How we work
Building A World-Class Research Institution
The core values, working style, and hiring practices we follow at Convergence
Working at Convergence
We’re an international team spread widely across 5 countries - the US, UK, Portugal, Estonia, and Canada.
We typically meet 2-3 times per year at conferences, as well as a group retreat annually. We meet primarily in GMT afternoon hours, and have varying hours outside of that based on our time zones.
We tend to hire self-driven contributors who are capable of leading projects, kicking off new initiatives, and functioning well in an open-ended environment. We look for empathetic, decisive individuals who have a unique background and are able to produce quality output effectively.
Because of the strategic and ever-changing nature of the AI safety landscape, we heavily prioritize flexibility and dynamism in our roles - we recognize very clearly that the projects we’re working on now may need to change within the next six months.
We are looking for new team members that strongly exhibit our core values, as we believe these give us a common base to be able to execute and collaborate effectively.
How we work
Our Core Values
Impact Focus
Our number one priority is on creating tangible outcomes that significantly contribute to mitigating risks associated with AI development. This value drives us to prioritize actions and strategies that have the highest potential for real-world impact. We constantly re-evaluate the effectiveness of our efforts, ensuring that our work translates into practical interventions.
Transparency & Empathy
We engage in open, honest, and straightforward communication at all levels. We believe that effective output requires clear, unambiguous dialogue combined with genuine care and empathy. Communicating directly but empathetically enables us to tackle difficult questions head-on, encourage constructive feedback, and foster a culture of transparency and trust.
Adaptivity & Creativity
AI safety is a nascent field of research, with massive uncertainty around likely scenarios and effective strategies to steer the maturation of AI. Given this landscape, we emphasize regularly reassessing our strategic approach and thinking creatively to overcome challenges. Internally, we encourage a culture where unconventional ideas are welcomed and explored.
Interdisciplinary Thinking
We recognize that the complexities of AI safety cannot be fully addressed through a single lens. Good analysis intersects various disciplines – from hardware expertise, to ethics, to governance policy, to technical alignment. By embracing diverse perspectives and hiring across a variety of fields, we can develop more effective strategies.
How We Hire
Our hiring process contains three different stages - Entry, Core, and Extended.
The Entry stage comprises:
a Written Interview, consisting of multiple short questions (1-2hrs);
a preliminary role-specific Work Task (1-2hrs);
and, should these two written exercises indicate you are a strong fit for the role, a General Interview with our CEO David Kristoffersson to discuss your responses and application generally (1hr).
The Core stage comprises:
a two-day Work Test — completing a real-world task, giving you a feel for the role and helping us to understand your skills and attitude — completed remotely, and for which you will be compensated (16hrs);
and, should the task submission demonstrate a good fit for the role, three interviews, specifically
a History Interview, covering your background and general experience to date (2hrs);
a Focused Interview, covering specific aspects of your experience relevant to the role in more detail (2hrs);
and an Alignment Interview, covering compatibility in attitude, philosophy, culture, and so on (1-2hrs).
The Extended stage comprises:
a one- to two-day collaborative Work Test — completing work together as a team, and in-person where this is possible — for which you will be compensated, and with any expenses covered (8-16hrs);
and our discussion with several References.
We believe that dedicating considerable time to our hiring process is essential for assembling the most robust team possible. Acknowledging that our recruitment approach is more rigorous than average, we provide financial compensation for the completion of our work tests.
This practice serves a dual purpose: it removes the economic barriers that might deter prospective candidates, and it conveys our respect for the effort and time invested by applicants in these evaluations.
Interested in working with us?
Contact us at jobs@convergenceanalysis.org and we'll be in touch shortly.
How we work
Our Research Principles
how we work