Senior Case & Policy Officer - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

Oversight Board; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 144,000 - 176,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

9% benefits

Job summary

The Oversight Board Administration in Washington, DC offers a role shaping governance on content policy and AI governance issues across Meta platforms. You will work with cross-functional teams to ensure swift access to expertise and produce briefings that inform decisions and policy guidance.

Joining the team requires strong policy, research, and communications skills, plus experience in multi-country contexts and a commitment to equality and inclusion.

Qualifications

• Degree educated, preferably at a master’s level, in a discipline relevant to content governance by social media and its impacts on societies.
• Passion for freedom of expression and transparent and accountable technology companies, with a demonstrated professional interest in their impacts on individuals and societies globally.
• Knowledge of social media companies’ approaches to trust and safety and the design and evaluation of at-scale systems for content governance (including automated systems) and/or knowledge of human rights law.

Responsibilities

• Provide advanced policy expertise and substantive support to the Oversight Board in developing decisions in cases and policy positions, serving as the main focal point for panels.
• Research, draft, and present briefing materials to the Board, sourcing external expertise, assisting the Board in questioning and evaluating Meta’s policies and practices, and recommending changes.
• Support the Board Members drafting case decisions and policy advisory opinions (PAOs).
• Support the development of human rights-based AI governance principles, including through evaluations of large language models (LLMs).
• Be proactively engaged in academic, civil society and industry discussions on social media platform and AI governance issues.
• Coordinate with project managers to assist Oversight Board Members through the process of deliberating and deciding cases and PAOs.
• Develop research agenda to support Board Members, including leading or participating in cross-functional groups delivering strategy.
• Coordinate with communications to engage external experts in civil society affected by Meta’s operations.

Skills

Policy expertise

Briefing materials

Written & oral comms

Research & drafting

Cross-time zone collaboration

Diversity & inclusion

Education

Master’s degree preferred (social science, data science, or law)

Job description

The Oversight Board is an independent governance institution that makes binding decisions on the most challenging content issues on Meta's platforms. Since issuing its first decisions in January 2021, the Board has built a first-of-its-kind model grounded in international human rights law that has driven systemic improvements in how Meta moderates content, enforces policies, and treats its users.

The Oversight Board Administration is the team of full-time staff who support Board Members in fulfilling the institution's mission. The Administration has a presence in London, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., and operates with a global scope.

You can learn more about the Board at www.oversightboard.com.

role

Joining the Oversight Board Administration is a chance to be part of an organisation which is leading on some of the most prominent and challenging issues facing the tech industry and society.

Under the supervision of the Deputy Head of the Case and Policy Team, the post holder will ensure the Board has the information it requires to render well-reasoned and consistent decisions and policy guidance. They will work closely with colleagues in the Program Management, Case Selection and Data and Implementation Teams, including through cross-functional working groups to contribute to the goals of the broader content team.

The post holder will be proactively engaged in the fast-moving fields of content governance, trust and safety, and human rights, and related fields of regulation. Interest and experience in applying these ideas to emerging AI governance debates is particularly valuable. Working with project managers to keep the Board’s processes moving, they will primarily ensure the Board has swift access to expertise. This includes through developing impact assessments and engaging in primary research to develop written and oral briefings related to cases and policy advisories. It also involves identifying needs and engaging external experts to provide information to the Board. It will require identifying information to seek from Meta, and evaluating their responses, including on technical issues. The post holder will assist the Board in drafting impact-oriented decisions and recommendations.

Specifically you will:

• Provide advanced policy expertise and substantive support to the Oversight Board in developing decisions in cases and policy positions, serving as the main focal point for panels.
• Research, draft, and present briefing materials to the Board, sourcing additional external expertise, assisting the Board in questioning and evaluating Meta’s policies and content governance practices, their application to emerging AI governance issues, and recommending changes.
• Support the Board Members drafting case decisions and policy advisory opinions (PAOs).
• Support the development of human rights-based AI governance principles, including through evaluations of large language models (LLMs).
• Be proactively engaged in academic, civil society and industry discussions on social media platform and AI governance issues.
• Coordinate with project managers to assist Oversight Board Members through the process of deliberating and deciding cases and PAOs.
• Develop research agenda to support Board Members, including through leading or participating in cross-functional working groups on delivery of the strategy.
• Coordinate with the communications team to engage external experts in civil society most affected by Meta’s operations.

Skills and Experience

The case and policy team values a diversity of experiences and backgrounds. Candidates are expected to meet a combination of (but not all) the below specifications:

• Degree educated, preferably at a master’s level, in a discipline relevant to content governance by social media and its impacts on societies. Preference for a specialization in social science, data science, or law.
• A passion for freedom of expression and transparent and accountable technology companies, with a demonstrated professional interest in their impacts on individuals and societies globally.
• Knowledge and experience of social media companies’ approaches to trust and safety and the design and evaluation of at-scale systems for content governance (including automated systems), and/or knowledge of human rights law, including the human rights responsibilities of technology companies.
• Experience with or demonstrated interested in human-rights based evaluations of large language models (LLMs), and/or strategic research and advocacy to advance human rights in AI development and governance.
• Experience working within and building institutions committed to effectively pursuing accountability and transparency through fair processes.
• Excellent written and oral communications skills, with experience explaining complex concepts, including technical or legal concepts, to a range of stakeholders, including high-level decision makers.
• Experience of participating in, and/or leading, collaborative drafting processes across time zones.
• Committed to promoting equality and inclusion, with experience integrating gender analysis to policy development.
• Excellent time management skills, with a flexible and pragmatic mindset and ability to prioritize in a fast-moving environment with an eye on achieving impact.
• Significant experience in building sustainable and effective stakeholder relationships.
• Experience of working in multiple countries and/or diverse multinational workplaces.
• Knowledge of multiple languages preferable.

What we can offer you

As well as an annual salary of circa $160,000, we also offer an excellent market leading benefits package, covering a variety of areas, both professional and personal. These benefits include:

• A generous 9%