Finance Analyst

About Us

FAR.AI is a non-profit AI research institute dedicated to ensuring advanced AI is safe and beneficial for everyone. We work at the intersection of machine learning, safety research, and policy, supporting a global community of researchers and practitioners. At FAR.AI, we believe in thoughtful, inclusive, and scalable operations that empower our team and partners to do their best work.

Since our founding in July 2022, we've grown quickly to 30+ staff, producing 30+ influential academic papers, and established the leading AI Safety events for research and international cooperation. Our work is recognized globally, with publications at premier venues such as NeurIPS, ICML, and ICLR, and features in the Financial Times, Nature News, and MIT Technology Review.

We drive practical change through red-teaming with frontier model developers and government institutions. Most recently, we discovered major issues with Anthropic’s latest model the same day it was released, and worked with OpenAI to safeguard their latest model. Additionally, we help steer and grow the AI safety field through developing research roadmaps with renowned researchers such as Yoshua Bengio. We also operate FAR.Labs, an AI safety-focused co-working space in Berkeley housing 40 members, as well as support the community through targeted grants to technical researchers.

About the role

We're looking for a Finance Analyst to partner with our Head of Finance to build and run an exceptional finance function at FAR.AI. You’ll work across the full range of FAR.AI’s financial operations, owning day-to-day processes and systems while contributing to budgets, reporting, and analysis to enable an efficient and smooth scaling from 30 to 75 people over the next 18 months.

This is a rare opportunity to apply strong finance fundamentals in a mission-driven environment. You'll collaborate closely with leadership, with broad exposure across finance and operations, and help scale the financial infrastructure for a growing organization. If you're ready for something entrepreneurial where you can take ownership while maintaining rigor, this role is for you.

Key Responsibilities

Financial Analysis & Reporting

• Coordinate preparation of monthly and quarterly financial reports for leadership and board.
• Track budgets and variances and provide monthly updates.
• Monitor cash flow and support treasury operations.
• Provide ad hoc financial analysis and reporting to support strategic decisions.
• Prepare financial reports for donors in alignment with grant-specific requirements.

Finance Operations

• Oversee bill payments, expenses, and contractor invoices in coordination with our external bookkeeper.
• Maintain finance systems and ensure data accuracy and consistency.
• Support month-end close, reconciliations, and preparation of audit and tax materials.
• Assist and own various compliance tasks, including state filings and documentation for external accountants.
• Identify and implement improvements to make finance processes more efficient as FAR.AI grows.

Vendor Management & Procurement Support

• Support vendor management, purchasing, and contracting.
• Oversee inventory of company assets and coordinate purchasing.
• Serve as a first-line of vendor contract reviewer and provide recommendations for leadership.

Team Support

• Serve as a finance resource for teams across the organization, helping colleagues navigate budgets, expenses, procurement needs, financial processes, and other ad hoc needs.

About You

You care about doing meaningful work and enjoy bringing order to a fast-moving, growing organization. You take ownership, stay calm when things change, and look for simple ways to make systems, processes, and finances run smoothly. You’re thorough without overcomplicating things, and people trust you to get things right.

Must-have Experience:

• 3-5 years of experience in accounting, finance, or finance operations.
• Strong financial modeling and Excel/Google Sheets skills (We use Google Suite at FAR.AI)
• Experience with accounting systems (QuickBooks, NetSuite, or similar).
• Detail-oriented with excellent organizational skills.
• Comfortable managing multiple priorities and deadlines.

Nice-to-have Experience:

• Experience in fast-paced environments: You've worked in startups, nimble nonprofits, or high-growth teams before and can adapt to change quickly.
• Background in professional services (accounting, audit, or advisory consulting) or FP&A teams at larger organizations where you learned financial rigor and analytical discipline.
• Understanding of tax-exempt organizations or nonprofit compliance.
• Previous work experience as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).
• Knowledge of GAAP.

Logistics

You will be a full-time employee of FAR.AI, a 501(c)(3) research non-profit.

• Location: Berkeley, CA (Hybrid is an option).
• Hours: Full-time (40 hours/week).
• Compensation: $100,000-$130,000/year depending on experience. We will also pay for work-related travel and equipment expenses, and offer catered lunch and dinner at our office in Berkeley.
• Hiring process: A phone screen, a task test, in-depth interviews with the team, and a half-day work trial, followed by reference checks.

If you have any questions about the role, please do get in touch at talent@far.ai.

If you don't have questions, the best way to ensure a proper review of your skills and qualifications is by applying directly via the application form. Please don't email us to share your resume (it won't have any impact on our decision). Thank you!