Application Guide

How to Apply for Engineering Manager, Red Team

at FAR AI

🏢 About FAR AI

FAR AI is a unique nonprofit that bridges the gap between academia and industry, focusing on making AI systems trustworthy and beneficial. They incubate and accelerate high-impact research agendas, and their work on red-teaming frontier AI models is critical for ensuring AI safety. Working here means contributing to cutting-edge AI security with a mission-driven team.

About This Role

As the Engineering Manager for the Red Team, you'll lead a team of engineers to build scalable red-teaming systems that test the safeguards of frontier AI models. This role is pivotal in accelerating security findings and shaping the technical strategy of the organization. You'll manage sprints, mentor engineers, and directly impact the safety of AI systems used globally.

💡 A Day in the Life

Your day might start with a stand-up with your engineering team to review sprint progress, followed by one-on-ones with team members to support their growth. You'd then dive into technical design discussions for new red-teaming tools, collaborate with researchers on evaluation frameworks, and end the day by reviewing pull requests or contributing to strategic planning with division leadership.

🎯 Who FAR AI Is Looking For

  • P
  • r
  • o
  • v
  • e
  • n
  • e
  • x
  • p
  • e
  • r
  • i
  • e
  • n
  • c
  • e
  • i
  • n
  • e
  • n
  • g
  • i
  • n
  • e
  • e
  • r
  • i
  • n
  • g
  • m
  • a
  • n
  • a
  • g
  • e
  • m
  • e
  • n
  • t
  • ,
  • l
  • e
  • a
  • d
  • i
  • n
  • g
  • t
  • e
  • a
  • m
  • s
  • t
  • o
  • d
  • e
  • l
  • i
  • v
  • e
  • r
  • h
  • i
  • g
  • h
  • -
  • i
  • m
  • p
  • a
  • c
  • t
  • ,
  • s
  • c
  • a
  • l
  • a
  • b
  • l
  • e
  • s
  • y
  • s
  • t
  • e
  • m
  • s
  • .
  • S
  • t
  • r
  • o
  • n
  • g
  • t
  • e
  • c
  • h
  • n
  • i
  • c
  • a
  • l
  • b
  • a
  • c
  • k
  • g
  • r
  • o
  • u
  • n
  • d
  • i
  • n
  • A
  • I
  • /
  • M
  • L
  • ,
  • w
  • i
  • t
  • h
  • a
  • f
  • o
  • c
  • u
  • s
  • o
  • n
  • s
  • e
  • c
  • u
  • r
  • i
  • t
  • y
  • ,
  • r
  • e
  • d
  • -
  • t
  • e
  • a
  • m
  • i
  • n
  • g
  • ,
  • o
  • r
  • a
  • d
  • v
  • e
  • r
  • s
  • a
  • r
  • i
  • a
  • l
  • m
  • a
  • c
  • h
  • i
  • n
  • e
  • l
  • e
  • a
  • r
  • n
  • i
  • n
  • g
  • .
  • E
  • x
  • c
  • e
  • p
  • t
  • i
  • o
  • n
  • a
  • l
  • p
  • r
  • o
  • j
  • e
  • c
  • t
  • m
  • a
  • n
  • a
  • g
  • e
  • m
  • e
  • n
  • t
  • s
  • k
  • i
  • l
  • l
  • s
  • ,
  • a
  • b
  • l
  • e
  • t
  • o
  • p
  • l
  • a
  • n
  • s
  • p
  • r
  • i
  • n
  • t
  • s
  • a
  • n
  • d
  • e
  • x
  • e
  • c
  • u
  • t
  • e
  • i
  • n
  • h
  • i
  • g
  • h
  • -
  • s
  • t
  • a
  • k
  • e
  • s
  • ,
  • f
  • a
  • s
  • t
  • -
  • p
  • a
  • c
  • e
  • d
  • e
  • n
  • v
  • i
  • r
  • o
  • n
  • m
  • e
  • n
  • t
  • s
  • .
  • E
  • x
  • c
  • e
  • l
  • l
  • e
  • n
  • t
  • c
  • o
  • m
  • m
  • u
  • n
  • i
  • c
  • a
  • t
  • i
  • o
  • n
  • a
  • n
  • d
  • m
  • e
  • n
  • t
  • o
  • r
  • s
  • h
  • i
  • p
  • a
  • b
  • i
  • l
  • i
  • t
  • i
  • e
  • s
  • ,
  • w
  • i
  • t
  • h
  • a
  • p
  • a
  • s
  • s
  • i
  • o
  • n
  • f
  • o
  • r
  • d
  • e
  • v
  • e
  • l
  • o
  • p
  • i
  • n
  • g
  • e
  • n
  • g
  • i
  • n
  • e
  • e
  • r
  • s
  • a
  • n
  • d
  • f
  • o
  • s
  • t
  • e
  • r
  • i
  • n
  • g
  • a
  • c
  • u
  • l
  • t
  • u
  • r
  • e
  • o
  • f
  • v
  • e
  • l
  • o
  • c
  • i
  • t
  • y
  • a
  • n
  • d
  • i
  • m
  • p
  • a
  • c
  • t
  • .

📝 Tips for Applying to FAR AI

1

1. Highlight your experience with AI/ML security or red-teaming, even if it's from a research or personal project perspective.

2

2. Showcase your management style with specific examples of how you've scaled teams and processes for high-stakes projects.

3

3. Tailor your resume to emphasize impact metrics: e.g., 'Reduced false positives by X%' or 'Led team of Y engineers to deploy Z systems'.

4

4. In your cover letter, explicitly mention FAR AI's mission and how your values align with ensuring AI safety.

5

5. If you have any open-source contributions or publications on AI security, include them; FAR AI values research-driven engineering.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

• Emphasize your passion for AI safety and why you want to work at a nonprofit focused on this mission. • Detail your experience building and scaling tools or systems for security testing, and how it applies to red-teaming AI. • Highlight your leadership in managing engineers and driving high-velocity, impactful projects. • Mention your ability to collaborate with research teams and contribute to technical strategy.

Generate Cover Letter →

🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • 1. Read FAR AI's recent publications or blog posts on red-teaming and AI safety to understand their methodologies.
  • 2. Familiarize yourself with key AI safety frameworks and red-teaming benchmarks (e.g., from Anthropic, OpenAI, or academic papers).
  • 3. Research their current team structure and any public talks by leadership to understand their culture.
  • 4. Look into their funding and partnerships to understand their impact and stability.
Visit FAR AI's Website →

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 1. How would you design a scalable red-teaming infrastructure for testing frontier AI models?
2 2. Describe a time you managed a high-stakes engineering project; how did you prioritize and ensure success?
3 3. What are the biggest challenges in red-teaming AI systems, and how would you approach them?
4 4. How do you balance speed and thoroughness in security testing?
5 5. How do you mentor engineers to grow their skills while maintaining high performance standards?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • 1. Don't focus solely on traditional security testing (e.g., network security) without showing AI/ML relevance.
  • 2. Avoid being vague about your management experience; provide concrete examples and metrics.
  • 3. Don't overlook the mission-driven nature of the company; emphasize your commitment to AI safety, not just the technical challenges.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to FAR AI!