Application Guide
How to Apply for Partnerships Lead
at AI Alignment Foundation
🏢 About AI Alignment Foundation
The AI Alignment Foundation is a nonprofit laser-focused on accelerating neglected approaches to AI alignment by funding original researchers and pairing them with dedicated engineering teams and compute resources. Unlike larger orgs, AIAF moves fast and takes high-conviction bets on underappreciated research directions. This is a chance to work at the frontier of AI safety, where your partnership-building directly translates into research capacity and impact.
About This Role
As Partnerships Lead, you'll be the bridge between AIAF's technical alignment research and the funders, grantmakers, and collaborators who can scale it. You'll build and maintain relationships across the AI safety ecosystem, write grant proposals for research and government work, and turn promising conversations into sustained partnerships. This is a high-agency, part-time role where your ability to connect dots between researchers, funders, and opportunities directly shapes which alignment approaches get accelerated.
💡 A Day in the Life
You might start by reviewing a draft grant proposal with a researcher, then hop on a call with a program officer at a foundation to discuss AIAF's work. Later, you'll strategize with the team on which funding opportunities to pursue next, and perhaps draft an outreach email to a potential collaborator you met at a conference. The work is fluid, relationship-driven, and focused on turning conversations into concrete support for alignment research.
🚀 Application Tools
🎯 Who AI Alignment Foundation Is Looking For
- Deep familiarity with the AI safety ecosystem: you know the key researchers, orgs (e.g., MIRI, ARC, Redwood, Open Philanthropy), and current debates, and you already have relationships you can leverage.
- Technical fluency: you can read and engage with alignment papers (e.g., on interpretability, scalable oversight, agent foundations) and discuss research tradeoffs credibly with researchers and funders.
- Proven grant-writing and fundraising experience: you've written successful proposals for research or government work and can navigate complex funding landscapes.
- High agency and independent judgment: you thrive in a remote, part-time, nonprofit setting where you must identify opportunities, prioritize, and execute without heavy oversight.
📝 Tips for Applying to AI Alignment Foundation
In your application, name specific AI safety researchers, orgs, or funding opportunities you've worked with or would target for AIAF—show you already have a network map.
Demonstrate technical fluency by referencing a recent alignment paper or research direction (e.g., 'I recently read the latest on sparse autoencoders and see how AIAF's work on X could attract funding from Y').
Highlight any grant proposals you've written, especially for government or research funders, and quantify results (e.g., '$500k raised from Open Philanthropy').
Explain why you're excited about AIAF's specific model of pairing researchers with engineering teams and compute—show you understand their niche in the ecosystem.
Since the role is part-time and remote, address how you'll manage your time and maintain high agency; give examples of self-directed projects you've led.
✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter
Emphasize your existing network and relationships in AI safety, with concrete examples of collaborations you've facilitated. Show technical fluency by discussing a specific alignment research area and how you'd translate it to funders. Detail your grant-writing successes, especially for research or government work, and how you'd approach proposals for AIAF. Finally, articulate why AIAF's approach to neglected alignment research resonates with you and how you'd identify and convert funding opportunities into sustained partnerships.
Generate Cover Letter →🔍 Research Before Applying
To stand out, make sure you've researched:
- → Read AIAF's website and any published research or blog posts to understand their specific focus areas and past funded projects.
- → Identify key funders and grantmakers in AI safety (e.g., Open Philanthropy, Survival and Flourishing Fund, government agencies like NSF or DARPA) and note their priorities.
- → Map the AI safety ecosystem: who are the major researchers, orgs, and collaborators? Look for gaps AIAF could fill.
- → Research recent developments in AI alignment, especially neglected approaches, to speak credibly about technical topics.
💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics
Based on this role, you may be asked about:
⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Being vague about your AI safety network—if you can't name specific people or orgs, you'll seem disconnected from the ecosystem.
- Overemphasizing general fundraising experience without connecting it to research or government grants, which are core to this role.
- Ignoring the technical aspect—if you can't engage with alignment research, you won't be able to communicate effectively with researchers or funders.
📅 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:
Application Review
1-2 weeks
Initial Screening
Phone call or written assessment
Interviews
1-2 rounds, usually virtual
Offer
Congratulations!
Ready to Apply?
Good luck with your application to AI Alignment Foundation!