Staff Software Engineer: AI Policy & Strategy

Perplexity; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 220,000 - 405,000; Full time

Job summary

Perplexity is seeking an intrepid Member of Technical Staff to spearhead a broad portfolio of strategic technology initiatives across policy, law, operations, and corporate affairs. You will work closely with senior leadership to tackle front-line policy issues at the intersection of AI technology and society.

The role blends engineering rigor with policy and legal considerations, offering mentorship and a fast-paced, boundary-spanning environment.

Qualifications

• Early-career engineers with strong reading in law, tech policy or economics.
• Candidates who plan law school or PhD; 2-year commitment (entering class of 2028 or later).
• Experienced engineers who want policy, business and operations chops.
• Lawyers or economists with engineering skills exploring AI policy.
• Non-exhaustive; other profiles may also fit.

Responsibilities

• Harness AI agents to research policy and regulatory issues.
• Build automated platforms to harvest and patent Perplexity's inventions.
• Collaborate with Legal and outside counsel on high-tech litigation matters in U.S. federal court.
• Engineer privacy and compliance systems for frontier AI products.
• Contribute to regulatory filings requiring AI tech knowledge and policy landscape.
• Embed with People team to implement software for recruiting and labor compliance.
• Participate in meetings with Capitol Hill and international partners as a policy expert.

Job description

Perplexity is seeking an intrepid Member of Technical Staff to spearhead a broad portfolio of strategic technology initiatives across policy, law, operations, and corporate affairs. You will work closely with senior leadership to tackle front-line policy issues at the intersection of AI technology and society.

The role blends engineering rigor with policy and legal considerations, offering mentorship and a fast-paced, boundary-spanning environment.