Strategic Projects Lead - Ai Safety
AfterQuery
Job Score
100 ptsAbout AfterQuery
AfterQuery is an applied research lab curating data solutions for foundation model development.
We serve every frontier AI lab with the mission of delivering the best data to power the best models. In doing so, we can make expertise that once took a lifetime to build available to anyone who needs it. Our customers are the ones building the foundation models themselves and our work sits directly in the loop of how those systems improve.
This is a rare opportunity to join a company at a defining moment in AI. Since raising our $30M Series A at a $300M valuation, AfterQuery has grown well over a $100M revenue run rate.
We're based in San Francisco and backed by leading investors including Altos Ventures, BoxGroup, and Y Combinator and angels from Google DeepMind, OpenAI, Anthropic, Meta Superintelligence Labs, and Microsoft AI.
Why Apply
Massive Opportunity:
We were one of the fastest-growing YC companies in our batch, and we believe we can become one of the fastest-growing YC companies of all time.
Founding Impact:
You will own and architect core infrastructure systems that power our platform from the ground up.
Equity & Growth:
Competitive salary and meaningful equity. As we scale, you’ll have the opportunity to shape the engineering organization and lead major technical initiatives.
Strong Team:
Our founding team has experience from Citadel Securities, Meta, Google, Silver Lake, and Morgan Stanley — work alongside world-class engineers and researchers.
Responsibilities
Project and client management: Partner directly with the safety, alignment, and trust & safety teams at frontier AI labs — scoping their hardest data problems, translating them into deliverable programs, and driving revenue.
Manage expert teams: Recruit and lead specialized contributors — red teamers, security researchers, trust & safety practitioners, and domain risk experts — and hold a high bar on the quality of what they produce.
Shape how frontier models are made safe: Design the specifications behind adversarial datasets, jailbreak and attack taxonomies, refusal-boundary and over-refusal sets, and safety benchmarks that labs use to measure and improve model behavior.
Build the red teaming machinery: Stand up repeatable methodologies — human red team campaigns, automated attack generation, coverage tracking against harm taxonomies — rather than one-off deliverables.
End-to-end execution: Own projects from first conversation through final delivery, in a fast-moving environment where the spec often does not exist yet.
Operational impact: Support initiatives across building, analysis, coordination, and execution as we scale the safety practice.
Required Qualifications
2+ years in AI safety, red teaming, trust & safety, adversarial ML, or security research; at a frontier AI lab, FAANG, top security firm, or equivalent.
Hands-on adversarial experience: jailbreaking or stress-testing frontier models, prompt injection research, offensive security, penetration testing, bug bounty, CTFs, or trust & safety investigations and enforcement.
Fluency with how safety work is actually structured (harm taxonomies, evaluation design, safety frameworks and model policy).
High agency and the ability to execute in ambiguity; comfort defining the problem before solving it.
Strong writing. Much of this job is specifying risk precisely enough that fifty other people can execute against it.
Genuine passion for AI and interest in entrepreneurship.
Demonstrated track record of competitive success.
Strong leadership and communication skills.
Python proficiency and the ability to write production-quality code.
Preferred Qualifications
Published safety, alignment, or security research.
Track record in bug bounty, CTF, or model red teaming competitions.
Experience building automated red teaming or eval pipelines.
Depth in a high-consequence risk domain (cyber, bio, fraud and financial crime, child safety, influence operations).
Experience using AI tools to automate workflows and build products.
About Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is currently the fastest-growing field in the technology market. The revolution in generative models (GPT, Claude, Gemini) has created massive demand for AI-specialized professionals.
Key areas of practice include Machine Learning Engineering, MLOps, Prompt Engineering, AI Research, and Applied AI. Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and LLM knowledge are essential skills.
AI salaries are the highest in the technology sector, with many remote work opportunities at international companies.
About Scrum Master
The Scrum Master is the professional responsible for facilitating the adoption of Scrum and agile practices within development teams. They act as servant leaders, removing impediments, promoting continuous improvement, and ensuring Scrum events and ceremonies happen in the best possible way.
Key skills include event facilitation (sprint planning, daily, review, retrospective), backlog management, team coaching, conflict resolution, and agile metrics (velocity, burndown, cycle time). Knowledge of Jira, Trello, Azure DevOps, and frameworks like Kanban, XP, and SAFe is a differentiator.
Scrum Masters in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who can promote team autonomy, create psychologically safe environments, and lead agile transformations at scale. The field offers opportunities from junior scrum master to agile coach, head of agile, and director of agile transformation.
About Public Relations
The Public Relations (PR) area focuses on managing the reputation, image, and communication of an organization with its various stakeholders (such as clients, investors, employees, media, and the community). PR professionals develop corporate communication strategies, manage media relations (press relations), organize institutional events, and work in image crisis prevention and management.
About Advertising
The Advertising area is aimed at the planning, creation, and delivery of communication campaigns to promote brands, products, ideas, or services. Professionals in the sector work in advertising agencies or in-house marketing departments in creative fields (art direction, copywriting), strategic planning, account management, and media buying.
Discover Other Areas
Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.
About Talent Acquisition
Talent Acquisition is the strategic area responsible for attracting, selecting, and hiring the best professionals for the organization. Unlike traditional recruitment, TA acts as a strategic business partner, aligning talent acquisition with the company's long-term objectives.
Key skills include advanced sourcing, employer branding, labor market analysis, talent pipeline management, and candidate experience. Tools like LinkedIn Recruiter, ATS (Greenhouse, Lever, Ashby), and assessment platforms are essential.
TA professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master tech sourcing, workforce planning, and recruitment metrics like time-to-hire and cost-per-hire.
About Content Writer
The Content Writer is the professional responsible for creating quality written content for websites, blogs, social media, and other digital platforms. They combine writing skills with content strategy and SEO to attract, engage, and convert audiences.
Key skills include blog content creation, landing pages, newsletters, social media content, keyword research, content strategy, editorial calendar, and SEO writing. Knowledge of WordPress, Surfer SEO, Ahrefs, and analytics tools is a differentiator.
Content Writers in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who can create accessible technical content, evergreen content, and content that generates organic traffic. The field offers opportunities from junior content writer to head of content, with a focus on quality, strategy, and content performance.
About Administrative
The Administrative area is responsible for ensuring the efficient functioning of all organizational operations. Administrative professionals manage processes, human resources, procurement, and facility management.
Key skills include process management, Office 365, administrative ERPs, compliance, and people management. Knowledge of automation and AI tools is becoming increasingly relevant.
The digitization of administrative processes has created new opportunities for professionals who master technology and management.
About Web Designer
The Web Designer is the professional responsible for creating visual interfaces for websites, web applications, and landing pages, combining aesthetics, usability, and user experience. They transform business needs into functional and responsive layouts that communicate brand identity.
Key skills include UI design, responsive design, prototyping (Figma, Sketch, Adobe XD), wireframing, design systems, accessibility (WCAG), information architecture, and basic HTML/CSS knowledge. Knowledge of UX design, motion design, and front-end is a differentiator.
Web Designers in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master design systems, design tokens, and can create interfaces that convert and engage. The field offers opportunities from junior web designer to product designer and design lead.
About Office Suite
Proficiency in Office Suite is an essential skill for professionals across various areas. Microsoft Excel, Word, PowerPoint, and Outlook are fundamental tools in the corporate day-to-day, while Google Workspace and other collaborative solutions are gaining increasing space.
Key skills include advanced Excel (formulas, pivot tables, Power Query, VBA/Macros), Word (formatting, mail merge, styles), PowerPoint (presentation design, animations), Outlook (email and calendar management), and collaborative tools like Google Sheets, Notion, and Airtable.
Professionals with advanced Office Suite proficiency are valued in administrative, financial, data, and operational areas. Microsoft Office Specialist (MOS) certifications are important differentiators. The combination of advanced Excel with data analysis skills is one of the most in-demand competencies in the market.