JOB: COO, Golden Gate Institute for AI (SF/DC/or remote USA)
Julia Silbergeld
Golden Gate Institute for AI | San Francisco Bay Area or Washington, DC
About Golden Gate Institute for AIAI is changing the world faster than any technology in history. Experts can't agree on what's happening, and decision-makers are drowning in contradictory information. The Golden Gate Institute for AI is a new nonpartisan think tank that bridges disciplines, convenes experts, and publishes accessible analysis to help leaders navigate AI's transformation.
Through our flagship conference The Curve, intimate expert gatherings, and collaborative research projects, we've built an unparalleled cross-sector network spanning frontier AI labs, venture capital, policy shops, civil society, elected officials, and academia.
Just months after launch, we're already seeing traction: 350+ important figures from across the field attending our conference, 5,000+ Substack subscribers, partnerships with important organizations in the space, and coverage in key outlets like Breaking Points and Hard Fork. Now we're aiming to scale from our small founding team to 10+ staff by the end of 2026.
Golden Gate is led by Steve Newman, creator of Google Docs and a serial entrepreneur with multiple successful exits, and Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, a longtime leader at the nexus of technology, democracy, and social innovation. Together, we bring decades of experience turning ideas into products, companies, and movements – and a shared commitment to shaping the trajectory of AI for humanity’s benefit.
In just a short time, our work has resonated across the AI ecosystem:
“The Curve brings people together with radically different ideologies and worldviews and allows them to talk until they identify surprising areas of overlap.” – Jack Clark, Head of Policy, Anthropic
“The Curve conference, held at Lighthaven in Berkeley, was arguably the most concentrated gathering of AI insiders I’ve encountered.” – Afra Wang, tech/China journalist
“The biggest update for me was realizing just how much these different groups still have to learn from each other, and how low the barriers are to effective dialogue.” – Sam Hammond, Chief Economist, Foundation for American Innovation
The RoleAs our first Chief Operating Officer, you'll build the organizational backbone to enable our ambitious growth. You'll manage the team and build the systems, processes, and infrastructure that allow our founders to focus on high-level strategy, thought leadership, fundraising, and external engagement, while our expanding team executes effectively. This is a rare opportunity to shape a mission-critical organization from the ground up during a pivotal moment in AI's trajectory.
You'll report directly to CEO Taren Stinebrickner-Kauffman, work closely with our President Steve Newman, and manage most of the small but growing team.
What You'll Definitely Do (or Manage Others to Do)Run the Organization
Run day-to-day operations so our President and CEO can focus on research, thought leadership, and external engagement
Manage strategic planning and other significant decision processes on program activities
Translate strategic vision into concrete action plans and execution timelines
Make executive decisions on operational matters without needing founder approval on every detail
Anticipate risks and anything falling through the cracks, and proactively solve problems
Finance, Compliance, and Fundraising
Own budgeting, forecasting, and financial tracking for a $3-4M annual budget, working with our fiscal sponsor (Social Good Fund)
Manage legal compliance, including training staff on relevant regulations
Manage contractor payments, vendor invoices, and funder reporting
Oversee grant administration, compliance and reporting
Manage the creation of fundraising materials and our funder stewardship strategy; support the CEO and President’s fundraising activities
Build and Manage the Team
Lead recruiting and hiring as we grow from 4 to 10+ team members, and manage most of those staff in your reporting structure (1-3 staff might report directly to the CEO still)
Build onboarding systems that get new hires productive quickly
Establish workflows, project management systems, team communication norms, and performance management and professional development systems
Define and develop a strong team culture
Lead staff meetings and retreats
TechOps and Network Management
Manage technology stack decisions
Ensure that the team is trained on and fully leveraging new workplace productivity tools, including AI-first tools and other automation tools like Zapier
Establish processes and norms around managing our CRM and database of 2,000+ AI ecosystem contacts; ensure that the CRM remains complete and up-to-date
Lead Fiscal Spinout (anticipated for H2 2026 or H1 2027)
Project manage our transition from fiscal sponsorship to independent 501(c)(3) status
Handle legal formation, IRS application, and state registrations
Support CEO and President to develop a strong board of directors
Establish independent financial systems, HR infrastructure, and benefits administration
Ensure zero disruption to programs during transition
Build relationships with accountants, lawyers, and service providers
Depending on who we hire and how the organization’s priorities develop, some of these functions/workstreams will likely be managed by the COO, and some might continue to be managed directly by the President or CEO.
Comms & owned media: Build out a communications strategy and function that supports the team to build Golden Gate’s brand and maximize our impact; manage the branding, structure, and editorial calendar of our newsletter(s) and other owned channels
Events: Manage everything from our flagship conference, The Curve, to smaller topic-based retreats, invitation-only dinners, and public-facing events in SF and DC. Many of these will involve significant collaboration with partner organizations.
Research and policy: Manage research staff, fellows, etc.
Partnerships: Manage big collaborations with external partner organizations
Proven operations leadership: You’ve got 8+ years of work experience, including at least 4 years in an operations, chief of staff, COO, HR, or similar role.
Management experience: You have 5+ years of management experience, including with a multi-layer team of 10 or more people.
Scrappiness: You've built systems from scratch in fast-moving, impact-oriented environments. You thrive in ambiguity and can context-switch between strategic thinking and tactical execution.
Mission-orientation: You believe AI is one of the most important issues of our time and want to help shape its trajectory for the better. You’re low-ego and thrive on creating an environment for the whole team to succeed.
Financial acumen: You experienced with budgets, forecasts, and financial reporting
Execution excellence: You're obsessed with follow-through and have a track record of turning plans into reality.
Tech-savviness: You are probably already deeply familiar with Google Suite and/or Notion; you can master new tools like CRMs and task management systems quickly.
Internal communication: You have strong written and verbal communication skills.
We hope the successful candidate might come with 3-5 of these, but we are not expecting all in the same person!
Deep knowledge of the AI discourse: Maybe you routinely listen to AI podcasts or read AI Twitter and Substack. You might gossip about who Meta poached from OpenAI, have an opinion on AI as Normal Technology, or be able to explain the pros and cons of state preemption.
Early AI adopter: You’re an early adopter of AI and other productivity tools; you enjoy figuring out how to automate or augment workflows.
Relevant networks: You have existing relationships among key stakeholders for Golden Gate, including but not limited to: policymakers and think tanks; venture capitalists and startup founders; economists studying AI; the robotics industry; and frontier AI lab staff.
Nonprofit setup and governance: You’ve previously started a nonprofit from scratch; even better if you spun out of a fiscal sponsor in the process! You’ve served on and/or managed nonprofit boards.
Research background: You’ve worked at a think tank, policy advocacy, or academic research organization.
Events & facilitation: You’ve run conferences, retreats, or other “deep events”; you’re an excellent facilitator and have great judgment at constructing agendas.
Design: You have strong design sensibilities, experience managing a visual brand, and can do basic projects in Canva and Figma yourself.
External communication skills: You’re a strong writer and editor of newsletter-style content, and can help coach staff members to improve their writing and public speaking skills.
Media operations: In our dream world, you’d specifically have experience supporting podcasters or Substack authors – but any media/publications background or significant social media experience is helpful.
Fundraising ops: Experience with nonprofit donor stewardship, nonprofit fundraising operations, and grants management.
Salary: $150,000-$225,000, depending on experience and location
Benefits: Health insurance, 401K, generous PTO
Location: San Francisco Bay Area or Washington, DC preferred; remote considered for exceptional candidates, but must be US-based.
Start date: ASAP, no later than January 2026
Please submit an application here: https://forms.gle/2z5kPkdAevUxziWg8
We review applications on a rolling basis. First-round conversations will be 30-minute video calls.