Head of US Policy

Centre for the Governance of AI, Inc.; Washington, Northern (District of Columbia, KY); On-site; USD 175,000 - 205,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

US work visa sponsorship

Job summary

GovAI in Washington, DC is seeking a Head of US Policy to direct federal policy research and drive the expansion of our DC programs. You will report directly to the Executive Director and help recruit, mentor, and organize DC-based researchers and fellows.

This senior role includes setting research strategy, engaging with policymakers, and building partnerships to advance GovAI’s mission in the US policy ecosystem. The position offers leadership autonomy and a path to broader DC-focused impact.

Qualifications

• Senior leadership experience in research/policy environments.
• Ability to recruit, mentor, and manage researchers.

Responsibilities

• Lead and shape GovAI's US policy research direction and quality.
• Identify, recruit, and mentor DC-based researchers and visitors.
• Engage with policymakers and partner organizations to expand DC programs.

Job description

As GovAI’s Head of US Policy, you will direct GovAI’s federal policy research and help drive our ambitious buildup in Washington, DC. The role will involve strategy, leadership, research input, recruitment, and relationship-building, as well as input to our DC-focused fellowship programs. Over time, the role may also expand to include full ownership of our DC programs. This is a senior leadership role, in which you will enjoy significant autonomy and report directly to our Executive Director, Ben Garfinkel.

We are currently receiving applications for this role, with an initial deadline of August 6th. Applications received after this deadline will be given lower priority, but may be considered on a rolling basis.

July 6, 2026

About the Team

GovAI was founded in 2016 at Yale University, as one of the first groups to focus on the policy implications of AI progress. We now operate as a 501(c)(3) think tank with offices in London and Washington, DC, as well as remote staff in various locations including San Francisco.

Over the years, GovAI’s staff have produced foundational work on topics ranging from China’s growing AI ambitions to the dual-use capabilities of general-purpose AI systems. Our work has informed consequential decisions and has been published in venues ranging from Foreign Affairs to Science to War on the Rocks. Our alumni include senior policymakers, senior AI company staff, and the founders of several nonprofit and for-profit organizations.

GovAI’s mission is to help decision-makers in government and industry navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI. We host active research workstreams on topics including responsible AI development practices, risk analysis, the economics of AI, industrial policy, AI regulation, and AI progress forecasting. We produce a mixture of published outputs and bespoke analysis. In addition to our research, we also run large-scale programs to help foster AI policy talent. This includes a full-time fellowship program that attracts nearly 20,000 applications and more than 100 participants each year.

We launched our DC office last year and consider it central to our plans and ambitions for the organization. Right now, we are working to expand our presence in the city and expand our US policy research workstreams and program offerings. Our US policy research team currently consists of six researchers, but we have the ambition to grow it significantly – potentially to dozens of staff.

As Head of US Policy, you will enable, lead, and shape the ambitious expansion of our research and policy engagement efforts in DC.

Why You Might Be Interested in This Role

• You'll have the opportunity and freedom to build something ambitious, while drawing on the resources of an established organization. Over the next few years, GovAI's DC presence could grow to dozens of people and become central to our overall impact. This is an opportunity to grow and shape a distinctive DC-focused office, with the backing of GovAI's existing infrastructure, expertise, and funding. A focused lead is our largest constraint for realizing that vision, and the person who takes this role will be a major determinant of what our DC office becomes.
• You'll inform consequential AI policy decisions. You'll help our researchers develop high-impact lines of work and help position GovAI as a valued source of expertise and support. You’ll have the flexibility to focus your efforts on the questions and issues where you believe the organization’s impact potential is greatest.
• You'll identify and develop the next wave of AI policy talent. Many of the most impactful researchers, practitioners, and founders in the AI policy space have worked at GovAI or participated in our programs. The people you recruit and mentor could go on to make major contributions to AI policy for decades.

Role Description

As Head of US Policy, you will establish GovAI as a trusted source of expertise and leading incubator of talent in Washington, DC. Your first priority will be developing an updated research strategy in collaboration with our Executive Director and our existing DC-focused researchers.

Core Responsibilities:

Research Direction and Quality:

• Develop and refine GovAI's US-focused research strategy and research agenda, identifying where and how we can have the largest impact through our research. This includes guiding both public research reports and non-public analysis that we produce in response to stakeholder demand.
• Provide strategic input on individual researchers’ priorities, goals, and plans.
• Ensure our US-focused research meets GovAI's standards of rigor and relevance.

Team Leadership, Talent Identification, and Mentorship:

• Identify and recruit exceptional researchers for our DC team, both as long-term staff members and as visitors. Seek out candidates with a wide range of expertise and perspectives, who will contribute to an intellectually diverse and vibrant environment.
• Provide supervision and mentorship to DC-based researchers, helping them settle on their research directions, produce excellent work, and build up their skills, expertise, networks, and profiles. Support their professional growth.
• Help departing visitors and staff identify and pursue high-impact professional opportunities after GovAI. Help current staff and visitors develop longer-term plans and priorities for their careers.
• Establish appropriate team structures as needed and shape team culture.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Develop collaborative relationships with other organizations, positioning GovAI as a valuable partner in the DC AI policy ecosystem.
• Build and maintain relationships with relevant policymakers in DC. We are committed to engaging with and providing value to stakeholders with a wide range of perspectives and policy priorities, and we expect the Head of US Policy to play a large role in managing these relationships.
• Ensure that we approach stakeholder relationships as honest brokers with a service orientation: being responsive to needs, producing unbiased analysis that is concretely useful, and focusing on helping policymakers make well-informed decisions.

Fellowship and Other Program Input:

• Provide input to our DC-based fellowship and other programming, especially insofar as these programs intersect with our research efforts.

Selection Criteria

We are looking for candidates who demonstrate a number of key aptitudes and forms of expertise. Please note, however, that there are no specific minimum experience requirements for the role. We may also consider promising applicants for alternative roles, including roles with the potential to grow into the Head of US Policy role. For these reasons, we encourage applications even from candidates who are unsure if they have sufficient experience.

We are especially looking for candidates who:

Are excited by our mission. You're motivated by the opportunity to use your career to help decision-makers successfully navigate the transition to a world with advanced AI systems, in line with GovAI's mission. You take seriously both potential benefits and potential risks associated with advanced AI.

Are highly ambitious, autonomous, and proactive. You set ambitious goals and high standards for yourself and the people you work with. You take initiative to identify and pursue opportunities and implement solutions without extensive oversight. You're comfortable making consequential decisions, pivoting when opportunities arise or the landscape changes, and building systems from scratch.

Have excellent research taste and judgment. You can identify which research questions are most valuable to pursue. You know what makes analysis useful to policymakers and can help researchers calibrate their work accordingly. Ideally, you have a track record of producing or directing high-quality analysis on technology policy, national security, or related fields.

Are committed to balanced, rigorous analysis. You approach research with the goal of helping people make well-informed decisions, not advocating for predetermined conclusions. You can engage productively with people who have different starting assumptions and priorities and can produce work that's credible and useful to a wide range of audiences.

Can operate effectively within the DC AI policy landscape. You have a high degree of understanding of AI policy issues, understand how the policymaking process and key policy institutions work, understand the perspectives of different stakeholder groups, and have a track record of operating effectively in DC.

Can identify, develop, and lead exceptional talent. You have strong instincts for spotting researchers and practitioners who will go on to have significant impact. You can provide effective mentorship and create environments where talented people thrive. You have the aptitudes necessary for team leadership, ideally with a clear track record of serving as an effective manager.

Salary and Location

This position is full-time and based in Washington, DC. The Head of US Policy will report directly to GovAI's Executive Director, Ben Garfinkel. We are able to sponsor US work visas.

The standard compensation range for this role is $175,000 - $205,000 plus generous benefits, with salary depending on the successful applicant's experience. Our standard benefits include a 10% 401(k) contribution; health, dental, and vision insurance; a $6,500 professional development budget; a $6,500 childcare budget; in-office meals, snacks, and drinks; and additional high-cap budgets for travel, technology, AI usage, and other expenses.

There is meaningful flexibility in compensation if this range would prevent a candidate from accepting an offer. Please reach out to [e-mail] if compensation considerations may prevent you from applying.

Special Circumstances

Please contact [e-mail] if you have a scheduling constraint that means you'd need to hear from us by a particular date (please note we review on a rolling basis), require assistance with this submission due to a disability, or have questions about the process.

Addressing complex AI policy challenges requires many different skillsets and perspectives. We welcome applicants from a wide range of backgrounds. If our mission excites you, we encourage you to apply, even if your experience doesn't align perfectly with every qualification listed. We will sometimes adjust our vision for roles to accommodate exceptional candidates with distinctive skill profiles. Your unique experiences and skillset might be exactly what we need. Please note: GovAI has not engaged any external recruiters or agencies for this role. We are aware of fraudulent outreach from individuals falsely claiming to recruit on our behalf. All legitimate communication about this role will come directly from GovAI. If you receive suspicious outreach, please report it to [e-mail] .