How to apply for Senior Technical Specialist, AI Risk Assessment

About Center for AI Risk Management and Alignment

The Center for AI Risk Management and Alignment (CARMA) is a nonprofit dedicated to improving the technical, policy, and multidisciplinary aspects of AI risk management, safety, and alignment. Unlike many AI safety organizations, CARMA emphasizes practical risk assessment and governance frameworks for catastrophic risks, making it a unique place for those who want to bridge cutting-edge research with real-world impact.

About the role

As a Senior Technical Specialist in AI Risk Assessment, you will lead the development of threat models and risk pathway analyses for advanced AI systems, with a focus on catastrophic and loss-of-control scenarios. You will also design technical governance frameworks and drive original research, working at the intersection of AI safety, risk management, and social systems modeling.

A typical day

A typical day might involve leading a research meeting on risk pathway analysis, collaborating with policy experts to refine a governance framework, and diving deep into modeling threshold effects in a social system. You'll balance independent research with cross-team coordination, always keeping an eye on how your work contributes to mitigating catastrophic AI risks.

Who Center for AI Risk Management and Alignment is looking for

• Senior-level professional with a track record in technical risk assessment, particularly for complex AI or sociotechnical systems.
• Expertise in developing threat models and risk pathway analyses, including multi-node risk transformations and threshold effects.
• Experience designing governance frameworks for catastrophic risks, such as AI loss-of-control scenarios.
• Strong research skills with the ability to collaborate across teams and integrate diverse assessment paradigms.

Tips for this application

• Highlight any experience with catastrophic AI risk or loss-of-control scenarios—CARMA is specifically focused on these high-stakes areas.
• Showcase your ability to model complex risk transformations and threshold effects in social systems, using concrete examples from past work.
• Demonstrate cross-team collaboration by describing projects where you integrated risk assessment paradigms from different disciplines.
• Tailor your resume to emphasize technical governance frameworks you've designed, especially for emerging technologies.
• Mention any nonprofit or policy-oriented work, as CARMA values multidisciplinary approaches and real-world impact.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your specific experience in technical risk assessment for advanced AI systems, including threat modeling and risk pathway analysis.', 'How you have modeled multi-node risk transformations and threshold effects in social systems, with examples.', 'Your approach to designing robust technical governance frameworks for catastrophic risks, particularly loss-of-control scenarios.', 'Your motivation to work at a nonprofit like CARMA that bridges research, policy, and technical alignment.']

Research before applying

• Read CARMA's recent publications and reports to understand their current research directions and priorities.
• Explore their website and any blog posts to learn about their multidisciplinary approach and key partners.
• Research the backgrounds of CARMA's leadership and team to understand their expertise and perspectives.
• Familiarize yourself with major frameworks in AI risk management, such as those from NIST or other standards bodies, to see how CARMA's work fits in.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• How would you approach developing a threat model for an advanced AI system with potential loss-of-control risks?
• Can you describe a time when you modeled complex risk transformations and threshold effects in a social system?
• What elements would you include in a technical governance framework for catastrophic AI risks?
• How do you integrate insights from different teams or disciplines into a cohesive risk assessment?
• What original research project would you propose to advance CARMA's mission in AI risk management?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Focusing only on general AI safety without addressing catastrophic or loss-of-control risks, which are central to this role.
• Neglecting to demonstrate experience with technical governance frameworks, as this is a key responsibility.
• Overlooking the nonprofit context and failing to show alignment with CARMA's mission and multidisciplinary approach.