Public Policy Associate

Perplexity • Washington, DC

3d • $185,000 - $200,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

Perplexity is seeking a Public Policy Associate in Washington, D.C. to manage its engagement with Congress, the executive branch, trade associations, think tanks, and the broader D.C. ecosystem. This role involves building and maintaining relationships, executing policy communications strategies, and representing Perplexity's positions in various forums. The ideal candidate will have experience working within a congressional office and representing an organization before Congress, understanding how policy is made and moved. This is a hands-on role focused on relationship building and execution, where the associate will be responsible for translating company strategies into actionable policy engagement.

Requirements

• At least 3 years of professional experience.
• Time spent on Capitol Hill in a personal office or on a committee is strongly preferred.
• External lobbying experience (government relations or law firm representing clients, or in-house at a company).
• Registered lobbying experience under the Lobbying Disclosure Act is strongly preferred.
• A strong existing Washington network and the ability to grow it.
• Proven event execution skills, capable of managing events from 20 to 150 people end-to-end.
• Strong writing skills, able to summarize meetings concisely and create effective briefing materials.
• Sound judgment in determining what issues to escalate, handle independently, and how to represent the company.
• Genuine curiosity about AI policy and Perplexity's work, with a willingness to learn.
• Comfort with a demanding schedule that includes mornings, days, and evenings.
• Based in Washington, D.C. and able to work in the office four days a week.
• Willingness to travel occasionally.

Nice To Haves

• Hill experience on judiciary, commerce, intelligence, or AI-focused portfolios.
• Experience staffing a principal at a company, agency, or trade association.
• Existing relationships within the AI and tech policy community in D.C.

Responsibilities

• Execute the policy communications strategy set by the Comms and executive leadership teams.
• Translate company positions into talking points, event backgrounders, and rapid response materials.
• Feed intelligence gathered from policy engagements back to legal, policy, and product teams.
• Build and maintain relationships with Hill staff (personal offices and committees), executive branch staff, trade associations, think tanks, and civil society organizations.
• Advocate directly by taking meetings, presenting company positions, and tracking relevant bills and rulemakings.
• Manage Perplexity's D.C. event footprint, including Hill staff briefings, roundtables, product demos, receptions, dinners, and off-sites, overseeing guest lists, venues, run of show, and follow-up.
• Represent Perplexity in coalitions and trade association working groups, tracking discussions and contributing the company's perspective.
• Partner with think tanks and civil society groups on convenings, research launches, and joint programming.
• Prepare Perplexity's leaders for D.C. engagements by creating briefing books, preparing for meetings, and providing post-meeting recaps.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Entry Level
• Education Level: No Education Listed