Job description
Encode • Washington, DC
Please submit applications here.
About Encode AI
Encode AI advocates for responsible AI development that serves the public interest. We've helped shape major AI policy wins across the federal and state level, including passing California's SB 53, New York's RAISE Act, the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act, America's first nuclear weapons AI safeguards, and twice blocking efforts to place a blanket moratorium on state AI regulation.
We also hold the industry accountable through strategic challenges, including amicus briefs, coalition letters, and direct advocacy which contributed to OpenAI maintaining its nonprofit status.
Each of these wins would not have been possible if we were the only ones working towards them. At the core of our success is our ability to organize unexpected coalitions of organizations and individuals that would not normally come together.
Role Overview
This role will be focused on building those coalitions to drive our priorities forward. Responsibilities include:
Coalition building:
- Help to identify gaps in legislative and advocacy campaigns and recruit allies to fill them.
- Intentionally work across disparate issue areas such as child safety and catastrophic risk to build a more unified coalition for action in Congress and the states.
- Rapidly build up and support networks of advocates in states where Encode has active legislation across the country.
- Work towards building and supporting a broader movement, not just advancing the specific campaigns that Encode runs.
- Build out the digital infrastructure that supports Encode’s coalition building and campaigns including managing our coalition lists and supporter updates.
Grassroots advocacy:
- Quickly find and recruit high profile individuals and grassroots advocates to testify in states where Encode does not have or is actively building a new presence.
- Manage contractors to build Encode’s email and call list, run patch through campaigns at the state and federal level, and support our digital presence.
- Plan rallies, press conferences, lobby days, and events to support Encode’s agenda at the state and federal level.
- Coordinate with local groups capable of organizing state-level events and advocacy and engage them in constituent level meetings in Congress.
Legislative and legal campaigns:
- Rapidly analyze and communicate the nuances of complicated legislation that we are supporting or asked to support.
- Prepare one-pagers, policy briefs, talking points, and explainers for both civil society partners and policymakers.
- Brief our partners and policymakers on both the substance and politics of our campaigns.
- Predict and prepare for how industry, press, and our partners will react to high level decisions.
What we’re looking for:
- You are highly sociable and enjoy spending your time working with people and building relationships
- You thrive in a team environment with direct, frequent feedback and open communication
- You are experienced and able to work with individuals and organizations you may disagree with on areas of tech policy but can find common ground and work on important areas of agreement
- An ability to quickly become familiar with new policy areas
- A natural sensitivity to complex coalition dynamics including competing priorities and areas of disagreement
- A willingness to take risks, move quickly, and strategically take hard positions when necessary
- Comfortability with a fast-paced, demanding environment (40+ hours/week is standard)
- Able to handle emergency requests and weekend work when needed
- While not a requirement, we have a preference for someone who comes from the existing tech advocacy ecosystem because of this role’s focus on coalition building
What we offer:
- Opportunity to work on some of the most important policy challenges of our time
- Direct impact on legislation affecting AI development and safety
- Collaborative, high-energy team environment
- Professional development in cutting-edge policy areas
- Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits
The base pay for this role is $120,000 — $180,000.