Senior Officer, AI Technology Policy

Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation•Washington, DC

5d•$209,100 - $324,100•Onsite

About The Position

The Foundation is the largest nonprofit fighting poverty, disease, and inequity globally. This role is within the U.S. Program's Advocacy & System Improvement team, specifically on the Policy & Advocacy team. This team focuses on building and advancing the foundation’s education policy agenda by translating programmatic learning, field evidence, and strategic priorities into policy perspectives and advocacy strategies. The position is located in Washington DC and is a limited-term role for 24 months. The Senior Officer, AI Technology Policy will provide deep technical grounding to support the development and implementation of the foundation's AI policy. This involves translating developments in AI technology, governance, and industry practice into actionable insights. The role requires firsthand knowledge of the technology sector, including stakeholders, dynamics, and realities of AI system development, deployment, and governance, bringing these perspectives and relationships to bear on the team's policy agenda.

Requirements

An Advanced degree or equivalent demonstrated experience.
Significant experience in technology policy, AI governance, or a closely related field, with demonstrated expertise in how AI systems are developed, deployed, and governed.
Mastery level knowledge of the AI governance landscape, including federal and state regulatory activity, industry self-regulatory frameworks, and emerging international standards and their implications for AI use in the United States.
Demonstrated ability to translate complex technical and regulatory developments into clear, actionable analysis for diverse audiences including foundation leadership and programmatic partners, with excellent written and verbal communication skills.
Comfort and credibility operating in a policy environment that spans changing federal administrations and varied state political contexts, with a track record of building durable relationships that aren't tied to a particular party or administration.
Strong analytical and research skills, including the ability to rapidly assess emerging developments, identify their strategic implications, and develop well-reasoned points of view under conditions of uncertainty.
Must have unrestricted work authorization in the country where this position is located. The Foundation does not provide immigration-related sponsorship for this role. This includes direct company sponsorship and any work authorization requiring a written submission or other immigration support from the company (eg: H-1B, O-1, L-1, E, OPT, STEM-OPT, CPT, TN, J-1, etc.).
Employment will be contingent upon successful completion of a background check.

Nice To Haves

Intellectual curiosity about education and a demonstrated commitment to learning quickly in new domains; familiarity with the K-12 or postsecondary policy landscape is an asset but not required.

Responsibilities

Serve as the team's internal resource on AI safety, governance, regulation, and technology policy — monitoring and advising on developments across federal agencies, the technology sector, and national and international AI governance bodies; analyzing emerging and nascent governance frameworks, regulatory proposals, and industry practices; and translating their implications for students, educators, institutions, and the foundation's education policy agenda.
Work closely with the senior program officer for AI and data infrastructure to strengthen the team’s AI policy perspectives, ensuring they are well-grounded in the realities of AI technology, governance, and industry practice.
Synthesize evolving technical and regulatory context quickly and accurately — identifying what is known, what is uncertain, and what the strategic implications are for the foundation’s work.
Develop analytical products, briefings, and points of view for the Policy & Advocacy team and division leadership that translate complex AI governance and technology policy developments into actionable implications for the foundation’s work.
Advise program strategy teams on the technology policy landscape as it relates to their investments in AI-enabled tools, helping them understand emerging regulatory developments and governance considerations that may affect their strategies.
Identify relevant AI governance convenings, multistakeholder forums, and technical/policy contacts worth cultivating, and support colleagues who represent the foundation in these spaces.
Support the team’s engagement with technology sector partners, AI governance organizations, and relevant federal agencies — bringing tech world relationships and perspectives to the table and providing technical grounding that strengthens the foundation’s credibility in these spaces.
Help identify and cultivate relationships with new stakeholders across the technology sector, academia, civil society, and government — expanding the breadth of perspectives the team can draw on without diluting the rigor of its policy positions.
Communicate complex technical and policy developments in a clear, structured, and audience-appropriate way, tailoring analytical products to the needs of foundation leadership, programmatic partners, and external audiences.
Support inclusive culture through modeling behaviors and actions; escalate issues in a timely fashion to appropriate stakeholders.