Head of Research and Development, Faculty
AI Safety
2+ days a week in office (Old Street, London)
Enabling clients to use cutting edge AI to improve the performance of their business
Job no longer available
Enabling clients to use cutting edge AI to improve the performance of their business
201-500 employees
Job no longer available
2+ days a week in office (Old Street, London)
201-500 employees
Company mission
The safe, widespread adoption of AI.
Role
Who you are
- You have a proven track record of high-impact AI research, demonstrated through top-tier academic publications or equivalent experience
- You possess deep domain knowledge in language models and the evolving field of AI safety
- You exhibit strong research judgment and extensive experience in AI safety, including generating and executing novel research directions
- You have the ability to conduct and oversee complex technical research projects, with advanced programming skills (Python, standard data science stack) to review team work
- You are a passionate leader who adopts a caring attitude towards the personal and professional development of technical teams
- You bring excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of sharing complex ideas with diverse audiences
- You have a deep understanding of the AI safety research landscape and the ability to build connections to secure resources for impactful work
What the job involves
- The Head of Research of Development for AI Safety will head up Faculty's small, high-agency research team, shaping the future of safe AI systems
- You will lead the scientific research agenda for AI safety, focusing on large language models and other critical systems
- This role involves leading researchers, driving external publications, and ensuring alignment with Faculty’s commercial ambition to build trustworthy AI, giving you the opportunity to make a high-impact contribution in a rapidly evolving, critical field
- Leading the AI safety team's ambitious research agenda, setting priorities aligned with long-term company goals
- Conducting and overseeing cutting-edge AI safety research, specifically for large language models and safety-critical AI systems
- Publishing high-impact research findings in leading academic conferences and journals
- Shaping the research agenda by identifying impactful opportunities and balancing scientific and practical priorities
- Building, managing, and mentoring a growing team of researchers, fostering an innovative and collaborative culture
- Collaborating on delivery of evaluations and red-teaming projects in high-risk domains like CBRN and cybersecurity
- Positioning Faculty as a thought leader in AI safety through research and strategic stakeholder engagement
Application process
- Talent Team Screen (30 mins)
- Experience & Theory interview (45 mins)
- Research presentation and coding interview (75 mins)
- Leadership and Principles interview (60 mins)
- Final stage with our CEO (45 mins)
Salary benchmarks
Our take
Foreseeing the AI boom as far back as 2014, Faculty was founded to ensure the technology could be implemented where it was needed most. A European leader in applied AI, Faculty helps its clients accelerate and execute their highest priorities, whether that be new drug development, bringing renewable energy online or defending against terrorist attacks. It works with organisations such as OpenAI and Anthropic to ensure their latest AI models are safe, human-led and explainable.
The PhD-heavy team has delivered long-term impact for important organisations across healthcare, communications and counter-terrorism and has published papers on AI safety alongside leading universities. As a major voice concerning the safe use of artificial intelligence, Faculty's CEO has sat on the government's AI council and was invited to the first-ever AI Safety Summit.
With 10% of the UK's science and maths PhD holders applying for Faculty's talent programme, it remains a major pioneer in the space. It's shaping how we think about and implement AI, and will continue to be a prominent figure in the sector.
Steph
Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle
Insights
Company
Funding (last 2 of 4 rounds)
Jan 2025
$3.9m
GRANT
Dec 2019
$10.5m
SERIES A
Total funding: $57.1m
Company benefits
- Dental cover - 100% of dental fees covered, up to £500, including checkups and hygienist.
- Optical Cover - 100% of the cost of prescribed glasses and contact lenses up to £300 a year.
- Hybrid working: We believe people have needs, responsibilities and interests that require something different to a strict working day. We trust people to organise and take accountability for their own work and do our best to support their lives outside Faculty. We provide you with all you need to work from home, including a laptop, keyboard and chair.
- Unlimited holidays: We encourage each other to use this time to take a break, work on personal projects, or to spend time with their friends and family
- Fantastic private health, for you & your family - including 24/7 unlimited virtual private GP appointments and covering pre-existing medical conditions
- Access to mental health coaching with Sanctus
- Lunch weekly, and more fruit, drinks and snacks than you could ever eat (for office-based employees)
- We work hard and make sure we enjoy what we do. So we have frequent socials and informal get-togethers to help make sure you enjoy your time with us. You’ll make friends and professional connections that will last a lifetime
- Paid Maternity, Paternity, Adoption or Shared Parental Leave - we offer a progressive, gender neutral and generous parental leave policy here at Faculty. All parents are given 15 weeks leave at full pay in addition to statutory time off after 12 months of service.
Company values
- Grow the Best Team - Only hire people you’re convinced will make Faculty better. Take others’ development as seriously as your own. Build strong and collaborative teams
- Do Great Work - Master your craft. Take pride in your work, even when no one is watching. Demand the highest standards from yourself and others. Work hard, but do it sustainably
- Be Humble & Kind - Recognise that you’re always learning, and have something to learn from everyone. Always make the decision that is best for faculty, but treat people kindly as you do it
- Act with Integrity - Have the courage to maintain integrity even when it’s costly to do so. Demand this from others without hesitation
- Seek Truth - Seek the truth over winning the argument. Understand the root cause. Create an atmosphere in which the best idea succeeds, regardless of who or where it comes from.
- Maximise Impact - Care about the impact of your work. Find the thing that is most important to your customer. Design the best solution, not just what’s easiest or fashionable. Get it done fast. Make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
Company HQ
Old Street, London, UK
Articles
Leadership
Marc Warner
(CEO)Previously a Marie Curie Fellow in Physics at Harvard University, specialising in quantum sensing.
Andrew Brookes
(CTO)Previously a CTO at Hillgate and Vice President at BlackRock.
Angie Ma
(Co-Founder)Previously a Scientific Consultant at Bio Nano Consulting.
Diversity, Equity & Inclusion at Faculty
Angie Ma (Co-Founder)
- AI changes everything, and so must we to make sure our people reflect the real diversity of society. We believe that recruiting talent with diverse experiences, perspectives and backgrounds encourages people to think differently and be more creative
- We welcome difference whether it’s ethnicity, religion, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or disability so please be yourself!
Share this job
View 66 more jobs at Faculty