Policy Strategist

Atalanta; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual Argonaut stipend for wellness

Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance

Generous paid time off

Weekly meals at Atalanta HQ

Job summary

Atalanta is seeking a Policy Strategist in Washington, D.C. to help shape the external environment for software understanding. This role involves building relationships and driving demand for our AI product, Argo. The ideal candidate will have senior-level experience in the national security ecosystem and exceptional writing skills.

You will be responsible for developing narratives, managing key relationships, and influencing policy discussions. Benefits include a competitive salary of $150,000 - $200,000, equity grants, health insurance, and more.

Qualifications

• Experience shaping policy conversations and influence problem definitions.
• Ability to distill complex narratives into clear communication.
• Comfort operating in a high-paced startup environment.

Responsibilities

• Develop core narratives for software understanding.
• Manage relationships with stakeholders across national security.
• Influence policy and agenda that expands demand for Argo.
• Create strategic communications for media briefings and customer engagements.

Skills

Experience operating at senior levels within the national security ecosystem

Excellent writing skills

Strong interpersonal instincts and judgment

High degree of ownership

Education

Eligibility for a TS/SCI security clearance

Job description

ABOUT ATALANTA

Atalanta is a mathematical AI company bringing provably correct decision-making to the world’s most important missions.

Our flagship product, Argo, is the first platform in a new category called software understanding. Argo combines AI, formal methods, and digital engineering to help organizations design, implement, and deploy complex software‑controlled systems with mathematical assurance at mission speed.

Backed by leading investors, Atalanta works with customers building and deploying mission‑critical systems across energy, space, and defense. Our goal is to help engineers and mission owners move faster while maintaining the highest possible level of assurance, ultimately saving time, money, and lives.

HOW WE WORK

Atalanta takes its name from the mythological Greek heroine, a swift and fearless competitor who defied expectations and joined the Argonauts on a mission few thought possible. Her spirit of speed, discipline, and resilience shapes how we work.

We’re building a team of modern‑day Argonauts: exceptional engineers, mathematicians, designers, and strategists committed to solving the hardest, highest‑stakes problems in the world. We move fast, but we do so with discipline and logic. We think from first principles and execute with autonomy and accountability.

You may be a good fit for Atalanta if you are insatiably curious in the face of discomfort, are a coalition builder who sees progress as a positive‑sum game, and believe that the alchemy of interdisciplinary expertise can solve seemingly impossible problems.

STRATEGY AT ATALANTA

Software understanding does not become a market category on its own. It must be actively shaped by growing both the commercial demand for provably correct decision‑making and the supply of that capability through Atalanta’s ability to operationalize, deliver, and scale Argo in practice. Atalanta’s strategy function is built on a deliberate combination of policy strategists, growth strategists, and business operations strategists, each addressing a different part of this problem: defining how the need is understood at the national level, translating that need into funded programs, and ensuring the company can execute against those opportunities with speed and unity. This work is grounded in the reality that markets in the national security ecosystem are created through alignment across narrative, budget, and execution. These roles operate in close coordination, ensuring that momentum compounds rather than fragments, and that demand consistently converts into commercial traction. Success means that software understanding is not only recognized as necessary, but structurally embedded in how requirements are specified, funded, and built, with Atalanta leading the category it helped create.

ABOUT THE ROLE

As a Policy Strategist at Atalanta, you will help shape the external environment in which software understanding emerges as a national priority. Your work will focus on translating technical capability into clear narratives, aligning key stakeholders, and influencing how problems are defined across the national security ecosystem. This role is responsible for driving demand for Argo and establishing Atalanta as the leader of the software understanding category.

In this role, you will:

• Develop and drive the core narrative for software understanding, shaping how the problem and solution are understood by senior policymakers.
• Build and manage relationships with high‑leverage stakeholders across the national security ecosystem to align priorities and unlock adoption.
• Identify and execute opportunities to influence policy, requirements, and national security agendas in ways that expand demand for Argo.
• Lead the creation of strategic communications, including media briefings, customer convenings, and written materials that shape the broader conversation.
• Work closely with Atalanta’s founders to ensure alignment between narrative, product development, and market expansion.

REQUIREMENTS

We are looking for:

• Experience operating at senior levels within the national security ecosystem.
• Demonstrated ability to shape policy conversations or influence how problems are defined and prioritized.
• Excellent writing skills and the ability to distill complex narratives into clear, persuasive, audience‑specific communication.
• Strong interpersonal instincts and judgment, with the ability to build credibility with a wide range of stakeholders.
• A high degree of ownership, and comfort operating with ambiguity in a high‑paced startup environment.
• Eligibility for a TS/SCI security clearance (U.S. citizenship required.)

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The salary range for this position is estimated to be $150,000 - $200,000 per year. Employees will also receive a significant equity grant, commensurate with the contribution expected from this role.

Other benefits include:

• Annual Argonaut stipend to invest in your fitness, nutrition, and sleep to help you operate at peak performance.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance.
• Generous paid time off.
• Weekly meals and other on‑site amenities at Atalanta HQ.

Equal Opportunity

Atalanta is an equal opportunity employer committed to building a diverse team aligned by mission, technical expertise, and impact.