Palisade's mission is to help people and institutions build the understanding needed to avoid permanent disempowerment by strategic AI agents.

Who we are

Palisade Research is a 501(c)(3) AI safety nonprofit. Our mission is to help people and institutions build the understanding needed to avoid permanent disempowerment by strategic AI agents. We do this through research and demonstrations that reveal what AI systems are actually capable of, and by communicating those findings to the public and to policymakers. You may know us from our work on specification gaming, shutdown resistance, self-replication, or our YouTube video covering why AI is a massive problem.

What we need

Over the last year and a half our work has scaled, and so has the number of things our leaders are balancing at once. We are looking for an Executive Assistant to support Jeffrey Ladish, the Executive Director.

Jeffrey is looking for a generalist with a strong bias toward action. Experience is a plus, but a ton of experience isn’t necessary if you are good at picking up things quickly and thinking on your feet.

You need to be organized, either by disposition, or by clever application of systems.

If you use Claude Code or Codex all the time (regardless of whether you’ve studied CS or programmed in the past), that’s a big plus.

Your background should fit one of these:

We expect strong candidates will come from one of three profiles (or a blend):

1. You're fluent in the AI safety World: You understand AI safety and the way people in this ecosystem think, talk, and prioritize. You can follow a technical or strategic conversation well enough to know what matters and what to do next. You may have less formal executive assistant experience, but you're organized, fast, and have good judgment.
2. You're an experienced assistant: You've supported executives at a high level before, ideally more than one at once, and you know how to buy back a leader's time. You don't need to know AI safety yet, but you're curious and learn fast.
3. You bring deep transferable experience: You might not fit either of those exactly. If you've never held the title of executive assistant but bring deep experience from other demanding roles (operations, project management, chief of staff work, production, government, or elsewhere), apply anyway. We value transferable experience, and the underlying skills here (judgment, coordination, anticipating needs, making leaders more effective) show up in many careers.

Whichever profile fits, you:

• Enjoy building systems that make other people more effective
• Have exceptional judgment about priorities, confidentiality, and when to act vs. ask
• Communicate clearly and proactively with leadership and the broader team
• People trust you because the things you own stay owned
• Have a flexible, wide-ranging skill set
• Work well in person and enjoy being in the middle of a fast-moving team
• Handle sensitive information with total discretion

Nice to have

• A background in government or policy. Given the nature of our work with policymakers, arriving with an understanding of how that world operates would be a real benefit to the team
• Experience in AI safety, research, policy, or nonprofit environments

What you’ll do

• Work with the entire team: You’re first and foremost Jeffrey’s Executive Assistant, but Palisade is a small team and most of Jeffrey’s work is collaborative. 
• Process inboxes: Manage and organize both inboxes, and escalate the right requests. Some of this can be automated, but a human touch matters here.
• Act as a force multiplier: Draft first versions of decks, docs, and correspondence Jeffrey can build from. Prepare briefings on the topics and people they’re meeting with and handle follow-ups.
• Run point on logistics: Travel, booking, events, expenses, and external scheduling with funders, policymakers, and partners.
• Support special projects: That might mean coordinating the setup of a podcast studio, managing logistics for an event, or building a new tool from scratch using Claude.
• Solve problems proactively: Anticipate needs and spot friction.

Application Process

Candidates who move forward can expect the following process:

1. Initial interview with John Steidley, Chief of Staff or Jeffrey Ladish, Executive Director
2. Paid work trial/test (approximately 5 hours)
3. Second round interview with John or Jeffrey
4. Reference checks
5. In person, paid, work trial (1 week in Berkeley working with Jeffrey)
6. Offer

Role Details

• Based in Berkeley, CA, in person
• Reports to Executive Director
• All job-related inquiries should be directed to [email protected] to ensure fair consideration. We're unable to discuss openings through other channels.
• Health, dental, and long-term disability insurance & unlimited PTO
• $110,000 - $155,000 annual salary

Palisade Research is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, age, marital status, medical condition, physical or mental disability, genetic information, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state, or local law.

Pursuant to the California Fair Chance Act and the Berkeley Fair Chance Access to Employment Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

If you need a reasonable accommodation during the application or interview process, contact us at [email protected].