Head of People & Operations

On-site in Seattle: Persons in these roles are expected to work from our offices in Seattle.

Compensation Range: $182,310 - $288,050

Ai2 is on the search for a dynamic, driven, and visionary Head of People & Operations to lead our team into the future.  We need a daring, creative leader who sees the big picture but isn't afraid to dive into the details and work side by side with their team.

Who You Are:

You are a bold and ambitious leader with a passion for AI and a drive to make a significant impact. You have a start-up mindset combined with a deep understanding of culture to shape our company’s future. You are open-minded and audacious, creating innovative solutions to complex challenges. You believe that culture is the foundation of everything we do.

Here’s what you’ll bring to Ai2:

• Passion for HR: Proven experience in a high-level HR role, with a deep understanding of best practices and innovative approaches.
• Connection: You have the ability to build trust and connect with diverse teams at all levels of our organization.
• Creative Thinking: You’re a true out-of-the-box thinker who can bring new and exciting ideas and strategies to the table.
• Strategic Vision: Strong strategic planning abilities, with a track record of aligning HR initiatives with business objectives.
• Impactful Leadership: A motivational leader with a positive attitude, ready to take Ai2’s culture to the next level.
• Bias for Action: You recognize that speed matters in the AI environment we work in, and act quickly to enact change. You are willing to dive into the details and do whatever it takes to get the ball over the goal line every time.
• Data Driven Approach: You address problems with data & analytics to inform and influence decisions.

Who We Are: 

This role leads our People Operations and our Office & Events teams. We are a highly collaborative, tight-knit team who work together seamlessly.  There is no task that is below anyone on the team (including you!).  We are looking for our next leader to drive the strategic direction of the team, someone who isn’t afraid to question how things have been done in the past and who will propose changes to drive the organization forward. You will be responsible for promoting a forward-thinking, well respected, and effective org at Ai2.

You will report to our dynamic Chief Operations and Strategy Officer who runs a 60+ person team known as the Strategic Infrastructure (SI) team.  It’s a very exciting time to be a part of this team as we are helping to transform the foundation for the future of our company.

Your Next Challenge:

In partnership with Ai2 leadership, you’ll be responsible for creating, developing and executing programs that enhance our culture and the employee experience of a talented team pursuing an extraordinary set of scientific and engineering challenges.  You’ll share in the ultimate responsibility for creating a great place to work and where our team members thrive in a collaborative and open environment.   You will collaborate with specialist teams like leadership, legal and finance to build and implement top-tier, scalable programs and policies to attract, retain and grow outstanding talent at Ai2.

Here’s what you’ll do:

• Champion Culture: Be the heartbeat of Ai2, fostering an inclusive and innovative work environment where everyone feels valued and inspired.
• Lead with Passion: Manage and mentor a high-performing People Ops and Office Team, ensuring they’re equipped and motivated to achieve their best.
• Strategic Partner: Collaborate with our leadership team to align people operations strategies with our ambitious company goals.
• Talent Magnet: Drive recruitment and retention strategies, attracting top AI talent and ensuring they thrive in our unique culture.
• Engage and Elevate: Develop and implement out-of-the-box and engaging employee programs that boost morale, productivity, and growth.
• Innovate HR Practices: Bring bold, creative ideas to our processes, ensuring they’re as cutting-edge as our tech.

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree (B.A. or B.S.) and 10+ years relevant experience
• 5+ years of direct management experience leading and developing staff
• Functional expertise across all general areas of HR, including organizational design, planning, employee experience, talent and performance management, compensation, DEI, employee relations & compliance
• Demonstrated experience influencing and collaborating with all levels in the organization
• Excellent communication, both written and verbal, with the ability to articulate a story with data

Preferred:

• Experience at a high-growth company that scaled
• AI or software company experience
• SHRM-SCP or SPHR certification
• Bonus points if you have an eye for detail & design 

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

• Occasionally required to remain seated in a normal position for long periods of time.
• Regularly required to walk short distances.
• Regularly required to maintain balance while walking, standing, crouching, or running.
• Routinely required to reach up and out with hands and arms.

A Little More About Ai2:

Ai2 is a Seattle based non-profit AI research institute founded in 2014 by the late Paul Allen. Our mission is building breakthrough AI to solve the world’s biggest problems. We develop foundational AI research and innovation to deliver real-world impact through large-scale open models, data, robotics, conservation, and beyond.

In addition to Ai2’s core mission, we also aim to contribute to humanity through our treatment of each member of the Ai2 Team. Some highlights are:

• We are a learning organization – because everything Ai2 does is ground-breaking, we are learning every day. Similarly, through weekly Ai2 Academy lectures, a wide variety of world-class AI experts as guest speakers, and our commitment to your personal on-going education, Ai2 is a place where you will have opportunities to continue learning alongside your coworkers. 
• We value diversity - We seek to hire, support, and promote people from all genders, ethnicities, and all levels of experience regardless of age. We particularly encourage applications from women, non-binary individuals, people of color, members of the LGBTQA+ community, and people with disabilities of any kind. 
• We value inclusion - We understand the value that people's individual experiences and perspectives can bring to an organization, and we are building a culture in which all voices are heard, respected and considered.
• We emphasize a healthy work/life balance – we believe our team members are happiest and most productive when their work/life balance is optimized. While we value powerful research results which drive our mission forward, we also value dinner with family, weekend time, and vacation time. We offer generous paid vacation and sick leave as well as family leave.
• We are collaborative and transparent – we consider ourselves a team, all moving with a common purpose. We are quick to cheer our successes, and even quicker to share and jointly problem solve our failures.
• We are in Seattle – and our office is on the water! We have mountains, we have lakes, we have four seasons, we bike to work, we have a vibrant theater scene, and we have so much else. We even have kayaks for you to paddle right outside our front door. We welcome interest from applicants from outside of the United States.
• We are friendly– chances are you will like every one of the 200+ (and growing) people who work here. We do. 

Ai2 is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. You may view the related Know Your Rights compliance poster and the Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision by clicking on their corresponding links. 

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to employees and applicants with disabilities to the full extent required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you feel you need a reasonable accommodation pursuant to the ADA, you are encouraged to contact us at recruiting@allenai.org.

Benefits:

• Team members and their families are covered by medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, basic accidental death and dismemberment insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, and an employee assistance program.
• Team members are able to enroll in our voluntary life insurance program, our voluntary accidental death and dismemberment program, our health savings account plan, our healthcare reimbursement arrangement plan, and our health care and dependent care flexible spending account plans.
• Team members are able to enroll in our company’s 401k plan.
• Team members will receive $125 per month to assist with commuting or internet expenses and are eligible to receive up to $200 reimbursement for health and wellbeing expenses per month.
• Team members will also receive up to ten sick days per year, up to seven personal days per year, up to 20 vacation days per year and twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year.
• Team members will be able to receive annual bonuses and can participate in the long-term incentive plan.

Note: This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the team members(s) of this position. Team members will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the team member(s) will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an at will relationship.