(Senior) Programs Associate

If you have any issues applying, please email careers@iaps.ai.

Key Information

• Role: Senior Programs Associate or Programs Associate

• Salary: $70,000 – $110,000 (pre-tax) per year

• Location: remote, but Washington, D.C. preferred

• Job type: Full-time, permanent position

• Start date: As soon as possible

• Application deadline: Sunday, March 8, 2026, 23:59 Pacific Time
  

IAPS Programs is building the infrastructure that the AI policy field needs to grow. We run a competitive AI Policy Fellowship with thousands of applicants, matching fellows with experts across key think tanks, governments, and industry, and convene senior AI policy leaders at our annual Alexandria Forum. In 2026, we're planning to scale up the fellowship and pilot new talent and coordination programs to strengthen the AI policy landscape.

We're hiring 1-2 (Senior) Programs Associates to help us execute on this expansion. Depending on your strengths, you might coach fellows through their policy work and career transitions, build the pipelines and project management systems that make our operations scalable, or design and pilot entirely new programs. We're looking for someone who combines strong judgment about what makes programs work with the willingness to get into the operational details that make them actually happen. You'll join a small team that moves fast, iterates based on data, and is keen to build impactful projects that help humanity navigate a world with transformative AI.

About IAPS

The Institute for AI Policy and Strategy (IAPS) is a nonpartisan think tank that produces forward-looking policy research to address the implications of advanced artificial intelligence, from today’s frontier models to potential AGI and beyond. Our work equips policymakers and industry leaders to protect innovation while navigating high-magnitude risks and opportunities at the intersection of AI, national security, and geopolitics.

Our work includes:

• Conducting forward-looking policy research in areas including preparedness, information and supply chain security, and international coordination needed to navigate strategic competition with adversaries who may misuse AI.

• Cultivating policy talent — IAPS is forging a community of researchers and practitioners from across many policy areas and backgrounds to meet this critical moment.

• Providing relevant and timely insights to stakeholders across Congress, the executive branch, industry, academia, and civil society.

Follow these links to read more about our work and our team, and sign up to our newsletter.

About the Role

The (Senior) Programs Associate will work closely with the Director of Programs, Renan Araujo, and the Programs Manager, Arushi Gupta, to scale IAPS's growing programs portfolio. This is a role for someone who can operate across multiple workstreams, from managing fellows to building operational systems to designing new programs, and who thrives in a fast-paced environment where the playbook is still being written.

We expect most candidates will have particular strength in at least one of three areas:

Fellowship management and coaching. IAPS plans to run two fellowship cohorts per year, each with ~30 fellows ranging from recent graduates to experienced mid-career professionals. You would support fellows through their 12-week fellowship: conducting regular check-ins, monitoring research progress, managing relationships with external supervisors, and providing career coaching to help fellows transition into impactful AI policy roles. You'd also help design and improve the fellowship curriculum, including the intensive 2-week in-person component in Washington, D.C.

Systems and operations. IAPS's programs generate significant operational complexity, from processing thousands of fellowship applications to providing referrals to dozens of requests from AI policy organizations, while coordinating our growing alumni network. You would build and maintain the systems (primarily in Airtable) that keep our operations running: application management and selection pipelines, fellow tracking dashboards, alumni engagement infrastructure, and project management tools (such as Asana). You'd help design assessment rubrics and selection processes, and use data from past cohorts to continuously improve how we identify high-potential candidates.

New program design and execution. IAPS is actively expanding beyond the fellowship. You would help scope, pilot, and evaluate new programs, such as workshops bridging Bay Area technical organizations and D.C. policymakers, a senior affiliates network, or coordination convenings around specific AI policy areas. This means writing short concept notes, running pilots, managing the project and delegating to other staff, gathering feedback, and making recommendations about what to scale, iterate, or sunset.

Candidates will be automatically considered for both the Senior Programs Associate and Programs Associate role. The distinction will reflect salary considerations and independent ownership of work, although the overall scope of work will be the same for both positions. As IAPS continuously expands our Programs portfolio, a successful (Senior) Programs Associate may grow into a more senior role into the team.

What We Are Looking For

Experience

• 1+ year for Program Associate / 3+ years for Senior Program Associate of relevant experience in programs, fellowships, talent development, operations, or a related field.

• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously under compressed timelines.

• Experience working with or supporting diverse cohorts of professionals across different seniority levels.

• Track record of building or significantly improving operational processes.

Skills and competencies

• Ability to work independently in a fast-paced environment with shifting priorities.

• Strong project management instincts and attention to detail.

• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills. You'll interact with senior policymakers, industry leaders, and thought leaders, helping build and strengthen relationships for IAPS.

• Comfort with ambiguity and the ability to take vague ideas and turn them into concrete plans.

• A data-informed approach to decision-making, and a willingness to use retrospective analysis to improve programs rather than relying on assumptions.

• Proactiveness and a "figure it out" mentality.

• Additional competencies that may qualify exceptional candidates for consideration for the Senior Programs Associate position:

• Experience with Airtable, programming, or other tools for building operational workflows.

• Pre-existing networks in AI or tech policy, especially in the U.S.

• Prior experience in policy-focused organizations, particularly in AI, tech policy or national security.

• Experience designing or running competitive fellowship or talent programs at scale.

• Familiarity with the D.C. policy ecosystem and professional dynamics.

We encourage candidates to apply even if they do not meet all skills and experience listed. We are open to hiring someone with substantial strengths in some areas but who need to develop their skills in others, and we invest heavily in our staff's development.

What We Offer

Compensation

• Annual salary: $70,000 – $110,000 (pre-tax) per year

• The exact salary will be based on the candidate's prior relevant experience, according to IAPS’s salary algorithm.

Other Benefits

• Comprehensive global benefits package, including generous health insurance. 

• Generous paid time off (PTO) leave and unpaid leave, including:

• Unlimited vacation with a minimum 30 days off per year (incl. public local holidays, vacation time, and “mandated” 3-weeks total mid- and end-year organization-wide breaks).

• Unlimited (within reason) personal and sick leave.

• Parental leave - up to 6-9 months of a combination of paid and unpaid parental leave that can be taken prior to and/or during the first 2 years after a child’s birth or adoption. 

• Technology stipend of the equivalent of $2000 USD every 3 years that can be used to cover costs of purchasing work and office equipment.

• Annual team retreat and other opportunities for paid travel of generally 1-2 weeks per trip, including stipends to help cover the cost of dependent care while traveling.

• We encourage proactive professional development and offer learning opportunities, including conferences and workshops.

Logistics and Additional Information

• Location: This role is remote, with a preference for candidates based in or willing to relocate to Washington, D.C. We offer a 10% location premium for D.C.-based candidates. We are not able to sponsor U.S. visas for this role, but we are able to hire in most countries.

• Hours: This is a full-time role, based on a 40-hour workweek. During and around fellowship kickoffs (4 weeks per year) and the Alexandria Forum (1 week per year), expect intensive work including some evenings and weekends.

• We care deeply about staff well-being and sustainable work practices. Any additional hours worked during intensive event periods should be taken as compensated time off, and we actively encourage you to recharge after major events.

• Travel: This role may involve travel to Washington, D.C. for fellowship kickoffs (up to 4 weeks per year) and other convenings. Travel is paid and optional, though D.C. presence during fellowship weeks is highly valuable.

• Language: Please submit all of your application materials in English and note that we require professional level English proficiency.

• Accessibility: We’re committed to running an inclusive and accessible hiring process. We warmly invite you to reach out to careers@iaps.ai with any accommodation requests.

• Hiring emails: Please add careers@iaps.ai to your trusted contacts and/or check your 'spam', 'promotions' and 'updates' folders, if you don't hear from us within the expected timeframe. We aim to run a fair, timely, and transparent process, and all applicants will receive a response.

Our Hiring Process

There are four evaluation stages for the (Senior) Programs Associate position:

1. Application questions

2. Work test focused on programs scenarios

3. Interviews with members of the programs team

4. Reference checks

Occasionally, we may insert a brief additional step to help us fairly assess candidates. If used, this step will take no more than an hour.

To apply, please click the ‘Apply Now’ button below. We ask that you spend no more than two (2) hours preparing your responses to the prompts in the form.

Note Before Applying: Please do not include a cover letter, photograph, or headshot of yourself, or any personal information that is not relevant to the role for which you’re applying (including marital status, age, identity traits, etc.). Additionally, please do not ask our staff members involved in the hiring process to meet with you – to ensure fairness, we try to minimize these interactions, and requests for meetings with the hiring committee members during the process will be declined. 

Contact: Please email careers@iaps.ai if you have any questions.