Global Public Policy

Thinking Machines Lab•San Francisco, CA

11h•$300,000 - $360,000•Onsite

About The Position

Thinking Machines is seeking a founding policy leader to build and lead its global public policy function. The role serves as the company’s principal policy strategist and advocate on issues that affect the responsible development and deployment of frontier AI, including U.S. federal and state policy, the EU AI Act, international regulatory regimes, export controls, and national security frameworks. The policy leader will work with company leadership to establish substantive policy positions, build and manage the policy team, and represent Thinking Machines with legislators, regulators, and industry counterparts. This is an end-to-end function-building role, including hiring and developing a team and expanding engagement across jurisdictions where policy affects the company’s ability to operate. The position is based in Washington, D.C., with regular travel to San Francisco and other jurisdictions as needed. The expected annual salary range is $300,000–$360,000 USD, depending on background, skills, and experience. Thinking Machines sponsors visas and offers generous health, dental, and vision benefits, unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, and relocation support as needed.

Requirements

At least 10 years of experience in technology policy, government relations, or a related field.
Demonstrated track record of shaping policy outcomes on complex technology policy issues.
Significant experience in U.S. federal policy and direct engagement with legislators or regulators.
Experience building and leading a policy or government affairs function, including hiring and managing a team.
Working knowledge of U.S. state, federal, and international AI regulatory landscapes, including the EU AI Act, and experience engaging on policy issues across multiple jurisdictions.
Excellent judgment translating complex, fast-moving regulatory developments into clear, actionable recommendations for executive leadership.
Strong relationship-building and communication skills, including the ability to represent the company credibly with government officials, industry counterparts, and internal stakeholders.

Nice To Haves

Experience in a frontier AI company, national security, or export control policy context, with familiarity with issues such as deemed exports, compute governance, or model release policy.
Prior government, Hill, or agency experience, such as Congress, Commerce/BIS, or OSTP.
Experience building coalitions with peer companies and trade associations on emerging technology policy issues.
Familiarity with the technical fundamentals of frontier AI development, including training, fine-tuning, and model release processes, sufficient to engage credibly with research and engineering teams.

Responsibilities

Set and drive global public policy strategy, including U.S. federal legislation and executive action, EU AI Act implementation, and policy developments in other key jurisdictions.
Build and lead the public policy team, including hiring, structuring the function, and defining how it partners with Research, Product, Safety, Legal, Communications, and the executive team.
Represent Thinking Machines with legislators, regulators, and agency staff; manage relationships with outside counsel, lobbyists, and advocacy partners.
Lead engagement on key business issues, including frontier model legislation, safety and disclosure frameworks, open-weight model policy, and societal impact.
Translate fast-moving policy developments into clear positions and recommendations for leadership.
Build and manage coalition relationships with peer labs, industry groups, and trade associations, and represent the company in multi-stakeholder forums.
Develop internal policy decision-making infrastructure, including state-of-play tracking, position papers, and escalation paths, so policy considerations inform product and research decisions early.