Director of Business Operations

KEY FACTS

Constellation Institute brings together people tackling the most important and urgent problems in AI safety and security, and supports them to do their best work. Unlike a conference or summit, Constellation operates continuously, in the form of a research center where 250 leading researchers and experts work together each day, allowing for deep trust, collaboration and share insight. Constellation also runs fellowships, events, and programs that support a network of 600 (and growing) experts, researchers and operators who are best positioned to help humanity safely navigate transformative AI.

For excellent operators, this is a rare opportunity to apply excellent execution and judgment to an existentially important problem – one with global scale, real influence, and serious backing. The work sits at the intersection of research, industry, and policy, and directly supports the experts and organizations that are shaping the future of how frontier AI systems are developed, evaluated, deployed and governed.

ROLE DETAILS

• Title: Director of Business Operations

• Reports to: President 

• Location: SF Bay Area (Berkeley, CA)

MISSION

To build the ecosystem that helps humanity safely navigate transformative AI

LEADERSHIP TEAM

• Meghna Mann - President 

• Nicole Ross - Director of Convening

• Jameace Maliga - Director of People

• Keith Weissglass - Director of Program Operations

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Nate Thomas - Co-Founder, Constellation & Redwood Research 

• James Bregan - Co-Founder, Constellation 

• Owain Evans - Executive Director, Truthful AI

• Cullen O’Keefe - Director of Research, Institute for Law & AI

EMPLOYEES 

~30 employees (projected growth to ~40-50 in the coming year); Network size: 600  

FUNDING

Constellation is a 501c3 non-profit with an annual budget of ~$20M. It is funded by Coefficient Giving (the philanthropic foundation of Dustin Moskovitz, Co-Founder, Facebook and Asana)

WHY CONSTELLATION? WHY NOW? 

Frontier AI companies are developing advanced AI at an unprecedented rate. In the coming years, these AI systems could either be set up to drive unprecedented benefit to humanity, or cause widespread upheaval, disempowerment, or irreversible risk and harm. 

There is widespread agreement, from experts to the public, that we must safely navigate the development of AI. Yet today, efforts to make AI safe and secure face widespread limitations: in some areas, ideas and projects are lacking; in others, existing work struggles to scale or gain adoption. Such widespread limitations point to a deeper issue: a systemic shortfall in capacity, capability, and cooperation across the AI safety field.

Constellation exists to address this by building the ecosystem needed to safely navigate transformative AI: one that enables the generation, operationalization, and adoption of the most impactful AI safety ideas. It does this by: 

• Empowering individuals to generate or contribute to high-leverage ideas and projects

• Helping new or early-stage efforts scale through strategic and operational support

• Fostering coordination and collaboration across the field, and accelerating the uptake of safety advances in frontier AI companies and governance institutions

Constellation is backed by Coefficient Giving, (the foundation of Dustin Moskovitz, founder of Asana and Facebook), providing the institute with long-horizon capital, stability, and the ability to invest ahead of the curve. This support underwrites a 60,000-square-foot research center in downtown Berkeley, where hundreds of researchers and practitioners work side by side in an environment designed to foster deep focus and high-leverage collaboration.

More than a physical space, Constellation is a dense network of over 600 researchers, safety teams, policymakers, and funders who regularly exchange ideas, challenge assumptions, and collaborate across organizational boundaries. The value of the institute comes not just from who is present, but from the ongoing mindshare and trust built through repeated, in-person interaction.

The organization is now entering a new phase of growth, with an expanding team, a growing budget, and increasing operational complexity. This role is an opportunity to help scale the systems and structure that support this unique ecosystem - ensuring Constellation continues to operate with clarity, credibility, and effectiveness as the stakes increase, and its impact must grow.

WHAT?

The Director of Business Operations will own Constellation’s core finance, legal, and compliance functions while partnering closely with the President and senior leadership. The role combines operational ownership with strategic decision support as the organization continues to scale.

Scope includes:

• Strategic finance 

• Legal and non-profit compliance

• Audit oversight and reputational risk management

• Real estate and facilities economics

• Oversight of a small internal team and key external partner

• Financial and operational modeling to support complex, non-standard decisions

WHO?

The ideal candidate is a thoughtful, highly capable operator with strong financial and operational foundations and a genuine interest in building durable systems. This role is well suited for someone who enjoys creating structure in evolving environments, brings sound judgment to complex decisions, and is comfortable working across finance, legal, and operations in service of a mission-driven organization. 

Experience & Background

• Experience across finance, business operations, or adjacent leadership roles, with evidence of end-to-end ownership and system building in environments with ambiguity

• Strong analytical foundation, with the ability to use financial and operational data to support decision-making

• Exposure to nonprofit, philanthropic, or otherwise regulated environments, or clear ability to adapt to them quickly

• Experience managing external partners such as accountants, legal counsel, auditors, or other service providers

• Comfort owning multiple operational areas without a large, established team

Nice to Haves

• Broad operator background (e.g., business operations, Chief of Staff, or other leadership roles in organizations of comparable or larger size and complexity)

• Experience building or maturing foundational systems in startups, scale-ups, or mission-driven organizations

• Familiarity with real estate, facilities, or other asset-intensive operations

• Interest in growing into broader operational leadership as the organization continues to scale