Business Operations Associate

FAR.AI; Berkeley (CA); On-site; USD 80,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Catered lunch and dinner

Work-related travel expenses paid

Job summary

FAR.AI in Berkeley, CA, is hiring a Business Operations Associate to support operational tasks and collaborate with leadership. The role includes managing compliance, IT support, and HR operations.

Ideal candidates will demonstrate problem-solving skills across finance and compliance, possess strong communication abilities, and thrive in agile environments. A competitive salary between $80,000 and $100,000 is offered, along with a supportive work structure and growth opportunities.

Qualifications

• Evidence of real results in past roles.
• Comfort working across multiple operational domains simultaneously.
• Reliable with details, especially on compliance and finance tasks.

Responsibilities

• Own operational tickets and provide first-responder support.
• Maintain FAR.AI’s compliance calendar and support financial operations.
• Provide IT support and coordinate with vendors.

Skills

Strong written and verbal communication

Detail-oriented

Service mindset

Ability to juggle multiple responsibilities

Tools

Coda

Notion

Asana

Job description

About FAR.AI

FAR.AI is a non‑profit AI research institute dedicated to ensuring advanced AI is safe and beneficial for everyone. We work at the intersection of machine learning, safety research, and policy, supporting a global community of researchers and practitioners. At FAR.AI, we believe in thoughtful, inclusive, and rigorous work that empowers our team and partners to do their best work. Since our founding in July 2022, we have grown to 40+ staff, produced 30+ influential academic papers, and established leading AI Safety events for research and international cooperation.

Business Operations Associate

We are hiring a Business Operations Associate to support our Business Operations Manager and work closely with our COO and leaders across the organization. This is a hands‑on generalist role with a broad remit: you will own the compliance tracker, provide finance and accounting support, assist with HR operations, assist with travel and events, support FAR.Labs, help with IT coordination, and take on special projects as they arise.

Why This Role / Why Now

FAR.AI is scaling fast. We are 45 people today and expect to grow to 75+ by the end of the year. Our operations team is growing alongside the organization, and the scope of what we need to run well is expanding: finance and accounting, HR and compliance, IT, FAR.Labs, and a steady stream of special projects that do not fit neatly anywhere else. This role owns the recurring work that keeps FAR.AI moving.

Key Responsibilities

• Own operational tickets, triage incoming requests, and provide first‑responder support across the team. Maintain policies, drive continuous improvement, and clear any roadblocks that might slow us down.
• Own and maintain FAR.AI’s compliance calendar, tracking federal, state, and local filing deadlines and ensuring nothing falls through the cracks. Support the systematization and automation of compliance obligations across the organization and support financial operations as needed.
• Provide initial IT support and coordinate with vendors to keep the team's tools and systems running. Coordinate equipment provisioning and sourcing.
• Support onboarding and offboarding processes, HR compliance, employment policies, and the maintenance of the company handbook.
• Support operations of FAR.Labs, including event logistics.
• Take on ad hoc operations projects as they arise, ranging from vendor coordination, goal tracking, internal policies, and process improvement.

Must‑Have Qualifications

• Evidence of real results in past roles – things you have delivered or problems you have solved while juggling several responsibilities at once. Experience/seniority matters less than what you have done.
• Comfort working across multiple operational domains simultaneously: finance, HR, compliance, IT, and projects. You do not need to be an expert, but you’ll be required to learn quickly.
• Strong written and verbal communication. You can write a clear email, summarize a situation accurately, and ask good questions.
• Reliable with details, especially on compliance and finance tasks, where a missed deadline or a wrong number is a real issue. You flag issues proactively.
• Demonstrated service mindset. You get energy from helping others succeed – no job is too big or too small.

Nice‑to‑Have Qualifications

• Experience in fast‑paced, highly ambiguous environments. You’ve worked in startups, nimble nonprofits, or high‑growth teams before and can adapt to change quickly.
• Demonstrated experience as a high‑agency problem‑solver. You’ve identified a need or a better way to do something and brought the solution to life.
• Experience contributing to an impact‑driven organization or passionate about AI safety.
• Experience with tools like Coda, Notion, Asana, CRMs, or similar operational software.
• Fluency with AI tools and workflows, while applying your own judgment on when to use and when not to use.
• Prior experience in operations.

Logistics

• Structure: We are open to full‑time employment with FAR.AI, a 501(c)(3) research non‑profit.
• Location: Berkeley, CA (onsite/hybrid).
• Hours: Full‑time (40 hours/week).
• Compensation: $80,000‑$100,000/year, depending on experience. We will also pay for work‑related travel and equipment expenses, and offer catered lunch and dinner at our office in Berkeley.
• Reporting: Reports to the Business Operations Manager.
• Hiring process: A phone screen, interview with hiring manager, live assessment, and in‑depth interviews with the team, followed by reference checks.