Policy Director, Implementation and Government Talent

Policy Director (Implementation and Government Talent) — Secure AI Project

We are hiring for our implementation team! This person will work to ensure that state level AI safety legislation (SB 53, RAISE, SB 315) is effectively implemented and enforced, with a special focus on making sure that the best possible people apply to work in the government offices responsible for these laws.

Basic info about the role:

• Compensation: $140,000 and $260,000
• Location: Remote (US only). We currently have staff in the Bay Area, Washington D.C., Boston, Denver, Durham, and rural Vermont.
• Contact: hiring@secureaiproject.org

We are open to hiring both early-career and highly experienced candidates. For the latter, we are open to higher compensation. We prefer candidates with existing U.S. work authorization but may be able to sponsor visas for exceptional candidates.

To apply, submit an application here by 11:59pm PT, July 26, 2026.

About the Secure AI Project

We develop and advocate for pragmatic policies to reduce risks of severe harm from advanced AI. We were founded in December 2024 and operate as a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. Our cofounders are Nick Beckstead and Thomas Woodside, and our full team is here.

Our initial focus on state-level AI policy

Thus far, we’ve worked very closely with state legislators to pass some of the most comprehensive AI safety bills in the country; SB 53 in CA, the RAISE Act in NY, and SB 315 in IL. These laws apply to everyone doing business in CA, NY, and IL, which includes all major AI developers. You can read more about bills we have supported here.

We’ve prioritized state work because 1) very powerful AI systems may be developed soon, 2) federal action has been stalled, 3) success in state legislatures could build momentum for and/or yield many of the benefits of federal legislation while being much more tractable, and 4) this work otherwise receives little attention from the AI policy community.

About the position

This position is on our policy implementation team. After we pass state bills, we do everything we can to ensure that state governments implement and enforce them well. This means building relationships with state bureaucracies, developing policy recommendations for them, advocating for their budgets, and helping them hire the best possible people. We’re looking for someone who has the policy background to work on all of these goals and the networking skills to own the last one.

Why the focus on talent placement: SB 53 and RAISE created state government offices with multimillion-dollar budgets and oversight authority over every major frontier AI developer. The people who fill these roles will shape how AI safety regulation works in practice for years to come. But state governments do very little to advertise these jobs. Most of the strong candidates who have applied so far came from direct SAIP outreach. We have talked to adjacent organizations like Horizon Institute and 80,000 Hours; they don't have the capacity to do the high-touch work this requires.

How we envision this role.

You’d lead government talent matching at SAIP. This is a team effort; the CEO can open doors to senior leaders in the field, other team members can help with sourcing and pitching, and you can work with contractors as needed. However, you’d set the strategy and own the outcome. During busy periods this work might take up to 50% of your time.

Depending on your strengths, you’d work on some or all of the implementation team’s other priorities:

• Policy writing: Creating written materials for government agencies or the public explaining how legislation should be complied with or implemented.
• Corporate policy analysis: Analyzing company statements, model cards, and other published documents to assess compliance with SB 53, RAISE, and other frontier AI legislation.
• Government relations: Meeting with agencies charged with implementing frontier AI legislation and connecting them with experts.
• Strategic communications: Communicating with AI companies, journalists, and the public about findings from corporate policy analysis and advocating for meaningful compliance.

About you

Key qualifications

• A strong existing network in the AI safety, AI policy, or technical AI community, or the ability to build one
• Excellent written and interpersonal communication skills
• Ability to quickly get up to speed on company safety policies, legislation, or new policy areas.
• Ability to stay organized and get a lot of things done in a given week, as demonstrated by your track record and reference checks.

You may be a good fit if you:

• Work really hard and have conviction about focusing on the kinds of policy issues we do.
• Think carefully and well about soft issues involving people, politics, communications, and social dilemmas, and can make appropriate pragmatic compromises in these contexts.
• Like to get nerdy about law and policy, and think and communicate precisely.
• Are relentlessly resourceful.
• Are available and responsive to time-sensitive requests.
• Get impatient when a project could be moving forward but is not, and spring into action.

If you are potentially interested in the role but unsure whether you are qualified, we strongly encourage you to reach out. We are happy to consider candidates with unconventional backgrounds.

Benefits

• Excellent health insurance integrated with OneMedical membership (we cover 100% for employees and their dependents).
• Dental, vision, and life insurance.
• Five weeks of PTO per year.
• Three months of fully paid family leave.
• An 8% 401k grant (not match).
• A generous professional development stipend and equipment budget.
• Support for remote work. We'll cover a remote workspace outside your home if you need one.

Steps in hiring process:

1. Application review

1. After you submit your application, we’ll review it and aim to follow up within two weeks of the application close date. In some cases, we may follow up with some additional questions to collect further information about your experience prior to evaluating your application.

1. Informational call - optional 15 minute call, to give you a chance to learn more about Secure AI Project.
2. Paid hiring exercise - tasks resembling a core responsibility.
3. 1-3 additional interviews
4. Reference checks
5. Work trial

1. We may request a 2 day paid work trial, to give you a chance to work with us, and for us to learn a bit more about what it is like to work with you.
2. We recognize that this won’t be possible for everyone — while we’d like to do this as a way to give us a chance to get to know finalists better, please don’t let this be a barrier to applying if you’re unable to make this work logistically.

1. Decision and offer

In some cases we may skip a step or change the order slightly.