Policy Counsel (Berkeley, CA or Washington, DC)

Civic AI Security Program, Inc.; Berkeley, Washington (CA, District of Columbia); On-site; USD 200,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health, dental, vision, and life insu

Catered meals at Berkeley office

Job summary

CivAI in Berkeley, CA is seeking a Policy Counsel to bring legal rigor to AI policy work. You will analyze policy solutions, assess legal authorities, enforcement, and where processes may break down, drafting rigorous nonpartisan analyses for Congressional offices.

This full-time, on-site role invites lawyers with 3+ years in legal practice, government, think tanks, or academia, with background in AI or national security, to shape practical policy and engage with high-leverage audiences.

Qualifications

• Have a JD (bar admission preferred).
• Have 3+ years of legal practice, government, think tank, or academic work.
• Experience in AI policy, regulation, or national security.

Responsibilities

• Analyze the legal design of AI policy solutions and enforcement.
• Review and comment on bill text for Congressional offices.
• Draft legal memos, reports, and briefings for policymakers.
• Research AI law questions, such as liability for autonomous agents.
• Track AI law developments at state, federal, and international levels.
• Build relationships with AI policy research groups.

Skills

Legal policy

Policy analysis

Bill drafting

AI policy

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

CivAI is a non-profit that educates policymakers and the public about AI risks using live software demonstrations. To date, CivAI has delivered 200+ briefings to influential civil society organizations, 50+ Members of Congress, and Members of Parliament around the world. These briefings cover serious risks from advanced AI, including cyber threats, economic upheaval, fraud, biosecurity, surveillance, and loss of control to AI systems.

CivAI regularly meets with policymakers, their staffs, and other high-leverage audiences to present our software demonstrations. As a 501(c)(3), CivAI does not support specific legislation, but does propose potential solutions to the risks it communicates. CivAI’s work has been featured on national television and in print by ABC News, Politico, Fox News, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, TIME, CNN, and many others.

About the role

As CivAI’s Policy Counsel, you will bring legal rigor to our policy work. You will research and analyze policy solutions to address the risks posed by advanced AI — including mechanisms for pacing the frontier , export controls, testing programs, and safety cases — to help CivAI determine how these policies would work in practice: the legal authority they will rely on, how they would be enforced, and where they could break down. You will be CivAI’s point person for legal analysis, including drafting rigorous nonpartisan policy analyses to share with Congressional offices. This role is ideal for lawyers who are interested in immersing themselves in and ultimately shaping AI policy in the United States.

In this role, you will:

• Analyze the legal design of policy solutions to mitigate AI risk, including the authorities they rely on and how they would be enforced
• Review, comment on, and provide technical assistance on bill text for Congressional offices
• Write legal and policy memos, reports, and one-pagers to be read by Congressional offices and other high-leverage audiences
• Research emerging legal questions raised by advanced AI, such as liability for harms caused by autonomous AI agents
• Track and analyze developments in AI law and policy at the state, federal, and international levels
• Build and maintain relationships with AI law and policy research organizations

You may be a good fit if you:

• Have a JD (bar admission preferred)
• Have 3+ years of experience in legal practice, government, think tank, or academic roles
• Have worked as a partner or associate at a law firm and have wanted to work on AI
• Have relevant background in AI, technology, national security, or similar legal or policy areas
• Want to help high-leverage audiences understand AI’s implications, so that future AI progress is deliberate and beneficial for humanity

Salary and benefits

• The role is full-time. We have a preference for candidates to work in-person at our office in Berkeley, but are open to considering candidates based in Washington, DC.
• The salary range is $200,000 to $300,000.
• Health, dental, vision, and life insurance.
• We provide catered lunch and dinner at our Berkeley office every weekday.

Application process

• Initial application (1.5 hrs) — Resume and short answer questions.
• Hiring manager interview (1 hr) — We'll work through a problem together and discuss current priorities at CivAI.
• Team interview (45 min) — You'll have a conversation with another member of our team.
• Written take-home test (3 hrs) — You'll be given a take-home challenge.
• Reference checks — We'll reach out to the references you provide.
• Final round interview (4 hrs) — You'll meet with our team in person in Berkeley, CA.

CivAI is an equal opportunity workplace, and we welcome applicants from all backgrounds regardless of race, color, religion, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, age, socioeconomic status, disability, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.