Head of Policy & Security Research Lab

We are seeking a highly experienced, strategic and mission-driven leader to drive the policy research priorities of Scale Labs. This is a unique opportunity to lead a team of research scientists, policy experts and engineers on foundational AI safety and security work.

• Own day-to-day responsibilities for the strategy, direction and execution of Scale’s Policy Research Lab
• Collaborate with a team of internal researchers, leading research labs across governments, industry, and academia
• Work alongside internal researchers to drive initiatives related to frameworks and benchmarks for frontier AI models
• Remain deeply engaged with the policy and research communities to understand and set trends
• Manage and coordinate the lab's projects, partnerships and strategy, including direct work with global AI safety institutes
• Finalize, coordinate, and execute the lab's recruiting plan and research agenda

• 6+ years of relevant academic or work experience
• A track record of impactful research and/or policy contributions
• Experience leading teams in relevant areas including AI Safety Policy, Thought Leadership and Research publications
• Strong written and verbal communication skills for cross‑functional collaboration
• Experience building and mentoring teams of research scientists and engineers
• A strong technical and policy background with a deep understanding of the AI safety space
• Extensive knowledge of frontier risk evaluations, AI control, and preparedness research
• Established connections with government partners, particularly AI safety institutes

• Publications at major machine learning/AI conferences (e.g., NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, EMNLP, CVPR) and/or journals

Compensation packages at Scale for eligible roles include base salary, equity, and benefits. The range displayed on each job posting reflects the minimum and maximum target for new hire salaries for the position and may be inclusive of several career levels at Scale; it will be determined during the interview process based on work location and additional factors, including job‑related skills, experience, qualifications, interview performance, and relevant education or training.

Scale employees in eligible roles are also granted equity‑based compensation, subject to Board of Director approval. Your recruiter can share more about the specific salary range for your preferred location during the hiring process, and confirm whether the hired role will be eligible for equity grant. You'll also receive benefits including, but not limited to: comprehensive health, dental and vision coverage, retirement benefits, a learning and development stipend, and generous PTO.

Additionally, this role may be eligible for additional benefits such as a commuter stipend.

Base salary range for full‑time position:
San Francisco, New York, Seattle – $198,000—$247,000 USD.

Base salary range for full‑time position:
Washington DC, Texas, Colorado, Hawaii – $177,600—$247,000 USD.

We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability status, gender identity or Veteran status. We comply with the United States Department of Labor's Pay Transparency provision.