Writer & Editor

Epoch AI is looking for a founding Writer & Editor as we launch a new media team to bring our research to a wider audience. The role will involve pitching, writing, and editing pieces for a general audience as part of our new media program. 

We are looking for a Writer & Editor to produce excellent journalism on AI for a general audience. Your day-to-day activities will include pitching and discussing ideas for articles with the media team and other researchers, writing your own pieces and editing other writers’ copy. 

An ideal candidate has spent multiple years writing and editing at a major publication and has worked closely with many different writers. As a founding member of the media team, will have substantial input into the editorial direction of a well-resourced and ambitious publication helping the public to make sense of AI. 

For this role, we have a strong preference for candidates who are able to work in-person in our Berkeley office, particularly during the first six months as the media team gets established. We will consider remote candidate and can hire in many countries, though we require working hours that overlap with Pacific Time for at least 4 hours during the workday.

We invite anyone who is interested to apply, regardless of background, experience, or credentials. Please do not include a cover letter, photograph, or headshot of yourself, or any personal information that is not relevant to the role for which you're applying (including marital status, age, identity traits, etc.). Applications are rolling.

Key responsibilities

• Edit drafts from our researchers and media team into clear, engaging pieces for a general audience
• Write first drafts from outlines and ideas supplied by the team
• Set and uphold editorial standards across the media program
• Help the program publish consistently, starting at at least one piece per week

What we're looking for

• 5+ years as an editor at a major publication, e.g. in legacy news media
• Excellent writing of your own, shown by published work for a general audience
• Experience editing for many different writers and improving their work quickly
• Ability to make technical material clear without dumbing it down
• Entrepreneurial spirit as a founding member of the team

Prior experience covering AI, science, economics, finance, or other technical beats, and familiarity with the AI ecosystem would be a plus, but are not expected. Interest in learning matters more than expertise.

Compensation & Benefits

• Annual salary between $125,000 and $155,000 USD, or more for exceptional candidates. 
• For successful candidates based in the San Francisco Bay Area, we will adjust salaries upwards to 21% more.
• In Washington DC and New York City, we will adjust salaries upwards to 10% more.
• In countries where employment costs are particularly high we will adjust salaries downwards 10%, or 20% in Brazil, Sweden, or France.
• Salaries are not restricted to USD, and contracts and payments are usually in local currencies. Conversions are based on one-year average exchange rates.
• The opportunity to help build a new media team from the ground up, meaningfully shape its direction and share in the upside.
• Competitive benefits program, including comprehensive health insurance, life insurance, and retirement plan.
• Generous paid time off (PTO), including no specific annual limit, with 30 days PTO per year protected, unlimited personal and sick leave, and 4 months paid parental leave for permanent staff with at least 12 months of tenure (prorated parental leave if less than 12 months). 
• A flexible and generous expense policy for you to spend on equipment and a large range of productivity tools or learning/development opportunities, including unlimited spending on AI tools, subject to regulations and manager approval. 
• Access to our very well-equipped offices in Berkeley, California, including paid meals, snacks, gym, and more, or reimbursement for coworking space closer to home.

Additional Information

We prefer candidates who are able to work in-person in our Berkeley office. We will consider remote candidates, though we require working hours that overlap with Pacific Time for at least 4 hours during the workday.

Please submit all of your application materials in English and note that we require professional level English proficiency.

Epoch is committed to building an inclusive, equitable, and supportive community for you to thrive and do your best work. We’re committed to finding the best people for our team, so please don’t hesitate to apply for a role regardless of your age, gender identity/expression, political identity, personal preferences, physical abilities, veteran status, neurodiversity or any other background. Please email [email protected] if you have any questions about this role, accessibility requests, or if you want to request an extension to the application deadline. However, we will not review applications submitted to this email address; please submit your application through the link on this page. 

Epoch AI is a research institute that investigates trends in machine learning and the economic consequences of AI. Our mission is to develop a comprehensive, publicly accessible knowledge base on AI that informs policymakers, industry leaders, and society at large.

We strive to achieve both rigor and accessibility to our work, as exemplified by some of our most successful projects, including our database of AI models and our AI trends dashboard. Our body of research includes our work on compute trends (IJCN 2022), data scarcity (ICML 2024), and algorithmic progress (NeurIPS 2024). You can read more about our work and mission on our website and in this Time profile.