Policy Advisor

ControlAI•Washington D.C., WA

5h•Onsite

About The Position

We’re hiring a dynamic, strategic advocate to brief members of Congress and the broader US government on the national security threat posed by superintelligent AI. This role, one of our first hires in the United States, will work closely alongside our Executive Director, Connor Leahy, and is central to growing ControlAI’s campaign to prohibit superintelligence. At its heart, this position is about building a broad, bipartisan base of support. We'll likely hire more than one Policy Advisor, and are interested in a wide range of candidates, including: Individuals with experience in US national security, Candidates with media and communications skills or experience, Former Hill staffers. A typical day might involve emailing dozens of legislative staffers in the morning, supporting a senior leader delivering a briefing over lunch, holding meetings with congressional offices in the afternoon, and working to refine our briefing materials in the evening. Successful candidates will thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment that operates more like a startup than a typical nonprofit. They’ll demonstrate exceptional persistence and won’t be deterred by cold outreach and hearing “no” dozens of times. We will consider both early career and experienced candidates. For more experienced candidates, we are open to a Senior Policy Advisor title and a higher compensation range. We recommend reading this article and its follow-up to get a sense of whether you’d be a good fit for this role.

Requirements

Excellence-driven: You are goal-driven, comfortable with ambiguity, and energized by ownership. You take personal responsibility for outcomes and produce high-quality work, striking the right balance between thoroughness and timeliness. You operate with a high degree of autonomy, seeking out new ways to solve problems.
Relentless persistence: You are urgent and seek to overcome obstacles rather than waiting for direction. You get impatient when projects are not moving forward as they should, and take proactive action to move them along. You don’t take “no” as a final answer; you always find another angle or path.
Skilled communicator: You have exceptional interpersonal communication skills and feel comfortable engaging in substantive conversations with policymakers. You enjoy crafting compelling narratives and making complex ideas digestible, memorable, and understandable. You are clear, persuasive, and audience-aware in writing, in person, and in your ability to create materials. You stay on-message even in the face of disagreement, and handle pushback with confidence and skill.
Constantly learning and improving: You are deeply self-reflective. After every congressional meeting, you instinctively ask yourself what you can learn to improve the next time. Six months into the role you’ll be far more effective than you are at first, because your skills compound over time.
Honesty and Courage: Integrity matters to you. You do not shy away from discussing the risk of extinction from superintelligence. You show courage by sharing the true state of the world, providing an example that policymakers can emulate.
Bipartisan credibility: You are effective and credible across political perspectives.
Deep passion for ControlAI’s mission: You believe preventing the risk of extinction from superintelligence is one of the most important and impactful ways you could spend your time.
We are not looking for technical experience or experience with the field of AI safety. We have found that exceptional mission-aligned individuals can learn much of what is needed to succeed in this role quickly.
This is also not the role for someone who is most interested in doing research or writing reports; this is a position with a bias for action.
We encourage you to apply even if you do not feel you have all of the skills and experience listed.
If you're on the fence, we'd love to see your application.

Nice To Haves

Individuals with experience in US national security
Candidates with media and communications skills or experience
Former Hill staffers

Responsibilities

Campaign-style execution: Lead outreach to congressional offices, craft targeted messages, and relentlessly following up to secure meetings with members. Track and report on progress toward goals and deliverables.
Policy advocacy: Meet and brief congressional staffers, members of Congress, and civil servants on the state of AI, the threat of human extinction posed by superintelligence, and ways the US can lead in advancing solutions.
Relationship building: Cultivate relationships with stakeholders across the US government.
Refining our communications and materials: Help test ControlAI’s messaging, iterating quickly and continually optimizing based on feedback and results. Prepare compelling, informative materials for policymakers, translating the extinction risk posed by superintelligence into accessible, understandable content.