Scale AI
Head of Policy & Security Research Lab

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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.
You will:
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. Working alongside a team of internal researchers 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.
Ideally you’d have:
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.
Nice to have:
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.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
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Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Please reference the job posting's subtitle for where this position will be located. For pay transparency purposes, the base salary range for this full-time position in the locations of San Francisco, New York, Seattle is:
$198,000—$247,000 USD
PLEASE NOTE: Our policy requires a 90-day waiting period before reconsidering candidates for the same role. This allows us to ensure a fair and thorough evaluation of all applicants.
About Us:
At Scale, our mission is to develop reliable AI systems for the world's most important decisions. Our products provide the high-quality data and full-stack technologies that power the world's leading models, and help enterprises and governments build, deploy, and oversee AI applications that deliver real impact. We work closely with industry leaders like Meta, Ernst & Young, Mayo Clinic, Time Inc., the Government of Qatar, and U.S. government agencies including the Army and Air Force. We are expanding our team to accelerate the development of AI applications.


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