Policy Advisor

Role Description

We’re hiring a dynamic, strategic advocate to brief members of Congress and the broader US government on the national security threat posed by superintelligent AI. This role, one of our first hires in the United States, will work closely alongside our Executive Director, Connor Leahy, and is central to growing ControlAI’s campaign to prohibit superintelligence.

At its heart, this position is about building a broad, bipartisan base of support. We'll likely hire more than one Policy Advisor, and are interested in a wide range of candidates, including:

• Individuals with experience in US national security
• Candidates with media and communications skills or experience
• Former Hill staffers

A typical day might involve emailing dozens of legislative staffers in the morning, supporting a senior leader delivering a briefing over lunch, holding meetings with congressional offices in the afternoon, and working to refine our briefing materials in the evening. Successful candidates will thrive in a fast-paced, mission-driven environment that operates more like a startup than a typical nonprofit. They’ll demonstrate exceptional persistence and won’t be deterred by cold outreach and hearing “no” dozens of times.

We will consider both early career and experienced candidates. For more experienced candidates, we are open to a Senior Policy Advisor title and a higher compensation range.

We recommend reading this article and its follow-up to get a sense of whether you’d be a good fit for this role.

Key Responsibilities Include

Campaign-style execution: Lead outreach to congressional offices, craft targeted messages, and relentlessly following up to secure meetings with members. Track and report on progress toward goals and deliverables.

Policy advocacy: Meet and brief congressional staffers, members of Congress, and civil servants on the state of AI, the threat of human extinction posed by superintelligence, and ways the US can lead in advancing solutions.

Relationship building: Cultivate relationships with stakeholders across the US government.

Refining our communications and materials: Help test ControlAI’s messaging, iterating quickly and continually optimizing based on feedback and results. Prepare compelling, informative materials for policymakers, translating the extinction risk posed by superintelligence into accessible, understandable content.

Signs that you are a good fit

• Excellence-driven: You are goal-driven, comfortable with ambiguity, and energized by ownership. You take personal responsibility for outcomes and produce high-quality work, striking the right balance between thoroughness and timeliness. You operate with a high degree of autonomy, seeking out new ways to solve problems.
• Relentless persistence: You are urgent and seek to overcome obstacles rather than waiting for direction. You get impatient when projects are not moving forward as they should, and take proactive action to move them along. You don’t take “no” as a final answer; you always find another angle or path.
• Skilled communicator: You have exceptional interpersonal communication skills and feel comfortable engaging in substantive conversations with policymakers. You enjoy crafting compelling narratives and making complex ideas digestible, memorable, and understandable. You are clear, persuasive, and audience-aware in writing, in person, and in your ability to create materials. You stay on-message even in the face of disagreement, and handle pushback with confidence and skill.
• Constantly learning and improving: You are deeply self-reflective. After every congressional meeting, you instinctively ask yourself what you can learn to improve the next time. Six months into the role you’ll be far more effective than you are at first, because your skills compound over time.
• Honesty and Courage: Integrity matters to you. You do not shy away from discussing the risk of extinction from superintelligence. You show courage by sharing the true state of the world, providing an example that policymakers can emulate.
• Bipartisan credibility: You are effective and credible across political perspectives.
• Deep passion for ControlAI’s mission: You believe preventing the risk of extinction from superintelligence is one of the most important and impactful ways you could spend your time.

We are not looking for technical experience or experience with the field of AI safety. We have found that exceptional mission-aligned individuals can learn much of what is needed to succeed in this role quickly. This is also not the role for someone who is most interested in doing research or writing reports; this is a position with a bias for action.

We encourage you to apply even if you do not feel you have all of the skills and experience listed.

If you're on the fence, we'd love to see your application.

About ControlAI

ControlAI is a non-profit organization that works with a singular mission to prevent the extinction risk posed by superintelligence and secure a great future for humanity.

Nobel Prize winners, top AI experts and even the CEOs of major AI companies have warned that superintelligence poses an extinction risk for humanity. Yet, most decision-makers and most of the public are still in the dark about these risks.

ControlAI exists to change this. We help hundreds of thousands of people understand where AI is going, and take civic action to secure their future. We meet hundreds of lawmakers to inform them about the risks, and convince them to take a public stance. We help dozens of them take action to spur a national conversation about superintelligence, and put measures in place nationally and internationally.

We do this across all democratic institutions, from lawmakers to the media, civil society, and all citizens. We operate like a startup: clear objectives, measurable goals, and real-world results over long-term research.

ControlAI’s impact has been covered in media outlets including the Guardian and TIME Magazine. In the UK, we have briefed over 160 cross-party parliamentarians and No. 10 Downing Street, with our superintelligence campaign gaining support from more than 110 British lawmakers. Based on this successful approach, we’re now scaling our congressional outreach efforts in the US. This position will be a core part of that effort.

Application Process

We are reviewing applications on a rolling basis and will interview strong candidates as they apply. We encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible to receive priority consideration.

The application process consists of a resume review, a brief screening interview, a two-hour work task, a comprehensive interview with our US Director, and a conversation with our CEO. We will communicate details of the interview process to candidates as they proceed, and expect the process to take between 4 and 6 weeks for most candidates.

Other Details

Location: Our US office is in Washington, D.C. This is an in-person role, with the potential for relocation assistance to D.C. for exceptional candidates. The role requires occasional travel, including international travel. ControlAI is not able to sponsor visas to the US for this position; candidates must already have US work authorization.

Hours: This is a full-time role.

Benefits: ControlAI provides a comprehensive benefits package including generous paid time off, health insurance, and a 401(k) match.

ControlAI US Inc. is a 501(c)4 social welfare organization and an equal opportunity employer. We encourage everyone to apply regardless of age, race, veteran status, physical abilities, or any other characteristic protected under federal, state, or local law.

The exact salary will depend on qualifications. Most candidates will start between the low end and midpoint of the range. We are open to a Senior Policy Advisor title for exceptional candidates, with commensurate salary on the higher end of the range.