How to apply for Head of Kairos Labs

About Kairos

Kairos is a nonprofit that accelerates talent into AI safety and policy. In two years it has trained over 1,200 people through programs like SPAR, Generator Residency, Global Challenges Project, and Pathfinder Fellowship. The organization expects to double in size over the next six months and launch several new initiatives.

About the role

You will design, launch, and lead Kairos Labs, an incubator for new AI safety organizations. This is a first-draft role description, so scope, salary, and responsibilities may change. You would be building the structure that helps new AI safety groups get started and grow.

A typical day

A typical day might involve interviewing potential founders or organizations for the first cohort, drafting the incubator's selection criteria and support structure, and meeting with Kairos leadership to align on scope and resources. Since the role is new and the description is a first draft, much of the work would be defining what Kairos Labs actually does and how it operates.

Who Kairos is looking for

• Has launched or led a new organization, program, or team from scratch, ideally in AI safety, policy, or a related field.
• Understands the AI safety ecosystem well enough to spot talent gaps and unmet needs that new organizations could fill.
• Can design an incubator model: selection criteria, support structure, milestones, and how to measure whether new orgs succeed.
• Is comfortable working remotely and in a fast-changing environment where the role itself may evolve.

Tips for this application

• Read the full Kairos website, especially the pages for SPAR, Generator Residency, Global Challenges Project, and Pathfinder Fellowship, so you can reference specific programs in your application.
• Acknowledge in your cover letter that the role description is a first draft and state how you would approach scoping the incubator if given the chance.
• Describe a concrete example of an organization or program you helped launch, including what you did, what worked, and what you would do differently.
• Explain how you would find and select the first cohort of incubated organizations or founders, since the role is about launching the incubator, not just running it.
• Apply early. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, so waiting until the deadline may reduce your chances.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your direct experience launching or leading a new organization, program, or team, with specific outcomes.', 'Your understanding of current gaps in the AI safety field and what kinds of new organizations are needed.', "How you would design the incubator's first 6 to 12 months: selection, support, and success metrics.", 'Why you want to work at Kairos specifically, referencing its existing programs and its plan to double in size.']

Research before applying

• Study Kairos's existing programs (SPAR, Generator Residency, Global Challenges Project, Pathfinder Fellowship) and note what each does and who it serves.
• Look into the AI safety fieldbuilding landscape: what organizations already exist, what they do, and where the gaps are.
• Research other incubators and accelerators in adjacent fields to understand common models, then think about what would fit AI safety specifically.
• Check public information about Kairos's leadership, funding, and recent announcements to understand its direction over the next six months.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk us through an organization or program you launched. What was the model, and what were the results?
• What gaps in the AI safety ecosystem do you think new organizations should fill? How would you decide which ideas to incubate?
• How would you structure the first cohort of Kairos Labs? What support would founders receive, and over what timeline?
• How would you measure whether the incubator is working? What metrics would you track in year one?
• This role description is a first draft. What would you change or add to the scope, and why?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic cover letter that could apply to any nonprofit or incubator role. This position is specific to AI safety fieldbuilding at Kairos.
• Focusing only on your interest in AI safety without showing how you would actually design and launch an incubator.
• Ignoring the note that the role description is a first draft. Candidates who do not address how they would handle an evolving scope may seem inflexible.