Policy Director

About ARI

ARI is a nonprofit organization advocating for artificial intelligence policy in the public interest. We believe in establishing a thoughtful governance framework for rapidly advancing AI technology that protects the public from harm while continuing to foster innovation. ARI takes a bipartisan approach, building coalitions across the political spectrum.

Department Description

The ARI Policy Department is the organization's product development engine, responsible for the ideation and design of the policy frameworks, concepts, and analytical tools that define ARI's advocacy agenda and advance responsible AI governance. The Department's core work is deliberately proactive: rather than reacting to a legislative calendar set by others, we identify consequential policy questions before they reach Congress and develop durable frameworks that outlast any single bill or news cycle. Our aspiration is not merely to participate in the AI policy debate, but to shape it, generating the ideas that others eventually have to respond to.

E&ST Portfolio Description

The Economic & Societal Transformation Portfolio sits at the intersection of technology and human welfare, focusing on how artificial intelligence is reshaping the foundations of how Americans work, learn, and access essential services. The work of this portfolio is to develop ARI's positions and help advance advocacy efforts on AI-related economic policy, labor displacement, workforce transition, the future and dignity of work, education policy, government modernization, and responsible AI adoption across high-stakes sectors such as healthcare and finance, as well as to address questions of wealth and power concentration resulting from the development and deployment of AI in the United States. The portfolio's organizing question is whether emerging AI policy can deliver transformative economic gains without degrading the human condition. That framing reflects ARI's commitment to policies that raise standards of living and promote broad-based opportunity for all, while proactively addressing concerns about job disruption and other economic and societal risks. Leading this portfolio requires comfort operating across economic, social, and institutional dimensions of AI policy, and an ability to engage both near-term regulatory questions and over-the-horizon structural challenges facing workers, communities, and public institutions.

Role Description

At ARI, Policy Directors are both leaders and managers. Policy Directors are the department's portfolio leads and its primary management layer, and their first responsibility is managerial. That means setting direction for the portfolio, allocating attention across it, and maintaining accountability for everything the portfolio produces, and for everything it fails to produce. They set clear expectations for both products and performance, manage and oversee the workflows within their teams, and provide regular, actionable feedback. They are responsible for maintaining the quality and consistency of the portfolio's output over time, and each Policy Director owns the QA/QC function for their portfolio, ensuring that work leaving the team meets the department's standards for rigor, relevance, and advocacy orientation before it reaches internal or external audiences. They also help ensure their team stays aligned to policy department and ARI priorities.

Policy Directors are also leaders, and this, not individual contribution, is where their principal value to the department lies. While they bring subject matter expertise relevant to their assigned issue areas, their contribution is not as individual contributors but as leaders who translate strategic direction into a coherent portfolio work plan and provide vision and direction to their portfolio team. They engage with relevant external stakeholders and serve as thought leaders on the issues within their assigned portfolio. And they develop the analysts who report to them, coaching and mentoring their assigned policy analysts in ARI's two core functions: the design of new policy frameworks and the delivery of approved policy objectives.

Qualifications

Required

• A Master’s degree in a field relevant to one or more of the portfolio’s focus areas, such as economics, education, government or political science, public administration, or public policy.
• 7-10 years of academic training or professional experience in policy analysis, with a demonstrated ability to move from problem definition to policy design.

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• Demonstrated subject matter expertise in one or more of the portfolio’s focus areas, such as economics, labor and workforce policy, public administration, education policy, or the policy dimensions of sectoral transformation in areas like healthcare or finance.
• Desire to serve as a public-facing thought leader on issues related to the portfolio, including writing op-eds, attending conferences, and providing remarks at panels, keynotes, and other relevant public fora.
• A demonstrated ability to generate original policy ideas and translate them into coherent frameworks, not simply to analyze or comment on the ideas of others.
• An advocacy mindset, including a political instinct for how policy ideas are received and acted upon by legislative, executive, and public audiences.
• Strong written and analytical communication skills, including the ability to construct clear causal narratives that connect problems, solutions, and outcomes.
• Comfort and effectiveness working in cross-functional teams alongside Government Affairs and Communications colleagues.
• Demonstrated experience or interest in AI policy.
• Willingness to work in-person at least three days each week and to physically relocate to the greater DC-Maryland-Virginia (DMV) area if not already living there.

Preferred

• At least 1-3 years of previous management experience wherein the candidate has been directly accountable for team performance, managed an assigned budget, and been directly responsible for the personal development of their assigned teammates.
• Prior experience in a legislative, executive branch, think tank, or advocacy setting where policy ideas were designed for real-world uptake.
• Demonstrated ability to translate research or analysis into advocacy-ready products, both for external audiences and ARI teammates assisting with advocacy efforts.
• Willingness to create and maintain relevant social media accounts (e.g., “X”) to help influence elite discourse on key AI policy issues related to the portfolio.

Compensation, Benefits, and Location

This is a full-time position based in Washington, DC. Relocation assistance may be available. ARI maintains a flexible hybrid work schedule (working in-person Tuesday-Thursday and remote on Monday and Friday).

The salary range for this role is $150,000 – $205,000, commensurate with experience.

ARI offers a comprehensive benefits package, including:

• Healthcare insurance: 85% of healthcare, vision, and dental insurance premiums are covered for employees, partners, and dependents.
• Discretionary PTO and ~20 office holidays, including all Federal holidays and the week between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
• 401(k) Retirement Plan with 6% Employer Match.
• Wellness Benefit: $150/month taxable stipend to support physical and mental well-being.
• Internet & Utilities Reimbursement: $150/month taxable stipend to cover internet and utilities expenses from remote work.
• Home Office Expenses for New Employees: up to $500 to all new full-time employees for home office set-up expenses.
• Professional Development Stipend: Up to $2,500 annually to be used towards building new knowledge and skills.
• Basic Life, Basic AD&D, Short-Term Disability, and Long-Term Disability: 100% employer-paid with the option to elect for employee-paid supplemental coverage.
• Flexible Spending Accounts: Dependent Care FSA, Medical FSA, Transit FSA, and Parking FSA.

Hiring Process

Application Materials

• Resume (not to exceed two pages)

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• Relevant writing sample (e.g., policy brief or public policy product)
• Cover letter (not to exceed one page)

Application Process

At ARI, we intentionally design the application process to ensure mutual fit and success in the role by using the following recruitment process, where each stage is different and meant to help us understand something distinct about the candidate. Each of the stages is outlined below to help give you an idea of what lies ahead:

1. Resume Review & Initial Down Select: Submitted resumes, writing samples, and cover letters are evaluated against our nonnegotiable and preferred core competencies of the position to determine our initial candidate pool.
2. Initial Interview: Virtual 30-minute video chat 1:1 with the Policy Department’s operational deputy, the Associate Director of Policy Strategy.
3. Supervisor Interview: Virtual 45-minute video chat 1:1 with the Vice President of Policy Design & Delivery to assess substantive qualifications.
4. Semi-Finalist Panel Interview: In-person 45-minute chat with selected members of the Policy Department to assess cultural fit.
5. Finalist Interview: Virtual 30-minute interview with the President or Executive Director of ARI, to assess growth potential and alignment with leadership vision.

The hiring process concludes when a final candidate is approved by the VP for Policy Design & Delivery, and an offer has been made and accepted. Generally speaking, the whole process is meant to be conducted within 45 days from the time the position closes for applications.

Due to the anticipated volume of applications, we may not be able to respond to every applicant in a timely manner. We apologize in advance for any communication delays.

ARI is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, age, disability, or any other status protected by applicable law.