Senior Policy Counsel, Free Expression Project

Center for Democracy & Technology; Washington (District of Columbia); Hybrid; USD 92,000 - 125,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive benefits package

Job summary

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is seeking a Senior Policy Counsel on the Free Expression Project in Washington, DC. The role advances CDT’s work to protect free expression in the digital age, with focus on deepfakes, anonymity, AI policy, and trust and safety.

You will analyze law and policy, shape CDT’s positions, represent CDT with policymakers, and lead projects from conception to completion.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years of experience in law or policy related to free expression, technology policy, or civil liberties.
• Experience in nonprofit, government, law firm, clinic, or academic setting is welcome.
• A JD is required; admission to a state bar is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Monitor, analyze, and advise on government and company activity affecting free expression.
• Lead engagement strategies to advance CDT’s goals on assigned issues.
• Represent CDT with policymakers and stakeholders.
• Draft comments, testimony, and amicus briefs on free expression issues.
• Develop advocacy projects from conception to completion.

Skills

Legal analysis

Policy advocacy

Public speaking

Project management

Stakeholder engagement

Education

Juris Doctorate (JD)

Job description

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is seeking a Senior Policy Counsel on the Free Expression Project. This role reports to the Director of the Free Expression Project.

The Senior Policy Counsel on the Free Expression Project is an experienced or mid-level attorney who advances CDT’s work to protect free expression in the digital age. The role calls for substantial independence and deep subject-matter expertise. The Senior Policy Counsel will work across the full range of free expression issues, protecting people’s right to speak, access information, and organize online, ensuring AI policy embodies free expression values, and advancing trust and safety practices that are grounded in respect for human rights. Particular areas of focus will include deepfakes, online scraping, anonymity, preserving the open internet, and copyright.

The candidate will analyze law and policy, shape CDT’s positions, represent CDT with policymakers and other stakeholders, and lead their own projects from conception to completion. The role has no direct reports initially but may take on mentorship or supervisory responsibilities as the team grows.

About CDT

The Center for Democracy & Technology (CDT) is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that fights to advance civil rights and civil liberties in the digital age. We champion policies, laws, and technical designs that empower people to use technology for good, while protecting against invasive, discriminatory, and exploitative uses. CDT was founded in Washington, D.C. in 1994 and has operated a second office, in Brussels, since 2014.

CDT works to protect people’s rights across a range of technology uses and applications, with a strong focus on privacy and data governance (including specific projects on health privacy, education, worker privacy, and disability rights & tech), as well as projects on government surveillance, elections & democracy and free expression/platform governance. We engage policymakers in the U.S. and the European Union, advocate for companies to adopt best practices, represent the public interest in multistakeholder processes and standards bodies, file amicus briefs in court, conduct original research, and raise public awareness about how technology design and governance impact our democracy and social inequality.

CDT is headquartered in Washington, D.C., and collaborates closely with its partner organization, CDT Europe, which is based in Brussels.

Responsibilities

Policy and Legislative Analysis: Monitor, analyze, and provide expert counsel on government and company activity affecting free expression. Develop and recommend engagement strategies to advance CDT’s goals, drawing on subject-matter experts within CDT and externally. Lead work on assigned issue areas, including, but not limited to:

• Deepfakes and synthetic media, including legislative and regulatory proposals that seek to address harms, such as non-consensual intimate images distribution, while respecting First Amendment and free expression protections and navigating their intersection with copyright and intellectual property laws
• Anonymity and pseudonymity online, including its intersection with age assurance, identity verification, and the unmasking of speakers
• Preserving the open internet, including emerging issues related to AI agents and infrastructure capacity and protections against blocking, throttling, and discriminatory treatment of lawful speech by network and infrastructure providers
• Supporting researchers’ ability to access data needed to inform company and government policies governing the digital ecosystem

Legal and Technical Expertise: Provide authoritative legal and policy analysis on complex issues, including U.S. First Amendment law, Section 230 of the Communications Act, the Digital Millenium Copyright Act, the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act and related questions that intersect with free expression. Translate intricate legal and technical concepts into clear, actionable recommendations for policymakers, industry representatives, and civil society partners.

Project Leadership: Develop and manage advocacy projects from conception to completion, including defining scope, setting timelines, and ensuring timely delivery of high-quality work products. Coordinate with colleagues across CDT, including in other policy projects and communications, to advance shared priorities.

Representation and Public Engagement: Serve as a representative and spokesperson for CDT in meetings with government officials, industry, and coalition partners. Publish reports, op-eds, memos, comments, and other written work in areas of expertise. Speak with members of the press and at public events to advance Free Expression Project goals.

Legal Advocacy: Draft comments to regulators, testimony, and, as appropriate, amicus briefs and other legal filings on free expression issues.

Strategy and Team Contribution: Collaborate with the Project Director and team to set annual strategy for the Free Expression Project. Mentor junior staff, interns, and fellows as opportunities arise, and contribute to a collaborative team culture.

Qualifications

Experience: A minimum of five years of experience in law or policy related to free expression, technology policy, or civil liberties, with a demonstrated ability to manage complex projects and influence policy outcomes. Experience in a nonprofit, government, law firm, clinic, or academic setting is welcome.

Education: A Juris Doctorate (JD) is required. Admission to a state bar is preferred.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Substantive expertise: Strong knowledge of U.S. First Amendment law and Section 230, and familiarity with at least some of the following: copyright law (including the Digital Millennium Copyright Act), and law governing synthetic media or anonymous speech. Familiarity with international human rights law as it applies to the online and generative AI environment is a plus.
• Technical fluency: Ability to understand how relevant technologies work, such as network management, content-recognition tools, generative systems, and identity or age-verification systems, and to explain them accurately to nontechnical audiences.
• Strategic planning: Demonstrated ability to develop and carry out advocacy strategies.
• Communication: Excellent oral and written communication skills, with experience or strong potential as a public spokesperson.
• Collaboration: Ability to build and sustain collegial relationships with coworkers and diverse partners across government, industry, and civil society, and to work effectively in a multistakeholder setting.
• Independence: Comfort managing multiple priorities with limited supervision.

Compensation and Location

The compensation for this position ranges from $92,000 - $125,000. Compensation is determined on a tiered pay scale based on years of experience and the responsibilities of the role. Candidates may request guidance on where they would fall within the salary range prior to their first interview, or any time thereafter.

CDT provides a generous benefits package that includes 100% covered health care, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents, flexible spending and dependent care accounts, life insurance, short-term & long-term disability insurance, a 403(b) retirement account (CDT contributes 6% of your salary following a year of employment), 13 company holidays, closed for the period between Christmas and New Years, paid vacation (15 days per year, increased with tenure), sick days, and parental leave.

This position is based in CDT’s Washington, D.C. office, which operates on a hybrid schedule with three days in-office per week (generally Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday). A different hybrid schedule may be considered in exceptional cases, and is available if needed as a disability accommodation. We may also consider exceptional candidates based outside of Washington, D.C.