PAI Program Lead: Fairness, Transparency, and Accountability in AI


The Partnership on AI (PAI) is seeking a Program Lead to join the Fairness, Transparency, and Accountability in AI (FTA) Team. This Program Lead will work with key PAI stakeholders, including Partners, policymakers, experts from diverse fields, impacted communities, and PAI staff. This is a full-time role that will begin in August or September 2020. PAI is headquartered in San Francisco, with a global membership base and scope, but we will consider remote work.


Background


FTA is the first Research Initiative at PAI and encompasses a large body of research and programming around algorithmic fairness, explainability, criminal justice, and diversity and inclusion. This Research Initiative tackles the challenge of translating the abstract goals of greater fairness, transparency, and accountability into best practices through a combination of rigorous research and multi-stakeholder processes. Our team of researchers is highly interdisciplinary, including expertise in statistics, computer science, social sciences, and law. Equity and social justice are at the core of the research questions we work on. We seek to leverage PAI’s unique position at the intersection of industry, civil society, and academia to identify and address impediments to the adoption of more responsible AI practices.


Prior research we have conducted includes:

https://www.partnershiponai.org/demographic-data/

https://www.partnershiponai.org/xai-in-practice/

https://www.partnershiponai.org/why-pattern-should-not-be-used-the-perils-of-using-algorithmic-risk-assessment-tools-during-covid-19/



About this role


Program Leads play a highly visible role at PAI in bringing people and ideas together by designing multi-stakeholder programming, including steering committees, convenings, and workshops. Program Leads work with diverse stakeholders, and their responsibilities include identifying areas of shared interests and divergent goals, generating buy-in and momentum for research and programs, and distilling research from diverse disciplines for varied audiences. This Program Lead will report to the Head of FTA Research and will work closely with researchers on the FTA Team in providing research and project management support. 


PAI is a fast-paced organization that often requires quick turnarounds, so initiative and efficiency is critical for success in this position. Because of the varied and dynamic nature of PAI’s multi-stakeholder research projects, the ideal candidate should have experience working on projects with diverse stakeholders. 



Key responsibilities include:


Program design and implementation:

  • Design multi-stakeholder programs and processes, including building steering committees and engaging with relevant experts

  • Define, organize, and facilitate key convenings and events for PAI (e.g., define agenda and goals; ensure the right participants for intended outcomes)

  • Produce white papers summarizing findings from multi-stakeholder convenings


Multi-stakeholder coordination and relationship management:

  • Develop and maintain strong relationships with internal and external stakeholders

  • Solicit, record, and summarize feedback from stakeholders

  • Identify untapped stakeholders and ways to increase the reach of research outputs

  • Generate buy-in and excitement for projects at multiple levels of Partner organizations

  • Participate in funding / prospective partner conversations as appropriate


Project management:

  • Manage workstream planning, strategy, and execution with a high degree of autonomy

  • Coordinate across team members to ensure timely and high-quality execution of tasks


Key qualifications include:


  • Strong written and oral communication skills

  • A track record for quality project execution, including experience managing multiple work streams simultaneously and ability to deliver well-executed projects on time

  • Exceptional professionalism and project management skills

  • Creativity and flexibility to achieve goals and outcomes

  • Adaptability when working with people from different industries, domains, and types of expertise

  • Comfort in navigating highly cross-functional internal PAI organization as well as large external network of PAI Partners and stakeholders

  • Ability to quickly gain familiarity with relevant technical and social science literature

  • 5+ years of experience working in professional environments, ideally in cross-functional roles

  • Bachelor’s Degree



Preferred qualifications include:


  • Experience running programs with a wide variety of stakeholders 

  • Experience organizing conferences, workshops, webinars, or similar events

  • Experience launching new initiatives and/or working in start-up environments

  • Experience working in the technology sector, especially on AI-related teams

  • Experience in client-facing professional services, ideally with some degree of interfacing with executives 

  • Experience with interdisciplinary research

  • Graduate degree with research or coursework related to AI ethics. Familiarity with machine learning is ideal.

 

We know that research has shown that some potential applicants will submit an application only when they feel that they have met close to all of the qualifications for a role—we encourage you to take a leap of faith with us and submit your application as long as you are passionate about working to make real impact on FTA in the AI industry. We are very interested in hearing from a diverse pool of candidates.

 

PAI is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  We celebrate diversity and we are committed to creating an inclusive environment in all aspects of employment, including recruiting, hiring, promoting, training, education assistance, social and recreational programs, compensation, benefits, transfers, discipline, and all privileges and conditions of employment.  Employment decisions at PAI are based on business needs, job requirements, and individual qualifications.

 

PAI will consider for employment qualified applicants with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance or similar laws.

The Partnership on AI may become subject to certain governmental record keeping and reporting requirements for the administration of civil rights laws and regulations. We also track diversity in our workforce for the purpose of improving over time. In order to comply with these goals, the Partnership on AI invites employees to voluntarily self-identify their gender and race/ethnicity. Submission of this information is voluntary and refusal to provide it will not jeopardize or adversely affect employment or any consideration you may receive for employment or advancement.  The information obtained will be kept confidential.  

 

Application Materials:

1.    Resume or CV

2.    Cover Letter

3. 3-5 page writing sample (please append to cover letter): this can be any writing for which you were the primary author and does not need to be about any topic related to this project or PAI 

4.    3 References [name, title, email, phone]

The application deadline is July 20, 2020. Any applications received after the deadline will be reviewed on a rolling basis if the position is unfilled.


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