node risk transformation, amplification, and threshold effects propagating through social systemsContribute to the design of robust technical governance frameworks and assessment methodologies for catastrophic risks, including loss-of-control scenariosProvide strategic and tactical quality control for the team’s research, ensuring conceptual soundness and technical accuracyDrive or take ownership of original research projects on comprehensive risk management for advanced AI systems, aligned with the team\'s objectivesCollaborate across CARMA teams to integrate risk assessment paradigms with other workstreamsContribute to technical standards and best practices for the evaluation, risk measurement, and risk thresholding of AI systemsCraft persuasive communications for key stakeholders on prospective AI risk managementRequired Qualifications5+ years of experience in AI safety, alignment, and/or governance. We are open to candidates at different levels of seniority who can demonstrate the required depth of expertise.Strong understanding of multiple risk modeling approaches (causal modeling, Bayesian networks, systems dynamics, etc.)Experience with systemic and sociotechnical modeling of risk propagationExcellent analytical thinking with ability to identify subtle flaws in complex argumentsStrong written and verbal communication skills for technical and non-technical audiencesPublication record or equivalent demonstrated expertise in relevant areasSystems thinking approach with independent intellectual rigorTrack record of constructive collaboration in fast-paced, intellectually demanding environmentsComfort with uncertainty and rapidly evolving knowledge landscapesPreferred QualificationsBackground in complex systems theory, control theory, cybernetics, multi-scale modeling, or dynamical systemsWork history at AI safety research organizations, technical AI labs, policy institutions, or adjacent risk domainsExperience with quality assurance processes for technical researchAbility to model threshold effects, nonlinear dynamics, and emergent properties in sociotechnical systemsUnderstanding of international dynamics and power differentials in AI developmentAbility to balance consideration of both acute and aggregate AI risksExperience with causal, Bayesian, or semi-quantitative hypergraphs for risk analysisDemonstrated methodical yet creative approach to framework developmentEqual OpportunityCARMA/SEE is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, sex, age, religion, gender reassignment, partnership status, maternity, or sexual orientation. We are, by policy and action, an inclusive organization and actively promote equal opportunities for all humans with the right mix of talent, knowledge, skills, attitude, and potential, so hiring is only based on individual merit for the job. Our organization operates through a fiscal sponsor whose infrastructure only supports persons authorized to work in the U.S. as employees. Candidates outside the U.S. would be engaged as independent contractors with project-focused responsibilities. Note that we are unable to sponsor visas at this time.Salary: $140,000 - $220,000 a year. Plus benefits if a U