Standards Program Manager (Youth AI Safety Institute)

Standards Program Manager (Youth AI Safety Institute)

Common Sense Media is the leading nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of kids and families by providing the research-backed information, education, and independent voice they need to thrive in the age of apps, algorithms, and AI. We rate, educate, and advocate for policies to protect and prepare kids online. Our ratings, research, and resources reach more than 150 million users globally, over 1.4 million educators, and more than 100,000 schools worldwide every year. Learn more at commonsense.org.

The Opportunity

Launched in May 2026, the Youth AI Safety Institute is Common Sense Media's newest addition to its programmatic pillar. The Institute establishes safety standards, builds open-source evaluations that AI developers can run against their models, independently tests AI products, and publishes the results to provide transparency and accountability. It is an independent research and testing ground dedicated to ensuring the AI that children use is safe and developmentally appropriate.

The Standards Program Manager will plan, coordinate, and sustain the Institute's multi-stakeholder input processes: the convenings, working groups, and expert sessions through which the Institute gathers the input needed to develop and evolve its AI safety standards. This is a high-volume, high-organization role that requires someone who can manage complex logistics, think strategically about participant engagement, and maintain active relationships with working group members between events.

The Standards Program Manager is not the primary facilitator in these sessions. That responsibility is shared by the Head of AI & Digital Assessments and other senior Institute staff. Rather, this person ensures that every convening is well-designed, well-staffed, and set up for success: the right people in the room, a clear agenda, and strong follow-through on what comes out of it. This role operates in close coordination with the Head of AI & Digital Assessments and the Standards Analyst, and is essential to the Institute's ability to run a credible, transparent, and high-quality standards-setting process.

Location: San Francisco, California

Reports To: Head of AI & Digital Assessments

Salary: $90,000-$110,000

Type: Full-time, exempt

What You'll Do

Convening Planning & Logistics

• Plan and execute a high volume of convenings across multiple formats, including kickoff sessions, closed-door expert roundtables, and technical working groups with industry representation.

• Manage all logistical elements of each convening: invitations, scheduling, venue or virtual platform coordination, travel arrangements, reimbursements, materials preparation, and participant communications.

• Develop and maintain systems and timelines to manage multiple concurrent convenings at different stages of planning and execution.

• Coordinate with Institute staff and organizational partners to ensure convenings are appropriately resourced and supported.

Participant Strategy & Invitation

• In collaboration with the Head of AI & Digital Assessments and other Institute staff, contribute informed recommendations on who should be invited to each convening and why, with attention to expertise, perspective, stakeholder balance, and the specific goals of each session.

• Maintain an evolving roster of potential participants (including subject matter experts, field practitioners, researchers, advocates, and industry representatives) and help the Institute think strategically about participant mix across its portfolio of input processes.

• Draft and send invitation communications that clearly represent the Institute's purpose, independence, and expectations for participation.

Agenda Development & Session Preparation

• In collaboration with the Head of AI & Digital Assessments and other facilitators, help design agendas that are appropriately scoped, sequenced, and calibrated to the goals of each session.

• Prepare session materials, including briefing documents, discussion guides, background readings, and participant bios.

• Ensure facilitators and Institute staff are well-prepared for each session with the context and materials they need.

Stakeholder Relationship Management

• Serve as a consistent point of contact for working group members and participants between convenings, maintaining active and professional relationships on behalf of the Institute.

• Track commitments, action items, and follow-up items emerging from each session, and ensure they are appropriately routed and resolved.

• Circulate materials, summaries, and updates to participants in a timely and organized manner.

• Help the Institute maintain its credibility and relationships with a broad and diverse participant community over time.

Program Tracking & Reporting

• Maintain clear records of convening activity, participant engagement, and working group status across the Institute's standards program.

• Track and report on program milestones, upcoming convenings, and open action items for the Head of AI & Digital Assessments.

• Identify and flag logistical or relationship issues early, before they become problems.

What We're Looking For

Required Qualifications

• Education: Bachelor's degree in a relevant field (public policy, communications, nonprofit management, or related).
• Experience: 3-5 years of experience in program coordination, project management, or stakeholder engagement, preferably in a research, policy, or mission-driven organizational context.
• Event & Convening Management: Demonstrated experience planning and executing professional convenings, roundtables, or multi-stakeholder meetings, including logistics, communications, and follow-through.
• Relationship Management: Proven ability to manage ongoing professional relationships with diverse external stakeholders in a way that reflects well on the organization.
• Organizational Excellence: Exceptional attention to detail and project management skills, with the ability to manage multiple concurrent workstreams without dropping balls.
• Communication: Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to represent the Institute professionally in external correspondence.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience supporting standards-setting, policy development, or advisory processes in a multi-stakeholder environment.
• Familiarity with AI safety, technology policy, or child and youth safety issues.
• Experience working with technical or expert communities (researchers, industry professionals, policymakers).
• Background in stakeholder or community engagement in a research or advocacy context.
• Experience working in mission-driven or nonprofit organizations.

Core Competencies

• Organizational Mastery: Manages complexity across multiple simultaneous workstreams with precision and calm.
• Strategic Thinking: Understands the purpose behind the logistics. Contributes meaningfully to participant strategy and session design, not just execution.
• Relationship Orientation: Builds and sustains professional relationships with a wide range of stakeholders, representing the Institute with consistency and care.
• Proactive Communication: Keeps all relevant parties informed, follows up without being asked, and flags issues before they escalate.
• Collaborative Approach: Works fluidly across internal teams and with senior staff.
• Adaptability: Comfortable operating in a fast-moving, high-volume environment where priorities and timelines shift.

What We Offer

• The chance to work with talented, passionate professionals.
• A great health and welfare benefits package, including medical, dental, vision, a matching 401(k), and other key benefits.
• An organization that offers work/life balance.
• The opportunity to really make a difference in the lives of kids and families!

Common Sense Media provides equal employment opportunities to all qualified individuals and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, pregnancy, age, national origin, physical or mental disability, military or veteran status, genetic information, or any other protected classification or characteristic protected by federal, state, or local laws.

Common Sense Media will also consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records. However, job offers are made on the condition that the applicant subsequently passes a criminal background check. If the background check indicates a prior criminal conviction, we will conduct an individualized assessment to determine whether the conviction should result in denial of employment. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider employment for qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.