(Senior) Policy Advisor

# Role Description

We’re hiring a dynamic, strategic advocate to push for action across Congress and the broader US government on the extinction risk posed by **superintelligence**. This role, one of our first hires in the United States, will report to our United States Director and is central to growing ControlAI’s domestic campaign to prohibit superintelligence.

At its heart, this position is about building a broad, bipartisan base of support, with a focus on direct advocacy with Republican members of Congress and the national security community. A typical day might involve emailing dozens of legislative staffers in the morning, supporting a senior leader delivering a briefing over lunch, holding meetings with congressional offices in the afternoon, and working to refine our briefing materials in the evening. Successful candidates will thrive in a fast‑paced, mission‑driven environment that operates more like a fast‑growing startup than a typical nonprofit. They’ll demonstrate exceptional persistence and won’t be deterred by cold outreach and hearing “no” dozens of times.

We will consider both early‑career and experienced candidates. For more experienced candidates, we are open to a Senior Policy Advisor title and a higher compensation range. We may hire more than one Policy Advisor if we have several exceptional candidates.

We recommend reading this article and its follow‑up to get a sense of whether you’d be a good fit for this role.

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## Key Responsibilities Include

– **Campaign‑style execution** — Lead outreach to congressional offices, craft targeted messages, and relentlessly follow up to secure meetings with members. Track and report on progress toward goals and deliverables.

– **Policy advocacy** — Meet and brief congressional staffers, members of Congress, and civil servants on the state of AI, the grave national security risks posed by superintelligence, and ways the US can lead in advancing solutions.

– **Relationship building** — Cultivate relationships with stakeholders across the US government, prioritizing outreach to Republican Members of Congress and the national security community.

– **Refining communications and materials** — Help test ControlAI’s messaging, iterating quickly and continually optimizing based on feedback and results. Prepare compelling, informative materials for policymakers, translating the extinction risk posed by superintelligence into accessible, understandable content.

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## Signs That You Are a Good Fit

– **Excellence‑driven** — You are goal‑driven, comfortable with ambiguity, and energized by ownership. You take personal responsibility for outcomes and produce high‑quality work, striking the right balance between thoroughness and timeliness. You operate with a high degree of autonomy, seeking out new ways to solve problems.

– **Relentless persistence** — You are urgent and seek to overcome obstacles rather than waiting for direction. You get impatient when projects are not moving forward and take proactive action to move them along. You don’t take “no” as a final answer; you always find another angle or path.

– **Skilled communicator** — You have exceptional interpersonal communication skills and feel comfortable engaging in substantive conversations with policymakers. You enjoy crafting compelling narratives and making complex ideas digestible, memorable, and understandable. You stay on‑message even in the face of disagreement and handle pushback with confidence and skill.

– **Constantly learning and improving** — You are deeply self‑reflective and continuously refine your approach. Six months into the role, you’ll be far more effective because your skills compound over time.

– **Honesty and courage** — Integrity matters to you. You do not shy away from discussing the risk of extinction from superintelligence. You show courage by sharing the true state of the world, providing an example policymakers can emulate.

– **Bipartisan credibility** — You are effective and credible across political perspectives, with particular strength engaging Republican and conservative policymakers and stakeholders.

– **Deep passion for ControlAI’s mission** — You believe preventing the risk of extinction from superintelligence is one of the most important and impactful ways you could spend your time.

We are not looking for technical experience or experience with the field of AI safety. Exceptional mission‑aligned individuals can learn much of what is needed to succeed quickly. This is not a research‑focused role; it is action‑oriented.

Military service, national security policy experience, and/or prior work in the Intelligence Community is a strong plus due to the perspective it provides on the national security risks posed by superintelligence.

We encourage you to apply even if you do not feel you have all of the skills and experience listed.

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## Compensation

**$90,000 – $160,000 a year**

The exact salary will depend on qualifications. Most candidates will start between the low end and midpoint of the range. We are open to a Senior Policy Advisor title for exceptional candidates, with commensurate salary on the higher end.

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# About ControlAI

ControlAI is a non‑profit organization with a singular mission: to prevent the extinction risk posed by superintelligence and secure a great future for humanity.

Nobel Prize winners, top AI experts, and CEOs of major AI companies have warned that superintelligence poses an extinction risk. Yet most decision‑makers and the public remain unaware of these risks.

ControlAI exists to change this. We help hundreds of thousands of people understand where AI is going and take civic action to secure their future. We meet hundreds of lawmakers to inform them about the risks and convince them to take a public stance. We help dozens take action to spur a national conversation about superintelligence and put measures in place nationally and internationally.

We work across democratic institutions — lawmakers, media, civil society, and citizens — operating like a startup with clear objectives, measurable goals, and real‑world results.

ControlAI’s impact has been covered in outlets including *The Guardian* and *TIME Magazine*. In the UK, we have briefed over 160 cross‑party parliamentarians and No. 10 Downing Street, with our campaign gaining support from more than 110 British lawmakers. Based on this success, we are now scaling our congressional outreach efforts in the US. This position is a core part of that effort.

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# Application Process

We review applications on a rolling basis and interview strong candidates as they apply. We encourage early applications for priority consideration.

The process includes:

– Resume review
– Brief screening interview
– Two‑hour work task
– Comprehensive interview with our US Director
– Conversation with our CEO

We expect the full process to take 4–6 weeks for most candidates.

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# Other Details

**Location:** Washington, D.C. This is an in‑person role, with potential relocation assistance for exceptional candidates. Occasional travel, including international travel, is required. Candidates must already have US work authorization; ControlAI cannot sponsor visas.

**Hours:** Full‑time.

**Benefits:** Comprehensive benefits package including generous paid time off, health insurance, and a 401(k) match.

ControlAI US Inc. is a 501(c)(4) social welfare organization and an equal opportunity employer. We encourage all qualified individuals to apply regardless of age, race, veteran status, physical abilities, or any other protected characteristic.

Apply here