ABOUT THINKING MACHINES
The mission of Thinking Machines is to build AI that extends human will and judgment. We are training frontier models with Inkling, developing Tinker to let people make models their own, and crafting interfaces that broaden human-AI communication. We believe the future worth building is human, and we're hiring people who want to build it.
ABOUT THE ROLE
We're looking for a founding policy leader to build and lead Thinking Machines' global public policy function.
You'll be the company's principal policy strategist and advocate across a wide range of policy issues that shape how Thinking Machines can build and deploy frontier AI responsibly.These could span U.S. federal and state policy, the EU AI Act, international regulatory regimes, export control and national security frameworks. You'll work with leadership to set the company's substantive policy positions, build and lead the team that executes on them, and represent Thinking Machines directly with legislators, regulators, and industry counterparts.
This is a build role that will take ownership of it end-to-end: hiring and developing a team while scaling the company's engagement across every jurisdiction where policy affects its ability to operate.
WHAT YOU'LL DO
- Set and drive Thinking Machines' global public policy strategy, from U.S. federal legislation and executive action to EU AI Act implementation and policy developments in other key jurisdictions.
- Build and lead the public policy team, including hiring, structuring the function, and establishing how it partners with Research, Product, Safety, Legal, Communications, and the executive team.
- Represent Thinking Machines directly with legislators, regulators, and agency staff, and manage relationships with outside counsel, lobbyists, and advocacy partners.
- Lead the company's engagement on the issues most material to its business: frontier model legislation, safety and disclosure frameworks, open-weight model policy, and societal impact, translating fast-moving developments into clear positions and recommendations for leadership.
- Build and manage coalition relationships with peer labs, industry groups, and trade associations, and represent Thinking Machines in relevant multi-stakeholder forums.
- Develop the internal infrastructure for policy decision-making, including state-of-play tracking, position papers, and clear escalation paths, so policy considerations are built into product and research decisions early.
SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS
Minimum qualifications:
- 10+ years of experience in technology policy, government relations, or a related field with a demonstrated track record of shaping policy outcomes on complex technology policy issues, including significant experience in U.S. federal policy and direct engagement with legislators or regulators.
- Experience building and leading a policy or government affairs function, including hiring and managing a team.
- Working knowledge of the US state, federal, and international regulatory landscape for AI, including the EU AI Act, and experience engaging on policy issues across multiple jurisdictions.
- Excellent judgment translating complex, fast-moving regulatory developments into clear, actionable recommendations for executive leadership.
- Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to represent the company credibly with government officials, industry counterparts, and internal stakeholders alike.
Preferred qualifications—we encourage you to apply if you meet some but not all of these:
- Experience in a frontier AI company, national security, or export control policy context, with familiarity with issues like deemed exports, compute governance, or model release policy.
- Prior government, Hill, or agency experience (e.g., Congress, Commerce/BIS, OSTP, or similar).
- Experience building coalitions with peer companies and trade associations on emerging technology policy issues.
- Familiarity with the technical fundamentals of frontier AI development (training, fine-tuning, model release processes) sufficient to engage credibly with research and engineering teams.
LOGISTICS
- Location: This role is based in Washington, D.C. with regular travel to San Francisco, CA and other jurisdictions as needed.
- Compensation: Depending on background, skills and experience, the expected annual salary range for this position is $300,000-360,000 USD.
- Visa sponsorship: We sponsor visas. While we can't guarantee success for every candidate or role, if you're the right fit, we're committed to working through the visa process together.
- Benefits: Thinking Machines offers generous health, dental, and vision benefits, unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, and relocation support as needed.
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