Editor/Senior Editor

Center for a New American Security; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 80,000 - 165,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Vision insurance

Life and AD&D insurance

Disability insurance

Flexible spending accounts

Retirement plan (401k)

Transportation subsidies

Employee assistance program

Job summary

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is launching the AI Policy Lab and seeks an Editor / Senior Editor to shape rapid-response publications and analysis on AI policy and national security. You will work with researchers, designers, product engineers, and communications specialists to craft clear, impactful narratives under tight deadlines.

Reporting to the Vice President of Strategy and Communications, you will lead editing of long-form and short-form work, build editorial workflows,

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree required; 6–8+ years of editorial experience.
• Exceptional editing and storytelling skills with strong deadline discipline.
• Experience mentoring writing talent and working with diverse teams.

Responsibilities

• Top-edit reports, analysis, and commentary for the AI Policy Lab.
• Maintain CNAS editorial standards per supervisor guidance.
• Collaborate with research leads to shape reports and analyses.
• Set agenda for proactive editorial approaches with leadership.
• Work with an AI specialist to automate baseline copyediting where possible.
• Develop editorial workflows and outputs for the AI Policy Lab.
• Support invoicing and coordination with external editors/contractors.
• Coordinate deadlines with contractors and the Communications team.
• Review credits/sources for visuals and graphics.

Skills

Editorial experience

Narrative editing

Deadline management

Mentoring writers

Independent/startup vibe

Policy/AI knowledge

Education

Bachelor’s degree

Tools

Chicago Manual of Style

Job description

The Center for a New American Security (CNAS) is making a substantial investment in its well-established AI and national security team by launching the AI Policy Lab, and the Editor / Senior Editor will be instrumental to that effort. The Editor / Senior Editor will work closely with a cross-program group of researchers, designers, product engineers, and communications specialists to tackle one of the most significant policy issues of our time.

The Editor / Senior Editor, reporting to the Vice President of Strategy and Communications, will play a key role in shaping and executing rapid-response publications, analysis, and commentary for the national security and tech communities, as well as the wider informed public. They will need a strong editorial background, the ability to work under deadline pressure with multiple stakeholders, and impeccable attention to detail.

Substantively, the Editor / Senior Editor will be deeply involved in crafting work on AI safety and security, AI-related economic competition, and the nexus of AI, defense, and geopolitics. The Editor / Senior Editor will be an integral member of the team building the AI Policy Lab from the ground up.

The following is an overview of the primary responsibilities. Other tasks may be required, and responsibilities may vary to meet the AI Policy Lab’s needs.

You might be well suited to this role if you are:

• Passionate about turning complex concepts into clear and impactful narratives.
• Excited about the opportunity to work with a dynamic group of policy professionals.
• Deeply experienced in editing and storytelling, particularly in science and technology.
• Ready to develop the skills of the next generation of policy leaders and communicators.
• Enthusiastic about editing and shaping long-form technical writing and short-form commentary.

RESPONSIBILITIES

• Top-edit and line-edit reports, analysis, and commentary from the AI Policy Lab at CNAS, working with leading AI policy experts to strengthen the structure, clarity, argument, and policy impact of their writing.
• Maintain CNAS’s editorial standards as defined by direct supervisor and publications and editorial director.
• Collaborate with the AI Policy Lab’s research leads and contributors to shape the best approach to research reports and analysis.
• Together with research leads, help set the agenda for future proactive and reactive editorial approaches.
• Together with an AI specialist, work to automate baseline copyediting functions where appropriate to improve speed and quality.
• Help develop the editorial standards, workflows, and outputs of the AI Policy Lab.
• Support the AI Policy Lab in managing invoices and working with external editors and contractors.
• Coordinate assignments and deadlines with external contractors where appropriate.
• Coordinate closely with the Communications team to lay out and produce online products where needed.
• Review credits and sources for visual material, including photos and graphics.

QUALIFICATIONS

Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in a relevant area of study.
• 6–8+ years of editorial experience at a magazine, journal, academic institution, think tank, publisher, online outlet, or newspaper.
• Exceptional structural and narrative editing skills.
• Ability and experience anticipating news and wider policy trends.
• Experience mentoring and developing writing talent.
• Ability to work independently or as part of a small team with a start-up ethos.
• Demonstrated ability to handle multiple projects at once and balance competing deadlines and shifting priorities.
• Experience with, or willingness to learn, the Chicago Manual of Style.
• Interest in contributing to cutting-edge research on AI and national security.
• Legal right to work in the United States.

Preferred:

• Experience editing or writing about AI, technology, or STEM.
• Experience in start-up or small-team environments.
• Policy background and familiarity with the policy environment.

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

• $80,000 – $165,000, depending on qualifications and experience.
• CNAS offers a complete and competitive benefits package for employees which includes medical, dental, vision, life and AD&D insurance, short- and long-term disability insurance, flexible spending accounts, 403(b) retirement accounts, transportation subsidies, and an employee assistance program.

LOGISTICS

• This is a full-time position based in Washington, D.C.

• This position includes a mix of remote and in-person work, with a regular presence at our D.C. office expected.
• This role is within the CNAS AI Policy Lab and reports to the Vice President of Strategy and Communications.
• This is a two-year, term-limited appointment.
• Applications will be considered on a rolling basis. Candidates are encouraged to apply early.
• Candidates may start as soon as available.

About the CNAS AI Policy Lab

AI progress is fast outpacing policy. The opportunities and challenges of the AI age demand bold new ideas for U.S. national security that meet the moment. The CNAS AI Policy Lab fuses in-depth AI and national security expertise to produce cutting-edge, technically informed policy analysis. The United States and its allies must harness the benefits, manage the risks, and ensure democracies lead in this era-defining technology.

The AI Policy Lab integrates CNAS’s technology, defense, regional, and economic expertise to address how AI is reshaping every dimension of national power and geopolitical competition. The Lab will serve as a hub for curated workshops, discussions, partnerships, and other convenings to bring industry, researchers, and the national security community to develop policy solutions. By bridging the divide between innovators and national security policymakers, the Lab will ensure that policy can match the unprecedented pace of technological innovation, harnessing the transformative power of AI while managing risks.

The AI Policy Lab builds on a sustained track record of CNAS leadership in AI policymaking. CNAS experts and alumni have written the rules for how the Pentagon incorporates autonomous systems, developed policies intended to preserve the United States’s AI lead, and served in the highest levels of AI policymaking.

About CNAS

The Center for a New American Security develops bold, innovative, and bipartisan national security and defense policies that promote and protect American interests and values. Building on the deep expertise and broad experience of its staff and advisors, CNAS engages policymakers, experts, and the public with innovative fact-based research, ideas, and analysis to shape and elevate the national security debate. As an independent 501(c)(3) non-profit research organization, CNAS leads efforts to help inform and prepare the national security leaders of today and tomorrow. CNAS is located in Washington, D.C.

CNAS is a proud equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status.