Policy Advisor / Senior Policy Advisor

Role Overview

As a Policy Advisor or Senior Policy Advisor, you'll primarily be building campaigns to pass state AI laws. That means everything from supporting policy development to helping government agencies implement laws that pass. You'll also be a versatile team member who can jump on other, often unexpected, opportunities to make an impact.

Some of the work happens in rooms with people who think about AI all day, but most of it doesn't. You'll spend most of your time with lawmakers, staffers, and coalition partners who have twenty minutes and dozens of other priorities. A core part of the job will be helping them understand your work and why they should care.

What the Role Entails

In a given month, you might:

— Write a statement and testify in a committee hearing — Read an opposition letter and write a point-by-point rebuttal — Turn around an op-ed in a day to address the rapidly-shifting political mood — Brief a legislator’s staff on a bill they’d never heard of two weeks ago — Fly out for a single, high-stakes meeting in a state capitol to meet someone face-to-face — Speak with a reporter and talk them through why a bill matters before they file their story that day — Write a coalition letter and get twenty organizations to sign it, ranging from religious groups to workers’ rights advocates — Listen to an opposition group complain about your bill for an hour and figure out which three issues matter most to them — Show up at a conference and leave with three phone numbers from advocates you can ask to help organize a lobby day — Work with a local lobbyist to map out the legislative process for the next six months and identify the core decision-makers you’ll need to win over — Write a long Slack message about why we should accept or reject a proposed amendment that might improve your bill’s chances

We're a small, flat team, and we want everyone to own the problems they're working on. If you see something that needs doing, you do it.

What We're Looking For

We can imagine quite a few different personalities and shapes of people who would really excel in this role. We'd be excited for you to apply if you identified with a few of the statements listed here — this is about ruling you in, not out:

You're relentlessly resourceful. You think about what needs to be done and make it happen without someone telling you exactly what to do. When you run into obstacles, you find creative ways to get around them. You like working your way through ambiguous, hard problems.

You're great at connecting with people, including people who aren't like you. You can walk into a room of people who've never thought about AI and come across as smart, earnest, and reasonable. Chances are that you like working with people, and you feel as comfortable talking about someone's family life as you are about AI policy minutiae.

You're an effective communicator. In conversation and in writing you can break down complicated topics into terms your audience can understand and relate to. Many of the policymakers and external partners we work with haven't spent much time yet thinking seriously about AI, and you're ready to meet them where they're at.

You feel excited about the nature of the work. AI policy is high-stakes work with unpredictable and often tight deadlines. Legislative sessions, hearings, and other people's deadlines set the pace, and when a bill moves, we move with it. We're looking for someone who's genuinely motivated by the mission and ready to work hard to make good policy happen.

You pick things up quickly. You're able to dive into a new topic area or new kind of work, ask questions, find the information you need, and build a grasp of the basics within a few days.

Otherwise, no specific credentials or experience is required. Familiarity with AI policy or previous experience in advocacy, policy, law, technology or related areas helps but isn't essential. It's more important that you're able to learn quickly on the job.

What We Offer

• Work on some of the most important policy problems of our time, at an organization with a track record of tangible wins
• Real responsibility from week one and a direct impact on legislation affecting AI development and safety
• A team that loves working together, loves what we do, and will help you grow as a professional
• Competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits

Compensation, Benefits, and Location

This is a full-time position based in Washington, D.C. The role involves frequent travel — often on short notice — to state capitols, conferences, and coalition events around the country. Relocation assistance may be available. The salary range for the Policy Advisor role is $110,000–$150,000, commensurate with experience. The salary range for Senior Policy Advisors is $140,000–$180,000, commensurate with experience.

Encode also offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• 100% of healthcare, vision, and dental insurance premiums covered for employees, 50% for spouses and dependents
• Unlimited PTO and ~20 office holidays, including all federal holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year's Day
• 401(k) retirement plan with 6% unconditional employer contribution

We're open to early career and experienced candidates. Encode is a relatively flat organization, and we expect Senior Policy Advisors to do similar work as Policy Advisors, just with more latitude and greater ownership of strategy.

Referrals welcome! We offer a $5,000 bonus for successful referrals who are hired and complete their first 90 days.

Note on Legal Restrictions: Some responsibilities may involve activities such as administrating or supporting political action committees (PACs). Federal law prohibits non-U.S. permanent residents from administering PACs. Permanent residence may be required for certain hires.

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 Illinois's SB 315, New York's RAISE Act, the federal TAKE IT DOWN Act, and America's first nuclear weapons AI safeguards. We also hold the industry accountable through other strategic advocacy, including our amicus brief and coalition letter that contributed to the OpenAI nonprofit retaining oversight of the for-profit company.

Our specialty is converting smart policy ideas into action and getting them across the finish line through coalition building, political strategy, and hands-on advocacy. We strive to find common ground with organizations from across the political spectrum, including think tanks, organized labor, parents' groups, and faith leaders.

Application Process

• First stage: Brief application
• Second stage: Initial call (15 minutes)
• Third stage: Paid work test (written tasks, possibly recorded videos, 2–4 hours)
• Fourth stage: Second interview(s) and reference checks — includes 30–60 minute conversations with 2–3 team members, subject to scheduling
• Fifth stage: Meet the team in DC — final interview in the office; meet the people you'd work with and see how we operate. We will cover the cost of travel for candidates to make it to this stage.

We welcome applicants with diverse backgrounds and experiences for this position. Please consider applying even if you don't fulfill all the requirements listed above.

Ready to apply?

Apply by Sunday, August 9 at 11:59pm ET for the first round of review. Applications after August 9 are considered on a rolling basis. We expect to hire 2–3 additional policy advisors before the end of the year.

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