Executive Director - Youth AI Safety Institute

Job DetailsJob Location: San Francisco - SAN FRANCISCO, CA 94103Position Type: Full TimeSalary Range: $250,000.00 - $300,000.00 Salary/yearEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Youth AI Safety Institute

ABOUT COMMON SENSE MEDIA

Common Sense Media is the nation’s leading nonprofit dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families. With a 23-year track record of protecting and preparing families for the digital age, it provides research-backed information, education, and an independent voice to help families thrive in the age of apps, algorithms, and AI. Its resources reach more than 150 million users globally, 1.5 million educators, and 100,000+ schools each year.

Launched in May 2026, the Youth AI Safety Institute is the first-of-its-kind independent AI safety lab focused exclusively on children. Modeled on crash-test ratings, the Institute establishes youth AI safety standards, builds open-source evaluations, independently tests consumer AI products, and publishes results for public accountability. Philanthropic funders include Lee Ainslie, Jim Coulter, John H.N. Fisher, Paul Tudor Jones, Gene Sykes, and the Walton Family Foundation; industry funders include Anthropic, the OpenAI Foundation, and Pinterest.

 The Institute maintains full editorial independence over all standards, research, and published results.
 

LEARN MORE

Launch Press Release: commonsensemedia.org/press-releases/common-sense-media-launches-youth-ai-safety-institute
Youth AI Safety Institute: commonsense.org/ai

THE OPPORTUNITY

The Executive Director is the founding leader of the Youth AI Safety Institute—a mission-driven institution-builder who will launch a technically credible global institute and scale it into a trusted, field-level standard setter. This is a role for a leader already accomplished in their own right: deeply steeped in AI, possessed of genuine gravitas, and fully committed to protecting the next generation in the AI era. Managing a $20–25M annual operating budget, the Executive Director reports to the CEO of Common Sense Media and serves as a primary public face of the Institute alongside Common Sense Media’s senior leadership. The ideal candidate brings two equally strong capabilities: (1) deep technical fluency to engage as a peer with frontier AI companies, tooling and evaluation providers, and leading researchers; and (2) exceptional convening ability to drive consensus on youth AI safety standards and hold industry accountable. This leader is a confident relationship-builder equally comfortable making tough calls, navigating conflicts of interest, and engaging the Board with candor.

POSITION DETAILS

Location: San Francisco, CA (Common Sense Media headquarters) Travel: Estimated 25–35% domestic and international
Reports To: CEO, Common Sense Media. Leads senior team across research, standards, evaluations, publishing, and public engagement; works closely with the Board of Advisors (liaison: Dr. Vivek Murthy, former U.S. Surgeon General).
Compensation: Competitive compensation package between $250,000-$300,000 depending on experience.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

 Vision & Strategic Leadership. Own the Institute’s multi-year strategy; make disciplined decisions on scope, cadence, and publication under sustained public and industry scrutiny.
Research, Testing & Standards. Direct product testing, benchmarking, and research; oversee rigorous, reproducible AI safety standards and evaluation frameworks; publish findings—including uncomfortable ones—with full transparency.
Public Leadership & Awareness. Serve as a primary public face of the Institute; drive industry accountability and translate findings for broad audiences through media, campaigns, and global convenings.
Fundraising & Development. Lead closing of major philanthropic commitments; manage multi-year fund structures, funder governance, and supporter relationships.
Talent, Team & Vendor Management. Recruit and retain exceptional staff; build a culture blending startup speed with standards-body rigor; manage vendors and make disciplined build-vs.-partner decisions.
Industry & Stakeholder Engagement. Engage credibly at the highest levels with frontier AI labs, policymakers, and global regulatory bodies; drive consensus on and commitment to youth AI safety standards.
Operational Oversight. Manage the $20–25M annual budget; oversee external research partners and technical evaluators with rigor and accountability.
Board & Governance. Engage Board of Directors and Advisors effectively; uphold conflict-of-interest protocols and editorial independence; maintain durable public trust.

EXPERIENCE & SKILLS

Required

An accomplished, recognized leader in AI, technology, or public policy who brings existing credibility, gravitas, and a strong professional network.
Deep, current fluency in AI—including large language models, evaluation methodologies, and AI safety frameworks— sufficient to engage as a peer with frontier AI labs.
Demons