Safeguards Access Operations Specialist

Horizontal Talent; New York (NY); On-site; USD 110,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Horizontal Talent is seeking a detail-oriented professional to safeguard access to advanced AI capabilities. You will review, document, and decide on trusted access requests, verify identities and use cases, and manage access per runbooks while maintaining precise records.

This role emphasizes written communication, audit-ready documentation, and collaboration with policy, enforcement, engineering, and sales teams.

Qualifications

• 2+ years in trust and safety, fraud, risk, compliance, KYC/KYB, or similar policy-based role.
• Ability to apply detailed, evolving rules consistently.
• Clear, concise written communication for decision notes and customer messages.
• Strong recordkeeping with audit-trail awareness.
• Good judgment on independent resolution vs. escalation.
• Able to learn quickly and adapt to changing procedures.
• Genuine interest in AI safety and responsible deployment.

Responsibilities

• Review applications for trusted and special access programs against criteria and document rationale.
• Verify organizational identity, use cases, and account history during eligibility reviews.
• Provision, suspend, or revoke access per runbooks and keep case records current.
• Monitor participating orgs for policy issues and activity outside approved use.
• Escalate potential violations with supporting evidence for review and resolution.
• Handle exemption and data-handling requests requiring manual assessment.
• Draft customer communications and coordinate with internal account teams on approvals and changes.
• Revisit disputed decisions by gathering context from internal sources and public information.
• Identify gaps between criteria and real-world cases and propose workflow/tool updates.
• Support high-volume review during launches and report queue metrics.

Skills

Trust and safety

Policy-based decisions

Written communication

Recordkeeping

Decision escalation

Adaptability

AI safety

Job description

Join a fast-moving team focused on safeguarding access to advanced AI capabilities through careful review, monitoring, and decision-making. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working with detailed policies, documenting clear rationale, and helping ensure access remains appropriate as programs evolve.

Responsibilities

• Review applications for trusted and special access programs against established criteria and document clear decision rationale
• Verify organizational identity, intended use cases, and account history during eligibility reviews
• Provision, suspend, or revoke access according to runbooks while keeping case records accurate and current
• Monitor participating organizations for policy issues, credential concerns, and activity outside approved use
• Escalate potential violations with the supporting evidence needed for review and resolution
• Handle exemption and data-handling requests that require manual assessment
• Draft customer communications and coordinate with internal account teams on approvals, violations, and access changes
• Revisit disputed or misclassified decisions by gathering context from internal sources and public information
• Identify gaps between written criteria and real-world cases and recommend updates to workflows, checklists, and tools
• Support high-volume review periods during launches and expansions, and report on queue volume, turnaround time, and outcomes

Skills

• 2+ years of experience in trust and safety, fraud, risk, compliance, KYC/KYB, or a similar operations role involving policy-based decisions
• Strong ability to apply detailed, evolving rules consistently
• Clear and concise written communication for decision notes and customer-facing messages
• Strong organizational habits and careful recordkeeping with an understanding of audit trail requirements
• Sound judgment on when to resolve a case independently and when to escalation it
• Ability to learn quickly and adapt to changing procedures and requirementsComfort working independently as well as partnering with policy, enforcement, engineering, and sales teams
• Genuine interest in AI safety and responsible deployment

Preferred Skills

• Background in cybersecurity such as security operations, threat intelligence, or vulnerability research
• Experience assessing whether a security use case is credible and well-supported
• Experience with business verification, due diligence, or sanctions screening
• Experience supporting enterprise or partner access programs, including onboarding and offboarding
• Familiarity with using AI tools to improve review workflows and efficiency

Horizontal is committed to building an inclusive environment where diverse perspectives are valued and respected. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply and believe equity, belonging, and accessibility are essential to great work.

By applying for this position, you acknowledge and agree that Horizontal Talent may contact you regarding your application using automated technology, including phone calls, SMS/text messages, or email, which may be delivered by our virtual AI recruiter, Alex.

Applications will be accepted for 4 weeks.

For those that join the team, we offer competitive compensation and benefits including medical, dental, vision, and retirement.

The pay range for this role is $80 - $120 per hour based on qualifications and experience.