Director, AI Strategy – Mental Health

This is a fully remote position, open to applicants in New York.

📋 Description

• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of advancements in AI technology and evaluate their implications for mental health and suicide prevention.

• Propel JED’s initiatives in AI safety, evaluation, benchmarking, standards, and associated field-building efforts.

• Collaborate with technology, research, mental health, suicide prevention, and public interest partners to integrate pertinent priorities into evaluation frameworks, scenarios, constructs, measures, and various methodologies.

• Utilize expertise in model and system behavior, safety evaluations, red-teaming, safeguards and mitigations, failure modes, and evaluation methodologies to pinpoint strengths and weaknesses.

• Enhance strategies that address acute safety failures along with the concepts of relationships and dependency, connection and belonging, agency, coping, help-seeking, protective factors, developmental variations, and constructive applications of AI.

• Oversee advising work with technology companies, evaluating AI products, features, and safety strategies while formulating actionable recommendations.

• Establish JED’s positions, frameworks, principles, recommendations, and guidance on AI and emerging technologies.

• Detect emerging challenges, evidence gaps, and prospects for JED engagement.

• Cultivate and manage relationships with technology companies, AI safety and evaluation organizations, academic and independent research institutions, public interest organizations, philanthropic entities, and mental health and suicide prevention organizations.

• Work in conjunction with JED’s Knowledge & Advising, Policy, Programs, MarComms, and other teams.

• Represent JED in collaborative efforts, working groups, expert processes, convenings, and external forums.

• Contribute to new initiatives, partnerships, proposals, and funding opportunities.

• Report to the SVP, Youth Strategies & Chief Engagement Officer.

⛳️ Requirements

• Approximately 7+ years of relevant professional experience, including significant involvement in AI, AI safety, responsible AI, AI evaluation, human-AI interaction, or a closely related discipline.

• Exceptional candidates with alternative career paths but equivalent depth of experience will be taken into account.

• Strong working knowledge of contemporary AI technologies, including generative AI, large language models, multimodal systems, conversational AI, agents, memory/personalization, and emerging human-AI interfaces.

• Proven understanding of AI safety and evaluation, encompassing model and system behavior, evaluation and benchmarking, red-teaming, failure modes, safeguards and mitigations, and the strengths and limitations of existing methodologies.

• Experience applying technology, safety, evaluation, research, or related expertise in high-stakes human domains such as mental health, suicide prevention, healthcare, public health, child and adolescent wellbeing or safety, child protection, online safety, violence prevention, or another closely related area.

• Working knowledge of mental health, suicide prevention, behavioral health, public health, or a related field sufficient to engage meaningfully with domain experts and comprehend the implications of AI systems for individuals in distress or vulnerable situations.

• Technical fluency adequate to engage credibly and independently with AI researchers, engineers, evaluation and safety teams, and product teams; this role does not necessitate the candidate to be an ML engineer.

• Proven ability to connect technical advancements to their implications for human behavior, safety, wellbeing, products, institutions, or society.

• Excellent analytical, synthesis, writing, and communication skills, with experience in developing frameworks, strategies, recommendations, guidance, or thought leadership.

• Strong judgment and comfort in navigating both technical and nontechnical domains.

• Experience driving complex projects involving multiple internal and external stakeholders, coupled with strong relationship-building and collaboration skills.

• Direct experience in mental health, suicide prevention, behavioral health, digital mental health, or a closely related field is highly preferred.

• Experience focused on children, adolescents, families, development, or populations experiencing heightened vulnerability is highly preferred.

• Experience working directly with technology company product, safety, evaluation, or research teams is highly preferred.

• Experience developing or implementing benchmarks, evaluations, safety frameworks, standards, or red-teaming methodologies is highly preferred.

• Experience translating technical research for public interest, product, policy, practitioner, or other nontechnical audiences is highly preferred.

• An advanced degree may be advantageous but is not a requirement.

🏝️ Benefits

• Competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package.

• Opportunities for professional development and career advancement.

• A collaborative and inclusive work environment.

• The chance to make a significant impact in the field of mental health and AI safety.