Defense and Intelligence Specialists

Opportunity Overview

Handshake is looking for defense and intelligence specialists to support AI research through flexible, paid contract work. AI models increasingly face questions that blur the line between legitimate defense work and requests that should never be fulfilled. You’ll draw on your professional experience to evaluate how AI models handle high-stakes defense and intelligence scenarios.

This is an ongoing, project-based opportunity you can take on alongside your current role.

What You’ll Do

• Evaluate realistic scenarios related to policy review, readiness support, evidence analysis, surveillance, and targeting

• Identify where AI responses go wrong, whether by refusing legitimate requests or by assisting with requests that should be declined

• Document what needs to change, helping define the line between what the model should and shouldn’t output

• Provide clear, structured written feedback grounded in your professional judgment

• Work remotely and complete tasks at your own pace, with no set schedule or minimum hour requirement

All contributions to this project must come from information already lawfully in the public domain: published doctrine, open literature, open-source reporting, and general professional judgment. Please do not share classified or otherwise restricted information at any level.

Qualifications

• Location: Based anywhere in the world and able to work remotely in an asynchronous, self-directed capacity

• Professional experience: At least 3 years of experience in a defense, military, or intelligence role, such as operations, intelligence analysis, targeting, surveillance and reconnaissance, readiness and logistics, or defense policy

• Domain knowledge: Working knowledge of one or more of the following areas:

• Military doctrine and operational planning

• Intelligence collection and analysis, including open-source intelligence (OSINT)

• Targeting, surveillance, and reconnaissance

• Defense policy, rules of engagement, and the laws of armed conflict

Additional qualifications (not required, but strengthen your application)

• Experience with allied or non-US military, intelligence, or defense policy institutions, or with multinational operations (e.g., NATO or coalition work)

• Advanced degree or professional military education in international security, strategic studies, national security, or a related field

Required for all applicants

• Strong written communication and attention to detail

• Ability to explain complex defense and intelligence concepts clearly

• Sound judgment on dual-use and ethically complex questions, and comfort working with sensitive scenarios

• Commitment to using only publicly available information, and to never sharing classified or restricted material

• Ability to work independently in a remote, asynchronous environment