Head of Policy Communications

About Anthropic

Anthropic’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems.

Anthropic is an AI safety and research company working to build reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our customers and for society as a whole. Our interdisciplinary team has experience across ML, physics, policy, business, and product.

About the Role

We are seeking an exceptional Head of Policy Communications to lead our strategic communications efforts across critical policy areas. This senior leadership role will oversee communications strategy for federal, state, and local policy, societal impacts, safeguards, responsible scaling, security, legal and regulatory issues, and more. You will be responsible for crafting and executing sophisticated communications strategies that shape public understanding of AI policy issues while navigating complex issues and stakeholder landscapes.

As Head of Policy Communications, you will serve as a key strategic advisor to Anthropic’s leadership team and cross-functional partners, managing high-stakes communications in one of the most rapidly evolving and consequential technology sectors. This role demands exceptional judgment, strategic vision, and the ability to translate complex technical and policy concepts into compelling narratives that resonate with diverse audiences, including press, policymakers, regulators, media, policy influencers, and the general public.

Key Responsibilities
Strategic Leadership

Develop and execute comprehensive policy communications strategies that advance Anthropic’s mission and policy objectives

Lead communications for federal, state, and local policy initiatives, ensuring cohesive messaging

Oversee strategic narratives around societal impacts of AI, trust and safety measures, responsible scaling policies, legal and regulatory issues, and security frameworks

Serve as senior communications counsel to C-suite executives and cross-functional partners including policy, legal, societal impacts, and brand marketing

Build and maintain relationships with key policy stakeholders, including press, government officials, think tanks, and policy influencers

Crisis & Issues Management

Lead rapid response communications during crises and for issues requiring strategic guidance on tight timelines

Oversee comprehensive crisis communications playbooks for policy-related scenarios

Navigate sensitive communications around AI safety incidents, regulatory investigations, and policy debates

Partner with legal, policy, and security teams to ensure aligned messaging during high-stakes situations

Team & Program Management

Build and lead a high-performing policy communications team

Collaborate with corporate communications, product communications, and brand marketing teams to ensure integrated messaging

Manage relationships with external agencies and consultants specializing in public affairs

Oversee executive thought leadership programs, including speaking engagements, op-eds, and testimony preparation

Stakeholder Engagement

Cultivate and maintain relationships with top-tier policy and technology journalists

Develop strategies for engaging with diverse stakeholder groups including civil society, academia, and industry partners

Lead communications efforts for major policy announcements, regulatory submissions, and public commitments

Represent Anthropic in policy forums, industry associations, media partnerships, and multi-stakeholder initiatives

Requirements
Must-Have Qualifications

15+ years of progressive experience in policy communications, public affairs, or related fields

Proven track record leading communications at senior levels in complex, regulated industries

Deep expertise in federal and state government relations and policy communications

Exceptional crisis management experience with demonstrated ability to navigate high-stakes, time-sensitive situations

Strong relationships with policy media, including technology policy, AI/ML, and regulatory beat reporters

Experience communicating about complex technical topics to non-technical audiences

Outstanding written and verbal communication skills with meticulous attention to detail

Proven ability to build and lead high-performing teams

Bachelor’s degree required; advanced degree preferred

Preferred Qualifications

Experience in AI, technology policy, or emerging technology sectors

Background in national security, cybersecurity, or critical infrastructure communications

Experience with international policy communications and global stakeholder management

Track record of successful congressional testimony preparation and support

Experience working with or within government agencies

Understanding of AI ethics, safety, and governance frameworks

Experience managing communications through regulatory investigations or enforcement actions

Compensation

Annual Salary: $400,000 USD

Total compensation package includes equity, benefits, and may include incentive compensation

Logistics

Education requirements: At least a Bachelor’s degree in a related field or equivalent experience

Location-based hybrid policy: Staff expected to be in office at least 25% of the time; some roles may require more

Visa sponsorship: Sponsorship available for certain roles; support provided by Anthropic’s immigration lawyer

We encourage applications even if you do not meet every qualification. Research shows underrepresented groups often experience imposter syndrome, so we urge you to apply if interested. We value diversity and representation in AI due to its social and ethical implications.

How We’re Different

We believe the highest-impact AI research will be big science. At Anthropic, we work as a single cohesive team on a few large-scale research efforts. We prioritize impact—advancing long-term goals of steerable, trustworthy AI—over smaller, narrow projects.

Our research approach treats AI as an empirical science, similar to physics and biology. We are highly collaborative, hosting frequent discussions to ensure we pursue the highest-impact work. Communication skills are therefore highly valued.

Recent research directions include:

GPT-3

Circuit-Based Interpretability

Multimodal Neurons

Scaling Laws

AI & Compute

Concrete Problems in AI Safety

Learning from Human Preferences

Come Work With Us!

Anthropic is a public benefit corporation headquartered in San Francisco. We offer:

Competitive compensation and benefits

Optional equity donation matching

Generous vacation and parental leave

Flexible working hours

Collaborative office space

Guidance on Candidates’ AI Usage: Learn about our policy for using AI in the application process.

Learn more here