Policy Analyst (Alignment)

Overview

The Center for AI Policy (CAIP) is looking for an entry-level Policy Analyst with demonstrated interest in thinking and writing about the alignment problem in artificial intelligence.

The Policy Analyst (Alignment) is under the general supervision of the Executive Director and will collaborate with our Senior Policy Analyst (Economics) and our Government Affairs Directors to ensure that our policies are technically accurate and well-suited to the goal of requiring safe AI.

This is a full time position based in Washington, DC.

About Us

The Center for AI Policy is a 501c4 nonpartisan research organization dedicated to mitigating the catastrophic risks of AI through policy development and advocacy. CAIP started in July 2023 and works to ensure AI is developed and implemented with the highest safety standards.

As a hybrid organization, we believe in-person connection and relationship building is essential to advancing the organization’s mission to promote safe AI. Our offices are located in Downtown DC and we work in person two days per week.

We’re working on one of the most pressing, interesting challenges facing the government, and we’re looking for people to join our growing organization!

Duties & Responsibilities

Your primary job duties include, but are not limited to:

• Summarize and explain the existing academic literature on alignment using formats and terminology that will be accessible to politicians with little or no technical background
• Evaluate how much safety (if any) can be provided using existing alignment techniques
• Analyze and comment on discoveries and breakthroughs in the alignment field
• Assess the usefulness and importance of various types of evaluations and benchmarks
• Provide technical expertise to support legislative drafting and related policy work
• Sketch out a variety of possible futures and guide our team in understanding how different legislative policies might affect which futures are most likely to come to pass

Ideal Candidate

The ideal candidate will have:

• Published some type of work on the topic of alignment or AI safety
• At least 1 year of full-time equivalent work experience, not including student internships
• Thorough familiarity with the catastrophic risks posed by advanced AI, and an intense desire to reduce these risks
• Excellent written communication skills – you don’t need to be an extrovert or personally charming, but you should be able to reliably and clearly explain complex ideas to a wide variety of audiences.
• Strong project management skills – you should propose some of your own projects, accept projects from other team members, keep track of your todo list, and successfully complete your projects in a reasonable time frame with only light supervision.

Compensation & Benefits

The salary for an entry level position is $90k – $100k per year, depending on experience.
Additionally, we offer an end-of-year performance bonus of up to 10% of base salary awarded based on the ability to achieve agreed-upon goals.
CAIP provides the following benefits to full time employees:

• Health insurance - 100% covered medical plan, vision / dental plans available at cost
• $2,500/year stipend for conferences
• 22 days general-purpose paid time off and federal holidays
• Capital BikeShare membership
• Retirement Plan

Work Environment & Location

This is a hybrid position. We ask team members to come in person to our downtown DC office for six hours each on Mondays and Thursdays, and we try to schedule most of our internal team meetings on those days. Our office is available to the team 24/7, but if you don’t have a scheduled meeting, then you are otherwise welcome to work from wherever you like.

How to Apply

Please submit your application here. A cover letter is not required, but is strongly encouraged, especially if your resume does not make it obvious why you are interested in the position.

Immediate Availability Preferred. We are looking for candidates who can start work as soon as possible, so it is unlikely that we would be able to sponsor a visa.

Diversity & Inclusion

The Center for AI Policy is an equal opportunity employer. It is our strong belief that equal opportunity for all employees is central to the continuing success of our organization. We will not discriminate against an applicant for employment because of race, religion, sex, national origin, ethnicity, age, physical disabilities, political affiliation, sexual orientation, color, gender identity characteristics or expression, marital status, veteran status, or medical condition (e.g., AIDS, cancer). We strongly encourage LGBTQ, women, People of Color and People with Disability to apply.