Policy Lead, OLMo

We prefer a candidate based in the Washington DC metropolitan area (DC, Virginia, Maryland) due to the importance of attending events in DC. However, we are also open to candidates located anywhere in the US. Our second preference is for a candidate based in the Seattle area who can travel to DC regularly.

Compensation: Our base salary range is $156,000 - $234,000, and in addition we have generous bonus plans to provide a competitive compensation package.  This range is for roles based in Seattle, DC, New York City, and will vary for all other locations. 

Who You Are:

You are  a well-networked and informed Policy Lead who has experience with multiple levels of the AI policy stack – understanding the underlying technology, writing whitepapers on relevant issues, and attending meetings and advocating for specific positions on the cutting edge of AI. You are excited to advocate for the open and scientific study and advancement of language models. You thrive in collaborative environments, are action-oriented, and excited about contributing to Ai2's impact-driven mission. You can translate complex concepts and ideas into concrete policy goals and take action to collaborate inside and outside of Ai2 to make them one step closer to reality. When it’s time to explain your ideas, you bring clarity to complex regulatory or legal issues and how it pertains to our strategy. You’re comfortable with taking a variety of actions to achieve these goals – working with internal researchers, writing policy white papers and comments to government agencies, and directly engaging with, advising, and building coalitions with policymakers, their staff, and key stakeholders, or any other means to achieving impact.

Who We Are: 

Open Language Model (OLMo) is one of Ai2’s landmark contributions to the science of language modeling. It is part of a larger Open Ecosystem providing access to data, code, models, and development recipes necessary to advance generative AI. Our goal is to share high-quality AI artifacts and research methods openly to empower academics, researchers and developers more broadly to directly study and work with these models beyond what can be achieved with proprietary AI. Since releasing the first OLMo in February 2024, Ai2 has released a series of powerful models including Molmo, OLMoE, Tulu 3, and OLMo 2, while maintaining open access to the underlying data, code, and recipes used in development.

Your Next Challenge:

You will be a part of the core team of at Ai2 working on improving the impact of our work on the AI ecosystem. You’ll work with leadership and technical employees alike to build the broader context of our work. In this role you will lead our policy efforts to build coalitions and understand the changing climate of AI policy.

The essential functions include, but are not limited to the following:

• Take a leading role in the conversation around AI policy, including key topics such as open-source AI, copyright and AI, and AI safety, both internally and externally,
• Build and cultivate relationships with policymakers, regulators, and key stakeholders to shape the conversation around AI policy
• Attend and organize meetings on the broader stakes of AI and advocate for our work with OLMo and related efforts with relevant government, industrial, academic and standards organizations.
• Collaborate with and learn from team members across Ai2, including scientists and engineers

What You’ll Need:

• Have 3+ years of experience working in technology policy, preferably on AI
• Bachelor’s degree in Legal, Communications or related disciplines
• Have a track record of effective engagement with government agencies (foreign and domestic)
• Are skilled at working with a variety of teams (such as safety, legal, research, and communications)
• Possess strong written and verbal communication skills, particularly when briefing policymakers and government officials
• Have demonstrated interest and experience in a complicated technical subject 

Physical Demands and Work Environment:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by a team member to successfully perform the essential functions of this position. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the functions.

• Must be able to remain in a stationary position for long periods of time. 
• The ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations. 
• The ability to observe details at close range.
• Can work under deadlines.

A Little More About Ai2:

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