GovAI was founded to help humanity navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI. We offer a range of opportunities for people interested in using their careers to positively shape the impact of AI:
We accept applications from anywhere in the world, so long as the applicant is interested in contributing to our mission.
As Research Manager on the Talent Development team, you will be co-responsible for the design, selection process, setup, and execution of the biannual DC editions of our flagship talent development program, the Seasonal Fellowships. You will be solely responsible for research managing around 10 members of each approximately 20-person cohort, and will contribute to the success of the program via a range of other responsibilities. You will be working closely with GovAI’s Director of Talent, the DC Fellowship Manager, and other members of the Talent Development team.
For promising applicants who aren’t yet in a position to take on the full range of responsibilities for this role, we will consider making an offer for a Research Management Associate position first.
Applications for this position are now open. The deadline for applications is Sunday, September 13 at 11:59 p.m. ET.
As Research Manager on the Talent Development team, you will be co-responsible for the design, selection process, setup, and execution of the biannual UK editions of our flagship talent development programme, the Seasonal Fellowships. You will coach fellows, helping them deliver ambitious projects and navigate their career paths.
For promising applicants who aren't yet in a position to take on the full range of responsibilities for this role, we will consider offering a Research Management Associate role first.
Applications for this position are now open. The deadline for applications is Sunday 27 September, 11:59 pm BST.
As a Hiring Associate at GovAI, you'll help run hiring for our staff roles and field-building programs: moving candidates through each round, keeping our applicant tracking system accurate, and handling day-to-day candidate communications.
In this role, you'll work within rounds led by a Hiring Specialist or the Talent Systems Manager, owning specific stages of those rounds. You'll be a first point of contact for candidates, and you'll follow up with the internal reviewers whose grading keeps each round on schedule.
We're inviting expressions of interest for this role and for a Hiring Specialist position. You’re welcome to express your interest in both.
We're reviewing expressions of interest on a rolling basis.
As a Hiring Specialist at GovAI, you'll run hiring for our staff roles and our field-building programs: managing hiring rounds end-to-end, guiding candidates through our process, and operating and improving the systems our hiring depends on.
In this role, you'll actively help develop and deploy the phases of each hiring round and manage both the workflows and the stakeholders involved. You'll be responsible for candidate outreach and sourcing, for guiding candidates through our hiring process, and for running our applicant tracking system day-to-day.
We're inviting expressions of interest for this role and for a Hiring Associate position. You’re welcome to express your interest in both.
We're reviewing expressions of interest on a rolling basis.
The Entrepreneur-in-Residence (EIR) role is a one-year salaried position for people who want to start a new organization or project in AI governance and safety.
AI governance and safety need to be more ambitious. There is more important work to do than there are organizations to do it, and more funding is available for ambitious projects than ever before. Previous alumni of GovAI programs have launched organizations such as Trajectory Labs, which builds safety evaluations and RL environments for frontier AI labs, and the Safe AI Forum, which convenes international dialogues on AI safety.
This role exists to start such new projects and organizations (for-profit and non-profit), particularly in areas where GovAI is well-placed to offer support. We offer a year of runway, $150k in seed funding via partner funders, and the support of GovAI’s team and network to figure out what to build.
Expressions of interest will be reviewed on a rolling basis. If we think your application could be a good fit, we’ll aim to respond within two weeks and reach a final decision within six weeks of our first conversation.
Please note that we’re not able to respond to every expression of interest.
As GovAI’s Head of US Policy, you will direct GovAI’s federal policy research and help drive our ambitious buildup in Washington, DC. The role will involve strategy, leadership, research input, recruitment, and relationship-building, as well as input to our DC-focused fellowship programs. Over time, the role may also expand to include full ownership of our DC programs. This is a senior leadership role, in which you will enjoy significant autonomy and report directly to our Executive Director, Ben Garfinkel.
We are currently receiving applications for this role, with an initial deadline of August 6th. Applications received after this deadline will be given lower priority, but may be considered on a rolling basis.
The Research Scholar role is a one-year visiting position. It is designed to support the career development of AI governance researchers and practitioners, while offering opportunities to do impactful work.
As a Research Scholar, you will have freedom to pursue many different projects. This could include conducting policy research, social science research, or technical research; advising policymakers; or starting new applied projects.
For example, past scholars have used the position to help define the field of technical AI governance, inform frontier AI company safety frameworks, support policymaking through government secondments, and launch a new organisation to build safety evaluations and RL environments for frontier AI companies.
The topics we work on include, but are not limited to: risk management, threat modeling, economics of AI, geopolitics of AI, public policy, and technical governance.
Over the course of the year, you will deepen your understanding of the field, connect with a network of experts, and build your skills and professional profile – within an institutional home that offers both flexibility and support.
Applications for the Research Scholar position are closed.
Research Fellows play a central role in GovAI’s research. They are experienced researchers who conduct independent, high-quality research to inform high-stakes decisions in government and industry, while contributing to our vibrant intellectual community.
As a Research Fellow, you will help define and address some of the most important questions in AI governance. Your work might take the form of policy memos, blog posts, academic publications, or strategic advising, with the aim of informing high-stakes AI governance decisions. You will also mentor early-career researchers, shape GovAI’s research, and collaborate with our broader network.
The topics we work on include, but are not limited to: risk management, threat modeling, economics of AI, geopolitics of AI, public policy, and technical governance.
Our Research Fellows have published in leading journals, advised policymakers, helped shape important research directions, and moved into influential roles across government, industry, and academia.
We welcome candidates from a wide range of academic and professional backgrounds. Successful applicants will have a demonstrated ability to produce impactful research on important AI governance issues, and a strong commitment to positively shaping the lasting impacts of AI.
Successful candidates will join GovAI on two-year contracts, with the possibility of renewal.
Applications for the Research Fellow position are closed.
As GovAI's DC Chief of Staff, you will work closely with our Executive Director to shape and execute GovAI's strategy in Washington. You will serve as a trusted thought partner, extend the Executive Director's reach, and exercise judgment on the decisions and projects that will determine GovAI's impact in DC. You will also turn that strategy into practice by building the team, systems, relationships, and physical presence GovAI needs to succeed in Washington.
You will report to our Executive Director, Ben Garfinkel, acting as his right hand for GovAI in DC, and work closely with our Head of US Policy once that role is filled. The exact shape of the role will depend on the person who fills it, and we expect its scope to grow as GovAI's DC presence grows.
Applications for this position are now closed.
Winter Fellows will join us for three months in Washington, DC, from January 18th to April 9th, 2027.
The DC Winter Fellowship is a three-month bipartisan opportunity designed to accelerate or launch impactful careers in American AI governance and policy. Participants deepen their understanding of the field, connect with a network of experts, and build their skills and professional profile, all while conducting a research project of their choice under expert guidance.
The program emphasizes bipartisan engagement, rigorous analysis, and practical policy relevance, with a focus on how AI policy is shaped within the US political system. We welcome a wide range of applicants, from early-career individuals interested in entering the US AI policy field, to more experienced professionals looking to transition into emerging tech policy from adjacent fields.
Applications for the DC Fellowship are now closed.
Winter Fellows will join us in London from 18 January to 9 April 2027.
Seasonal Fellowships are three-month opportunities designed to accelerate or launch impactful careers in AI governance and policy. Participants in the Research Track conduct a research project of their choice. They also participate in expert Q&As and a seminar series aimed at developing a broad understanding of the field, and spend time forging connections with other researchers and practitioners.
We welcome a wide range of applicants, from early-career individuals to experienced researchers or policy professionals with established track records in adjacent fields. We think this track would be an especially good fit for candidates interested in contributing to AI governance in roles in which producing or consuming research or policy analysis is one of the main duties.
Applications for the Winter Fellowship are now closed.
Winter Fellows will join us in London from 18 January to 9 April 2027.
Seasonal Fellowships are three-month opportunities designed to accelerate or launch impactful careers in AI governance and policy. Fellows on the “Applied Track” work on projects in areas other than traditional research, pitched by GovAI or our partner organisations; in Summer 2026, these included projects submitted by, for example, the UK’s AI Security Institute, the Centre for Long-Term Resilience, Far.AI, and the Oxford Martin School AI Governance Initiative. They also participate in expert Q&As and a seminar series aimed at developing a broad understanding of the field, and spend time forging connections with researchers and practitioners.
We welcome a wide range of applicants, including those with experience in communications, policy, issue advocacy, events, research management, program management, operations, and fundraising – as well as researchers hoping to pivot. We think this track will often be an especially good fit for candidates interested in contributing to AI governance in roles in which research is not the main duty. Some of the most in-demand roles in the field currently are operations and communications staff, research and program managers, and policy engagement professionals.
Applications for the Winter Fellowship are now closed.
The GovAI U.S. AI Policy Program is a bipartisan, part-time program designed to accelerate or launch careers in U.S. AI policy.
Over the course of the 12 week program, participants will build a technically-informed understanding of the AI policy landscape. During weekly sessions, participants will also have the opportunity to learn alongside, and network with, other highly motivated professionals, and ask questions of leading experts in the AI policy and governance field.
The program – which is open to U.S. policy professionals across government and think tanks – emphasizes bipartisan engagement, rigorous analysis, and practical policy relevance. The program will run from early September to early December 2026, with a break for the week of Thanksgiving. It is designed to be accessible for participants in full-time roles, with a weekly time commitment of five hours per week (3 hours of independent reading and 2 hours of synchronous sessions scheduled after regular working hours). The program is offered free of any charge and in-person participants are provided with dinner.
Applications for GovAI U.S. AI Policy Program are now closed.
There are currently no upcoming opportunities.
The Research Scholar role is a one-year visiting position. It is designed to support the career development of AI governance researchers and practitioners, while offering opportunities to do impactful work.
