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:

Ai2 is a Seattle based non-profit AI research institute founded in 2014 by the late Paul Allen. Our mission is building breakthrough AI to solve the world’s biggest problems. We develop foundational AI research and innovation to deliver real-world impact through large-scale open models, data, robotics, conservation, and beyond.

In addition to Ai2’s core mission, we also aim to contribute to humanity through our treatment of each member of the Ai2 Team. Some highlights are:

• We are a learning organization – because everything Ai2 does is ground-breaking, we are learning every day. Similarly, through weekly Ai2 Academy lectures, a wide variety of world-class AI experts as guest speakers, and our commitment to your personal on-going education, Ai2 is a place where you will have opportunities to continue learning alongside your coworkers. 
• We value diversity - We seek to hire, support, and promote people from all genders, ethnicities, and all levels of experience regardless of age. We particularly encourage applications from women, non-binary individuals, people of color, members of the LGBTQA+ community, and people with disabilities of any kind. 
• We value inclusion - We understand the value that people's individual experiences and perspectives can bring to an organization, and we are building a culture in which all voices are heard, respected and considered.
• We emphasize a healthy work/life balance – we believe our team members are happiest and most productive when their work/life balance is optimized. While we value powerful research results which drive our mission forward, we also value dinner with family, weekend time, and vacation time. We offer generous paid vacation and sick leave as well as family leave.
• We are collaborative and transparent – we consider ourselves a team, all moving with a common purpose. We are quick to cheer our successes, and even quicker to share and jointly problem solve our failures.
• We are in Seattle – and our office is on the water! We have mountains, we have lakes, we have four seasons, we bike to work, we have a vibrant theater scene, and we have so much else. We even have kayaks for you to paddle right outside our front door. We welcome interest from applicants from outside of the United States.
• We are friendly– chances are you will like every one of the 200+ (and growing) people who work here. We do. 

Ai2 is proud to be an Equal Opportunity employer. We do not discriminate based upon race, religion, color, national origin, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender, gender identity, gender expression, transgender status, sexual stereotypes, age, status as a protected veteran, status as an individual with a disability, or other applicable legally protected characteristics. You may view the related Know Your Rights compliance poster and the Pay Transparency Nondiscrimination Provision by clicking on their corresponding links. 

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to employees and applicants with disabilities to the full extent required by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). If you feel you need a reasonable accommodation pursuant to the ADA, you are encouraged to contact us at [email protected].

Benefits:

• Team members and their families are covered by medical, dental, vision, basic life insurance, basic accidental death and dismemberment insurance, short-term disability, long-term disability, and an employee assistance program. 
• Team members are able to enroll in our voluntary life insurance program, our voluntary accidental death and dismemberment program, our health savings account plan, our healthcare reimbursement arrangement plan, and our health care and dependent care flexible spending account plans. 
• Team members are able to enroll in our company’s 401k plan. 
• Team members will receive $125 per month to assist with commuting or internet expenses and will also receive $200 per month for fitness and wellbeing expenses.
• Team members will also receive up to ten sick days per year, up to seven personal days per year, up to 20 vacation days per year and twelve paid holidays throughout the calendar year.
• Team members will be able to receive annual bonuses and can participate in the long-term incentive plan.

Note: This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to be performed by the team members(s) of this position. Team members will be required to follow any other job-related instructions and to perform any other job-related duties requested by any person authorized to give instructions or assignments. All duties and responsibilities are essential functions and requirements and are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. To perform this job successfully, the team member(s) will possess the skills, aptitudes, and abilities to perform each duty proficiently. Some requirements may exclude individuals who pose a direct threat or significant risk to the health or safety of themselves or others. The requirements listed in this document are the minimum levels of knowledge, skills, or abilities. This document does not create an employment contract, implied or otherwise, other than an at will relationship.