Director of Global Policy & Research

About the role

The Director of Global Policy & Research leads OpenMined's work at the intersection of frontier AI, data governance, and the public interest. You will own three things: Research direction, Policy positions, and Engineering alignment.

Responsibilities

• Direct OpenMined's policy and research agenda, aligning it with engineering goals and organizational priorities
• Spend meaningful time with engineering leadership to ground policy work in what OpenMined is building, and identify opportunities where our protocols can serve public-interest outcomes
• Lead and manage members of the policy and research team
• Develop and publicly communicate policy positions on priority topics, including data access and privacy-preserving AI
• Build and maintain relationships with policymakers, civil society, or standards bodies, and the credibility to build them in others
• Represent OpenMined in select external venues, including policymaker convenings and major AI governance forums

Requirements

• Minimum 5 years demonstrated experience leading policy and/or research work at the intersection of AI, data governance, and public interest, ideally at a frontier AI lab governance team, an AI-focused think tank, a regulator, or comparable organization
• Minimum 2 years of experience managing a small team
• Track record of publishing thought-leading work that has shaped policy debates or public understanding
• Existing professional relationships with policymakers, civil society, or standards bodies, and the credibility to build them in others
• Strong technical literacy; comfortable engaging directly with engineering teams on cryptography, machine learning, and PETs, and translating that substance for policy audiences
• Excellent written communication
• Comfortable operating in a startup environment with ambiguity and broad scope
• Comfortable traveling to the US and other policy hubs on average once a month

About OpenMined

At OpenMined, we are dedicated to building a world where everyone can access the full potential of data to drive meaningful societal change while ensuring privacy and ethical stewardship. As a nonprofit, our mission is to create the first public network for non-public information: a secure, open-source ecosystem where individuals, institutions, and governments can collaborate on critical insights without compromising privacy. We envision a future where privacy-enhanced tools empower people to make informed decisions for the greater good. Since our founding in 2017, OpenMined has grown into a thriving, fully distributed global community of open-source contributors, engineers, researchers, and policy experts. Our collaborations with leading organizations like the United Nations, Microsoft, Anthropic, Reddit, Twitter, and Dailymotion underscore our commitment to innovation and impact. If you're passionate about privacy, open-source technology, and building tools that shape a more ethical and connected future, we invite you to join our mission.

Benefits

• US Healthcare Benefits
• Mission-Driven Work
• Open Source Contribution
• Collaborative Global Team
• Flexible Work Hours
• Flexible Paid Time Off
• Competitive Compensation