Senior AI Guardrails Advisor (Contract)

Institute for Security and Technology; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 90,000 - 100,000; Part time

Job summary

The Institute for Security and Technology seeks a Senior Advisor, Advanced Guardrails for AI-Induced Incidents to provide strategic and technical guidance on advanced AI risks and safeguards. You will lead research on loss-of-control scenarios, evaluate prevent/detect/mitigate approaches, and translate findings into practical guidance for policy and practice.

As an independent contractor, you will engage researchers, AI developers, and government stakeholders, convene workshops, and contribute

Qualifications

• Advanced degree (MS/PhD) in Computer Science, Machine Learning, AI Safety, or a related technical field.
• At least five years of experience with red teaming, threat modeling, or technical AI governance.
• Familiarity with AI loss-of-control research, AI control, model evaluations, agent security, containment, monitoring, or related safeguards.
• Track record of convening multidisciplinary experts on emerging or poorly understood risks, and producing technical or policy research.
• Demonstrated experience developing response frameworks, escalation processes, or scenario-based exercises (tabletops, simulations) for high-consequence situations.
• Ability to translate technical risk into practical operational guidance for mixed technical/policy audiences.
• Strong analytical, writing, and facilitation skills, with experience engaging stakeholders across government and industry

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic and technical guidance on IST’s work related to advanced AI risks, safeguards, and incident prevention.
• Lead and contribute to research on emerging AI capabilities, risks, and potential loss-of-control scenarios.
• Assess technical and institutional approaches for preventing, detecting, and mitigating high-consequence AI incidents.
• Identify emerging gaps in existing safeguards and areas where additional technical or governance measures may be needed.
• Engage with researchers, AI developers, government stakeholders, and other experts working on advanced AI safety and security.
• Convene and support expert discussions, workshops, and structured analytical exercises.
• Translate technical research and emerging evidence into actionable recommendations for policy and practice.
• Contribute to IST publications, briefings, and external engagements on AI risk reduction and preparedness.

Skills

Red teaming

Threat modeling

AI governance

Stakeholder engagement

Tabletop exercises

Education

MS/PhD in Computer Science, ML, AI Safety

Job description

The Institute for Security and Technology seeks a Senior Advisor, Advanced Guardrails for AI-Induced Incidents to provide strategic and technical guidance on advanced AI risks and safeguards. You will lead research on loss-of-control scenarios, evaluate prevent/detect/mitigate approaches, and translate findings into practical guidance for policy and practice.

As an independent contractor, you will engage researchers, AI developers, and government stakeholders, convene workshops, and contribute