General Counsel

About METR We are a nonprofit research organization that develops scientific methods to assess AI capabilities, risks, and mitigations, with a specific focus on threats related to AI R&D automation and misalignment. We believe it is robustly good for policymakers and civil society to have a clear understanding of risks from AI systems, and we are extremely excited to build a team of ambitious, excellent people to tackle one of the most important challenges of our time. About the role METR is looking to hire its first in-house General Counsel to build our legal function from the ground up and help set our strategic direction for the next phase of METR’s growth. As our first legal hire, you’ll be building our legal capacity from zero to one, which includes standing up processes, deciding outside counsel strategy, and defining our internal policies. This is a strategic counsel role, and you’ll be a direct partner with the leadership team on how METR negotiates frontier AI lab agreements for evaluations as well as how we manage legal risk across all our work. In-person strongly preferred. Remote considered in exceptional cases. Work you’ll be owning may include: Providing strategic guidance to the leadership team on novel questions related to our work with frontier AI labs and policymakers. Leading on contract negotiations with frontier AI companies for evaluations and assessments. Building processes to support a scaling team including contract review and managing internal policies (e.g. conflict of interest, confidentiality, and data handling). Ensuring compliance related to 501(c)(3) status, reporting requirements, and our agreements (grant, vendor, and partnership contracts). Providing HR guidance on employment-related matters such as hiring, offer letters, visas, and terminations. Type of candidate we are looking for: A strategic thinker who is comfortable forming a view with little set precedent. A highly organized system builder who is comfortable working in fast-paced, ambiguous environments (e.g. tech companies) and is able to oversee multiple high-stakes deliverables. A strong communicator who can distill complex legal issues into clear guidance to non-lawyers. Minimum Requirements JD from an accredited law school and an active member of the CA bar or are able to qualify as an in-house counsel in CA. At least 10 years of experience, including both firm and in-house experience. Familiarity with the AI space, including working knowledge of how frontier AI labs operate. Experience managing external counsel across a number of domains at a high quality. Experience negotiating complex commercial contracts. Preferred Qualifications Direct experience working with frontier labs or experience working in the AI safety ecosystem. Experience working with government or regulators. Our Culture METR is a mission-driven organization. We believe our work can meaningfully shape humanity's future for the better, and we want to be the best people in the world doing this work. We have a tight-knit, collaborative research culture rooted in truth-seeking and integrity. We're fiercely committed to producing high-quality, trustworthy science. We're honest and transparent about our results, especially when they may go against the grain. We've earned trust as reliable partners who handle confidential information with care. We maintain a low-ego, drama-free environment focused on what matters. Hybrid Requirements: Our technical team members are in our office in Berkeley 3-5 days/week. Please let us know in your application if this is a constraint. If you lack US work authorization and would like to work in-person (strongly preferred), we can likely sponsor a cap-exempt H-1B visa for this role . We encourage you to apply even if your background may not seem like the perfect fit! We would rather review a larger pool of applications than risk missing out on a promising candidate for the position. We are committed to diversity and equal opportunity in all aspects of our hiring process. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. We welcome and encourage all qualified candidates to apply for our open positions.