Head of Operations

Kairos is looking for a Head of Operations to own all operations functions including finance, compliance, HR, grant logistics, internal systems and policies. You'll be responsible for keeping the organization compliant and fast-moving across the full spectrum of ops functions, and for providing experienced leadership as Kairos grows and launches programs with new needs. A major part of this role is running operations for Kairos Labs, the incubator launching to support new field-building projects.

• Own Kairos's internal operations including finance, accounting, compliance, and people operations
• Manage bookkeepers and accountants, lead annual audits and 990 filings, own treasury, and build budgeting and financial planning
• Keep the organization on top of federal and state filings, charitable registrations, and nonprofit governance requirements
• Own payroll, benefits, employer-of-record relationships, onboarding and offboarding, and HR policy across a globally distributed team
• Build internal infrastructure including dual controls, documentation, employee handbook, and workflows
• Support fiscally sponsored projects with their ops needs, from finance to hiring
• Guide founders through nonprofit formation and the path to operating independently
• Build grant infrastructure to make grant processing fast, compliant, and pleasant for grantees
• Oversee fiscal sponsorship of Pathfinder groups and manage spending controls, support, and compliance
• Manage and grow the ops team as both expand

• Around 7+ years of experience across operations with real depth in hard skills, especially finance and compliance
• Nonprofit experience is a strong plus
• Systems-builder with a UX mindset who builds efficient processes and avoids unnecessary bureaucracy
• Highly organized with careful tracking of to-dos and information
• Comfortable in startup mode, proactive and agentic about improvements
• Mission-aligned and care about making advanced AI go well
• Comfortable operating in the AI safety ecosystem and its culture
• Preferred: Experience leading operations or finance at a nonprofit, experience setting up or advising on nonprofit incorporation and fiscal sponsorship, context on AI safety and the broader ecosystem

Complete the application form (10–20 mins) at the link below. The full application process includes: screening call (15 mins), take-home assignment (1.5–3 hours, paid), interview (45 mins), reference checks, and work trial (3–4 days, paid).