Head of People

About FAR.AI

FAR.AI is a nonprofit AI research institute focused on making advanced AI safe and beneficial for everyone. The organization works across machine learning, safety research, and policy, and supports a worldwide network of researchers and practitioners. Its operating style emphasizes careful, inclusive, and scalable systems that help the team and external partners work effectively.

Founded in July 2022, FAR.AI has grown to more than 40 staff members, produced over 30 influential academic papers, and helped establish leading AI safety events for research and international collaboration. Its work has gained global recognition through publications in top venues and coverage from Financial Times, Nature News, Forbes, and MIT Technology Review.

The organization also contributes practical impact through red-teaming work with frontier model developers and government institutions. Recent efforts include identifying serious issues in Anthropic’s latest model on the day of release and supporting OpenAI in safeguarding its newest model. FAR.AI also helps shape the AI safety field by developing research roadmaps with leading researchers such as Yoshua Bengio. In addition, it runs FAR.Labs, an AI safety-focused coworking space in Berkeley with 40 members, and supports the community through targeted grants for technical researchers.

About the Role

FAR.AI is looking for a Head of People to design the systems, team, and culture that will support growth from 40 employees to 75+ over the next 12 months across several geographies and entities. This role will own the full people operations function, building the processes and practices that support the employee experience from hiring and onboarding through engagement, retention, and offboarding.

The position reports to the COO and works closely with leadership and department heads to bring structure to all people-related work and create an environment where employees can do their best work. It is intended for an impact-oriented leader who has scaled people functions in fast-moving organizations and wants to help shape a mission-driven institution during a major growth phase.

Why This Role Matters

FAR.AI is in a significant expansion phase, supported by more than $40M in funding and taking on more responsibility in how advanced AI systems are developed and governed. Its work spans research, policy, and operations, including partnerships such as red-teaming frontier models with major AI companies and governments.

As Head of People, you will help build the foundation behind talent acquisition, people operations, culture, and employee engagement. FAR.AI operates events, programs, HR, communications, and community spaces that connect the broader AI safety ecosystem. In this role, you are helping build the operational backbone of a field that emerged only a few years ago, while working with policymakers, Turing Award winners, and frontier lab experts.

This is a strong fit for someone who enjoys building systems, solving problems proactively, and doing hands-on work that can have long-term societal impact.

Key Responsibilities

• Build and run people operations infrastructure, including HRIS, payroll coordination, employee lifecycle management from onboarding to offboarding, ATS, immigration support, and the policies and systems that keep operations consistent across locations.
• Lead end-to-end hiring, including sourcing strategy, pipeline management, employer branding, candidate experience, interview design, and offers, while partnering with hiring managers to define roles and secure strong talent.
• Use recruiting data and market insights to shape future hiring plans and improve acquisition outcomes.
• Create and maintain performance and management systems such as quarterly reviews, professional development structures, and clear, proactive handling of underperformance.
• Own compensation and benefits strategy, including leveling, market benchmarking, compensation philosophy, and benefits administration in the US and other geographies, including EOR arrangements.
• Manage employment compliance across applicable jurisdictions, including US federal and state requirements as well as international obligations where FAR.AI employs staff.
• Shape culture and employee experience through rituals, feedback loops, and initiatives that support a positive, inclusive, and high-performing workplace, including team events, offsites, and social gatherings.
• Serve as a trusted people partner to the organization by resolving employee issues efficiently and advising the CEO, President, and COO on org design, pay, leveling, succession, and sensitive personnel matters.
• Recruit, coach, and lead the growing People team while setting a strong management standard.

Must-Have Qualifications

• At least 7 years of progressive experience in HR or People work, with 3 or more years leading a People team or a major sub-function.
• A track record of successfully filling hard-to-fill roles through full-cycle recruiting, ideally in technical hiring, along with creative sourcing and employer-brand-building approaches.
• Experience scaling a people function during major headcount growth.
• Hands-on ownership or meaningful buildout experience in at least three of the following: HRIS implementation, performance management systems, compensation frameworks, hiring infrastructure, or international employment through EOR.
• A builder’s mindset with the ability to create systems, processes, and teams simply and effectively, even in ambiguous situations.
• Strong judgment on sensitive personnel issues and a communication style that is direct, candid, and respectful.
• Excellent relationship-building and interpersonal skills, including the ability to earn trust, collaborate with internal stakeholders and candidates, and communicate FAR.AI’s mission and opportunities persuasively.

Nice-to-Have Qualifications

• Experience in startup, nonprofit, or other high-velocity environments.
• Technical familiarity or exposure to AI or related fields, enabling credible engagement with technical candidates and leaders.
• Direct experience hiring employees internationally, including through EOR.
• Experience creating or managing global compensation structures across multiple countries.
• Experience building systems, processes, and culture in remote or hybrid workplaces.
• Interest in or experience with impact-driven organizations and AI safety.

Logistics

This is a full-time role with FAR.AI, a 501(c)(3) research nonprofit.

• Work location: Berkeley, CA in an onsite/hybrid setup, or remote within the US.
• Work schedule: 40 hours per week.
• Pay: USD 150,000 to 200,000 per year, depending on experience.
• Additional support: work-related travel and equipment costs are covered, and the Berkeley office offers catered lunch and dinner.
• Hiring steps: phone screen, hiring manager interview, task test, deeper interviews with the team, and reference checks.

Contact

Questions about the role can be sent to talent@far.ai. The preferred way to be considered is to submit an application through the application form; sending a resume by email is not expected to affect the decision process.