Senior Technologist, AI Governance Lab

Center for Democracy & Technology•Washington, DC

13h•$105,000 - $145,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is seeking a Senior Technologist with research and/or applied technical expertise on issues relating to the governance of artificial intelligence. This is a senior role within CDT’s AI Governance Lab , and will help shape and execute our agenda related to the responsible design, testing, monitoring and regulation of AI systems. The Senior Technologist will structure and lead original research as well as contribute to writing and speaking publicly on issues that are core to current AI governance efforts in the public and private sectors. Example topics include: developing effective AI auditing ecosystems, analyzing the implications of increasingly personalized and agentic AI systems, evaluating and advancing transparency practices such as system cards and model disclosures, and evaluating emerging risks from foundation models and their downstream applications. We welcome applicants interested in both technical and sociotechnical approaches to AI risk assessment and mitigation. As a key part of CDT’s AI Governance Lab team, the Senior Technologist will have the opportunity to shape cutting-edge efforts to establish norms and requirements for AI governance at a critical moment for the field. Recent developments—including rapid advances in foundation models and frontier AI systems, increasing AI deployment across sectors, and evolving regulatory frameworks—make this work particularly urgent. The Lab develops and promotes adoption of robust, technically-informed solutions for the effective regulation and governance of AI systems by: Developing, analyzing, prototyping and amplifying best practices for AI governance solutions Advocating for the adoption of responsible AI governance solutions through multi-stakeholder initiatives, standards-setting, and direct-to-company engagement Advising policymakers on effective legislative and regulatory approaches Supporting civil rights organizations, consumer protection organizations and other public interest advocates engaging on AI issues by providing technical and operational expertise Building bridges for the research community to better participate in and inform current policy debates, particularly around technical developments and their societal implication Tracking recent technical developments at the frontier of AI research and translating and communicating them to internal and external policy audiences Grounding AI research and policy in the needs of impacted stakeholder groups and the use context The Senior Technologist will help drive each of these activities, leading their own projects and initiatives while also serving as part of a fast-paced, collaborative team. Some examples of recent projects include developing recommendations for privacy-supporting AI architectures , developing contextually grounded evaluations , conducting empirical research on AI documentation , and explaining foundation model safety concepts . This role may involve managing junior technologists, researchers or fellows on the team as needed; details will be determined on a case-by-case basis depending on the candidate’s experience and background. This is a full-time role, but we are open to a term-limited fellowship for appropriate candidates. About CDT The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that fights to advance civil rights and civil liberties in the digital age. We champion policies, laws, and technical designs that empower people to use technology for good, while protecting against invasive, discriminatory, and exploitative uses. CDT was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1994 and has operated a second office, in Brussels, since 2014. CDT works to protect people’s rights across a range of technology uses and applications, with a strong focus on privacy and data governance (including specific projects on health privacy , education , worker privacy , and disability rights & tech ), as well as projects on government surveillance , elections & democracy and free expression/platform governance . We engage policymakers in the U.S. and the European Union, advocate for companies to adopt best practices, represent the public interest in multistakeholder processes and standards bodies, file amicus briefs in court, conduct original research, and raise public awareness about how technology design and governance impact our democracy and social inequality. CDT is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and collaborates closely with its partner organization, CDT Europe, which is based in Brussels.

Requirements

An advanced degree in a relevant discipline such as computer science, information science, engineering, economics, public policy, or similar research qualification and experience (including industry experience), or commensurate practical experience.
Demonstrated research and/or applied experience in the form of publications (reports, conference papers, peer-reviewed papers, etc.), presentations, frameworks, GitHub repos or other outputs, and the demonstrated ability to translate technical research findings to non-technical and/or non-expert audiences.
Familiarity with the AI governance landscape including current debates around AI system and foundation model evaluation, approaches to risk assessment, and emerging regulatory frameworks.
Interest in technology's societal impacts, particularly how AI systems affect individuals and communities based on race, gender, disability, income, immigration status, or other characteristics
Excellent writing skills for communicating with technical, policy, and general audiences

Nice To Haves

Hands-on work testing advanced AI systems is particularly desirable.
Candidates with knowledge of ongoing AI safety research, stakeholders, and related policy discussions including debates around model capabilities, alignment approaches, and risk mitigation strategies, are particularly encouraged to apply
Some research management experience is a plus

Responsibilities

Developing, analyzing, prototyping and amplifying best practices for AI governance solutions
Advocating for the adoption of responsible AI governance solutions through multi-stakeholder initiatives, standards-setting, and direct-to-company engagement
Advising policymakers on effective legislative and regulatory approaches
Supporting civil rights organizations, consumer protection organizations and other public interest advocates engaging on AI issues by providing technical and operational expertise
Building bridges for the research community to better participate in and inform current policy debates, particularly around technical developments and their societal implication
Tracking recent technical developments at the frontier of AI research and translating and communicating them to internal and external policy audiences
Grounding AI research and policy in the needs of impacted stakeholder groups and the use context

Benefits

100% covered health care, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents
flexible spending and dependent care accounts
life insurance
short-term & long-term disability insurance
a 403(b) retirement account (CDT contributes 6% of your salary following a year of employment)
13 company holidays
closed for the period between Christmas and New Years
paid vacation (15 days per year, increased with tenure)
sick days
parental leave