General
Science and Technology (S&T) Policy Career Opportunities
Fellowships and Grants for Early- and Mid-Career Professionals
Takeaways on US Policy Careers (Part 1): Paths to Impact and Personal Fit - EA Forum (Mauricio; 2021)
Being absurdly impactful through US policy work is very feasible, and not even very rare in this community. Anecdotes suggest that, if more people with certain strengths (discussed below) go into US policy work, it’s fairly likely that—over the course of their whole careers—they’ll have multiple huge impact wins
Takeaways on US Policy Careers (Part 2): Career Advice - EA Forum (Mauricio; 2021)
Here are some options that are often among the best things to do at various stages of your career, if you’re optimizing for US policy jobs and don’t need to worry about US work authorization
US Congress
Career Review: Congressional Staffer - 80,000 Hours (2018)
As a congressional staffer you’ll be able to improve how the government uses its enormous power, while also building knowledge of how Congress works and the network to go with it. While some senior positions in the executive branch might be more impactful, Congress is a good place to start out, especially if you don’t have a master’s in policy, security studies or international relations.
Working in Congress (Part #1): Background and some EA cause area analysis - EA Forum (Locke_USA; 2021)
This post focuses on providing the necessary background about Congress. The post is structured like a funnel, moving from general information about Congress to specific information about the relevant committees and members across different EA cause areas.
Working in Congress (Part #2): Assessing fit and landing a job - EA Forum (Locke_USA; 2021)
This post focuses on “next steps” for EAs interested in seriously exploring working in Congress, and includes resources and tactical suggestions for people across different career stages (current students, recent graduates, and people with terminal degrees and/or several years of work experience).
How I got an entry-level role in Congress - EA Forum (new_staffer; 2021)
A few months ago I was hired for an entry-level role in a Congressional office. In this post I will share my job search and application process.
Executive Agencies
U.S. Executive branch appointments: why you may want to pursue one and tips for how to do so - EA Forum (Demosthenes_USA; 2020)
This article will, first, provide an overview of the executive branch and the appointments available. Second, the article will discuss reasons why you might or might not wish to seek an executive branch appointment. The article will then offer some concrete information about how to seek an appointment.
EAs Should Consider Applying to Join U.S. Diplomacy - EA Forum (abiolvera, DanSpoko)
The U.S. Foreign Service – the United States’ diplomatic corps – is a highly sought after job in Washington - and is likely a promising path for U.S. citizens aiming to work on issues of great power competition, cybersecurity, artificial intelligence governance, biosecurity, global health, and global poverty.
Career review: US State Dept's Foreign Service Officer? EA Forum (VishrutArya; 2020)
Question. Does a career as a Foreign Service Officer (Economic or Political tracks) in the U.S. State Department have a high expected value? Does anyone have the context to judge its merits for EAs?
Thinktanks/nonprofits
Career review: think tank research - 80,000 Hours
Working in a think tank for a few years early in your career is a plausible way to influence government policy for the better, and in the meantime gain skills and contacts to advance your future career in politics or elsewhere, while doing work that’s often fulfilling.
Working at a (DC) policy think tank: Why you might want to do it, what it’s like, and how to get a job - EA Forum (Locke_USA)
This post discusses (1) why you might want to work at DC think tanks, (2) the types of think tanks that exist in DC and what work they do, (3) some questions you may want to ask yourself if you’re thinking about think tank work, and (4) pointers on how to find and apply for jobs at think tanks.
Federal government consulting
Federal Government Consulting as a Career Path for Effective Altruists - EA Forum (Wesley Garner; 2022)
I would rate public sector consulting, in the aggregate, as mediocre in terms of expected effective altruism impact, and high in terms of career capital development. I think these roles have more impact than their private sector equivalent, but less career capital training to offer
US AI policy
US AI policy career review - 80,000 Hours
If you’re a thoughtful American interested in developing expertise and technical abilities in the domain of AI policy, then this may be one of your highest impact options, particularly if you have been to or can get into a top grad school in law, policy, international relations or machine learning.
Miscellaneous
Consider "Semester in DC" Programs, if You're a US Student Interested in Policy Work - EA Forum (Mauricio)
If you’re a US student interested in policy work (especially if you’re an undergraduate), I encourage you to consider applying to a “Semester in DC” program. (...) Many US universities and some nonprofits host these programs, in which students spend a semester in Washington, DC, mainly doing DC-based internships. For US students who are interested in policy careers, many of these programs are hidden gems.
80,000 Hours Podcast interviews with US policy practitioners:
- Jaime Yassif, Nuclear Threat Initiative (2021)
- Andy Weber, Council on Strategic Risks (2021)
- Bonnie Jenkins (2019)
- Tom Kalil (2019)
- Tom Inglesby (2018)
- Beth Cameron (2017)
Selected List
US Congress:
Relevant committees:
- Armed services committees
- Intelligence committees
- Appropriations committees
- Commerce committees
Executive branch:
- National AI Initiative Office (NAIO), Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), White House
- Joint AI Center (JAIC), Department of Defense (DoD)
- National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), Department of Commerce (DoC)
[For future reference:]
White House
- National Security Council
- Office of Management and Budget (OMB)
Department of Defense (DoD)
- Office of the Undersecretary of Defense for Research & Engineering
- DARPA
- Defense Science Board
- Defense Innovation Board
- Defense Innovation Unit
- Office of Net Assessment
- Research laboratories of each of the armed services
- Cyber Command
Intelligence Community
- IARPA
- In-Q-Tel
- National Security Agency (NSA)
Academia:
- Center for Security and Emerging Technology, Georgetown University
