AI Safety Lead

Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University; Pittsburgh (Allegheny County); On-site; USD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

Software Engineering Institute | Carnegie Mellon University in Arlington, VA and Pittsburgh, PA seeks an AI Safety Lead to guide research-driven projects addressing safe AI in software systems. You will plan, manage, and deliver customer projects with technical excellence and strong leadership.

You will collaborate across SEI and CMU, translate customer needs into actionable plans, and help shape future AI safety approaches for national security applications.

Qualifications

• BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related discipline with 10 years of experience; OR MS with 8 years; OR PhD with 5 years.
• Willingness to travel to SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings.
• Must be able to obtain and maintain a DoD security clearance.

Responsibilities

• Develop AI Safety technical solution strategies.
• Lead the planning and execution of AI Safety projects, ensuring plans are sound and aligned with state of the art and customer expectations.
• Coordinate across SEI and CMU support functions to enable project execution.
• Serve as the primary technical liaison to customers with regular project reviews.
• Contribute to strategic planning using customer feedback and project performance data.
• Represent the RFHAS portfolio in AI and AI Safety with customers and internal collaborators.

Skills

Technical Leadership

Solutions Engineer

Quality-Driven

Outcome-Focused

Communicator & Collaborator

Culture

Education

BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related discipline

MS in the same fields

PhD in the same fields

Job description

Participates on teams and groups made up of senior members from across the SEI, customers and communities related to the mission areas of the SEI on large initiatives and projects.

Who We Are

The SEI conducts research and development and advance software engineering practices. The SEI serves as a national resource in software engineering and computer security. The SEI works closely with academia, defence and government organisations, and industry to continually improve software-intensive systems. Our core purpose is to help organisations improve software engineering capabilities and develop or acquire the right software that is defect free, within budget and on time, every time.

What We Do

The Rapid Fielding of High Assurance (RFHAS) directorate conducts research and development activities to accelerate the fielding of software-reliant systems with high-assurance. This involves accelerating and automating the development cycle to support continuous development while at the same time connected with assurance techniques that incorporate formal models in a practical and scalable way. These techniques include Model-Based Systems Engineering and the automating power of AI for Software Engineering (SE) but also SE to exploit the power of AI with high confidence.

Position Summary

As an AI Safety Lead you will work closely with our researchers and engineers to lead, plan, and execute customer projects that address the challenges of exploiting AI in software development and also incorporating AI into software systems while ensuring its safe operation. You will ensure that the project performance meet expectations, the deliverables are on time, and the project meet the customer needs. You will partner across SEI technical and support staff to create a culture of technical excellence, creativity and innovation. You will also contribute to shape the approaches to field AI systems at the speed and trust of relevance.

Who you are:

• Technical Leadership: You have experience managing complex technical projects from initiation through delivery, including planning and scheduling, resource coordination, risk tracking, milestone management, and assessments. You can organise cross-functional teams and keep execution on track across multiple concurrent efforts.

• Solutions Engineer: You partner with our technical team to create and maintain strong working relationships with our customers, conducting regular check-ins to assess satisfaction, gather feedback, and ensure alignment between delivered work and customer priorities. You translate customer needs into actionable technical requirements for project teams.

• Quality-Driven: You ensure deliverables meet both mission partner expectations and SEI standards. You conduct regular project reviews, identify quality gaps, develop corrective actions, and verify that SEI standards for safety, security, and compliance are satisfied.

• **Outcome-Focused:** You are a driven by a sense of duty to deliver outcomes that advance the state-of-the-art and practice for analysing, assuring, and countering software systems to enhance National Security.

• **Communicator and Collaborator:** You have outstanding written and oral communication skills. You can synthesise complex technical information into clear status updates, risk assessments, and executive briefings for both internal leadership and external mission partners.

• **Culture:** Help develop a team culture that fosters innovation, technical excellence, and leadership.

What you’ll do:

In conjunction with the leadership team, you will:

• Develop AI Safety Technical solution strategies.

• Lead the planning and execution of AI Safety projects ensuring that the plans are sound and aligned with the state of the art and customer expectations.

• Coordinate across SEI and CMU support functions to ensure project teams have what they need to execute.

• Serve as a primary technical liaison to customers conducting regular project reviews to ensure that the project meets their needs and adjust accordingly.

• Contribute to strategic planning using customer feedback and project performance data to develop future technical directions.

• Represent the RFHAS technical portfolio in AI and AI Safety with customers and internal collaborators.

Requirements:

• BS in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related disciplewith ten (10) years of experience; OR MS in the same fields with eight (8) years of experience; OR a PhD in the same fields with five (5) years of experience.

• Willingness to travel outside of your office location to other SEI offices, sponsor sites, conferences, and offsite meetings.

• You will be subject to a background investigation and must be able to obtain and maintain a Department of War security clearance.

Location

Arlington, VA, Pittsburgh, PA

Job Function

Software/Applications Development/Engineering

Position Type

Staff - Regular

Full time/Part time

Full time

Pay Basis

Salary

More Information:

• Please visit “Why Carnegie Mellon” to learn more about becoming part of an institution inspiring innovations that change the world.

• Click here to view a listing of employee benefits

• Carnegie Mellon University is an Equal Opportunity Employer/Disability/Veteran.

• Statement of Assurance