Application Guide

How to Apply for Head of Talent Operations

at Kairos Project

🏢 About Kairos Project

The Kairos Project is a mission-driven nonprofit focused on reducing catastrophic risks from nuclear weapons, leveraging research, advocacy, and international engagement. Working here means contributing to one of the most pressing global challenges while being part of a small, agile team where your impact is direct and significant.

About This Role

As Head of Talent Operations, you'll build the talent function from the ground up, placing early-career professionals into high-impact AI safety roles. This role is pivotal in scaling Kairos's impact by ensuring the right people are in the right positions, both internally and across the AI safety ecosystem, and by developing shared infrastructure like Talent Commons.

💡 A Day in the Life

Your day might start by reviewing candidate pipelines for open AI safety roles and conducting initial screens with promising early-career professionals. You'll likely have meetings with partner organizations to align on Talent Commons, followed by time spent designing and improving recruiting processes or sourcing candidates for hard-to-fill positions. The day would end with strategic planning on how to scale talent operations as the team doubles, ensuring every action ties back to reducing catastrophic risks.

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🎯 Who Kairos Project Is Looking For

  • You have a strong track record in talent placement, recruiting, or headhunting, ideally within tech or mission-driven sectors.
  • You possess exceptional judgment about people and can assess both skills and cultural fit for high-stakes roles.
  • You are a systems thinker who can design scalable processes from scratch and thrive in ambiguity.
  • You are deeply mission-aligned with AI safety and have existing relationships or a strong desire to build them within the AI safety ecosystem.
  • You have excellent relationship-building skills, able to interface with partner organizations and maintain trust and consent in shared initiatives.

📝 Tips for Applying to Kairos Project

1

Highlight any direct experience you have with AI safety or existential risk, even if informal, to demonstrate genuine mission alignment.

2

Showcase specific examples of building recruiting infrastructure or scaling hiring processes from scratch, quantifying your impact.

3

Emphasize your ability to source and headhunt passive candidates, with examples of successful placements in niche or competitive fields.

4

Mention any experience with consent-based data sharing or collaborative projects with multiple organizations.

5

Tailor your resume and cover letter to reflect a deep understanding of the AI safety talent landscape and the unique challenges of placing early-career professionals.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Articulate why AI safety is a critical cause and how your skills directly contribute to mitigating catastrophic risks.', 'Demonstrate your understanding of the talent bottleneck in AI safety and your ideas for solving it.', 'Highlight your experience in building relationships and scaling processes, with concrete examples.', "Explain why you are excited about the Kairos Project's mission and how your background aligns with their current stage of growth."]

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🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Familiarize yourself with the current AI safety talent landscape, including key organizations, roles, and challenges in placing early-career professionals.
  • → Read about Kairos Project's recent initiatives, particularly Talent Commons, and understand their goals and current partnerships.
  • → Look into the broader field of catastrophic risk reduction and how AI safety fits into it, to speak to the mission convincingly.
  • → Research the background of Kairos leadership and any public talks or writings they've shared to understand their strategic priorities.
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💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 How would you approach building the talent operations function from scratch? What are your first 90 days?
2 Describe a time you had to headhunt a candidate for a hard-to-fill role. What was your strategy and outcome?
3 How do you assess a candidate's potential for success in a role when they are early-career? What signals do you look for?
4 What are your thoughts on consent-based talent databases? How would you ensure trust and buy-in from partner organizations?
5 How do you balance the need for speed in hiring with maintaining high-quality standards and a positive candidate experience?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Don't submit a generic cover letter that doesn't mention AI safety or the specific mission of Kairos; they are looking for true mission alignment.
  • Avoid focusing solely on traditional recruiting metrics without demonstrating an understanding of the unique talent needs and culture of the AI safety ecosystem.
  • Don't overlook the importance of the 'consent-based' aspect of Talent Commons; ensure you address ethical considerations in talent sharing and data privacy.

📅 Application Timeline

⏰ Deadline: September 25, 2026

We recommend applying at least a few days early to avoid last-minute technical issues.

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!

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Good luck with your application to Kairos Project!

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