Research Manager

PrincInt; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,098,000 - 1,647,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Accommodation provided

Fellowship travel costs covered

Workday meals provided

Short-term visa support letters

Job summary

PrincInt is seeking a Research Manager to support the 2026–2027 Winter PIBBSS Fellowship in Cape Town. The role includes overseeing day-to-day execution, ensuring high research standards, and coordinating fellows with mentors across a ~4.5–5 month period.

The position blends remote pre- and wrap-up periods with in-person fellowship execution in Cape Town, and can lead to full-time employment. Accommodation, travel and meals are provided; visa support is available.

Qualifications

• Experience supporting researchers day-to-day and keeping a program moving.
• Ability to critique ideas and know when to push back.
• Familiarity with interpretability research and ML in practical projects.
• Strong written and spoken English communication.
• Comfort with ambiguity and managing on-site logistics in a new setting.
• Capable of coordinating multiple fellows and mentors.
• Must be based in Cape Town, South Africa for the full fellowship period.
• Interest in AI risk drivers and current interpretability research.
• Familiarity with PIBBSS Fellowship or PrincInt’s research bets.
• Experience running reading groups or cohort-based programming.

Responsibilities

• Supervise fellows day-to-day: set expectations, unblock obstacles.
• Provide or coordinate research facilitation and feedback loops with mentors.
• Support fellows in thinking and critical reasoning enhancements.
• Facilitate fellowship events with AI Safety South Africa and partners.
• Coordinate logistics for accommodation, meals, travel and visa support.
• Maintain a strong research culture on-site: norms, cadence, accountability.
• Support pre-program reading group and transition to full-time research.
• Help design and revise PIBBSS Fellowship curriculum and materials.
• Write reports to inform program improvements.

Skills

Research support

AI safety

Interpretability ML

English proficiency

In-person logistics

Fellowship coordination

Cape Town residency

Cross-disciplinary experience

Reading groups

Open-ended research scoping

Job description

We’re hiring a Research Manager to support the execution and evaluation of the 2026–2027 Winter PIBBSS Fellowship , a ~3-month program in Cape Town, South Africa connecting a cohort of ~24 fellows from diverse research backgrounds with AI safety mentors. You’ll support day-to-day execution of the live program: keeping fellows unblocked, upholding a high research bar, and making sure the cohort’s time in Cape Town runs smoothly from opening retreat to final symposium.

This role serves as a trial period to full-time employment at Principles of Intelligence.

Time commitment:

Start Date: Late September/early October to support a pre-program reading group to onboard fellows. Contract start can be remote, and transition to in-person once the fellowship begins. Contract will end late February – early March with the opportunity for extension.

• Part-time (0.5 FTE): October – November 2026 (pre-Fellowship preparation)
• Full-time: November 2026 – February 2027 (Fellowship execution)
• Part-time (0.5 FTE): March 2027 (wrap-up and evaluation)

Total: 4.5-5 months FTE equivalent

Location:

• During Fellowship Execution: In-person, Cape Town, South Africa
• During pre-Fellowship and wrap-up periods: Remote

Salary & Benefits:

• $6,000–$9,000 USD per month (pre-tax, FTE equivalent, contractor) based on experience. This role serves as a trial period to full-time employment at Principles of Intelligence.
• Accommodation provided for the duration of the fellowship.
• Fellowship related travel costs are covered.
• Workday meals provided at the office for the duration of the Fellowship.
• Short-term visa support letters available for travel purposes; details depend on candidate circumstances.
• High ownership & autonomy: A high-trust environment where you’ll support program execution end-to-end.

Reporting line / collaborators: Reports to the PIBBSS Fellowship Program Director, and works closely with PrincInt’s Research and Operations teams.

Core Responsibilities

• Supervise fellows day-to-day: set expectations, and unblock obstacles
• Provide or coordinate research facilitation: feedback loops, check-ins, and targeted support alongside fellows’ assigned mentors
• Take an interest in how fellows think, and help them to think better
• Facilitate and run fellowship events with support from AI Safety South Africa. This may include coordinating with external speakers and partner organizations
• Coordinate logistics with Ops team so accommodation, meals, travel, and visa support reliably serve program goals
• Maintain a strong research culture on-site: norms, cadence, accountability, and intellectual ambition
• Support the pre-program reading group and help fellows prepare for the transition into full-time research
• Help to design and revise PIBBSS Fellowship curriculum and materials
• Understand what the program is doing and write reports to inform improvements

Qualifications

Must-haves

• Research support experience (you’ve supported researchers day-to-day and know how to keep a research program moving; this needn’t have been your formal role)
• Ability to nurture half-formed ideas, to offer strong critique, and to judge where each is appropriate.
• Sufficient fluency with interpretability research and Machine Learning (ML) more generally to support technical projects
• Strong written and spoken English
• Comfort operating in ambiguity and handling in-person logistics in a new environment
• Able to coordinate multiple fellows and mentors
• Willingness and ability to be based in Cape Town, South Africa for the full fellowship period
• Interest in more deeply understanding the drivers of AI risk.
• Strong understanding of current interpretability research and its limitations
• Familiarity with the PIBBSS Fellowship or PrincInt’s research bet
• Experience supporting an interdisciplinary cohort (e.g., researchers from math, physics, philosophy, economics, or related fields transitioning into AI safety)
• Experience running reading groups or similar cohort-based programming
• Experience helping researchers scope or refine open-ended research questions (many fellows join without a fixed project idea and develop one with their mentor)

We encourage you to apply if you think you would be a good fit, even if you do not tick every item above!

Diversity and Inclusion

We’re aware that factors like gender, race, and socioeconomic background can affect people’s willingness to apply for roles for which they meet some but not all the suggested attributes. We’d especially like to encourage people from underrepresented backgrounds to express interest.

There’s no such thing as a “perfect” candidate. If you’re on the fence about applying because you’re unsure whether you’re qualified, we’d encourage you to apply.

If you require any adjustments to the application process, such as accessibility accommodations or additional preparation time, please email us at [e-mail]