General Counsel @ Frontier AI Safety Research Org

Whistler Partners; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 250,000; Full time

Job summary

Whistler Partners is recruiting for its first General Counsel for a leading research organization in San Francisco, focusing on frontier AI, research, and public policy. The GC will build the legal function, set strategy and policies, and advise leadership on novel issues with little precedent.

The role emphasizes negotiating sophisticated agreements with frontier AI companies, managing outside counsel, and guiding governance, employment, immigration, and regulatory matters in a fast-evolving

Qualifications

• The candidate will have 10+ years of experience including law firm and in-house roles.
• Experience negotiating sophisticated commercial agreements with AI or technology partners is highly valued.
• Familiarity with frontier AI, AI safety, and policy matters is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Build the legal function from the ground up and serve as a strategic partner to leadership.
• Negotiate complex commercial agreements and manage outside counsel.
• Oversee governance, compliance, commercial and partnership agreements, data handling and regulatory issues.
• Advise on novel issues with limited precedent and help shape policy overlap.

Skills

Commercial negotiations

Strategic leadership

Regulatory awareness

Team collaboration

Education

J.D. or equivalent

Tools

Outside counsel management

Job description

A leading research organization focused on understanding the capabilities and risks of advanced AI systems is seeking its first General Counsel. The organization operates at the intersection of frontier AI, scientific research, and public policy, working with leading AI companies, researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders on some of the most consequential issues emerging from the development of advanced artificial intelligence.

Job Overview

The General Counsel will build the legal function from the ground up and serve as a strategic partner to the leadership team. This is a true zero-to-one legal leadership role with responsibility for establishing the organization's legal strategy, processes and policies, managing outside counsel, and advising on novel issues where there may be little established precedent.

A key focus will be negotiating sophisticated agreements with frontier AI companies relating to evaluations and assessments of advanced AI systems. The General Counsel will also oversee matters spanning governance and compliance, commercial and partnership agreements, grants, confidentiality and data handling, employment, immigration, and regulatory issues.

About You

• The ideal candidate will be a strategic, intellectually curious lawyer who thrives in ambiguity and can translate complex legal issues into clear, practical guidance.
• Candidates should have 10+ years of experience, including both law firm and in-house experience, with significant experience negotiating complex commercial agreements and managing sophisticated outside counsel. Familiarity with frontier AI and the broader AI ecosystem is important, while direct experience with leading AI companies, AI safety organizations, government, or regulators is particularly valuable.
• This is a rare opportunity to build the legal function at an organization operating at the frontier of AI capabilities, safety, and policy and advise directly on issues for which few established legal playbooks exist.

About Whistler Partners

Matchmakers, Not Headhunters

Whistler Partners is a boutique matchmaking firm focused on counseling the best and the brightest attorneys over the course of their careers. We believe that the right move comes from working closely with talent to curate their long-term career paths. When it comes to career advice, what matters is not the size of the agency but the strength of your individual recruiter. We readily admit that we are elite and only work with the best – after all, a little elitism is okay when it comes to your career.

Employers love us because we are picky about whom we represent, and attorneys love us because we get them their dream jobs.