State and Local Affairs Lead, West

The role

The State and Local Affairs Lead engages with state and local governments in the Western United States to advance AI policy, legislation, and regulation. This person will manage relationships with government stakeholders and execute strategic priorities across the region.

What you will do

• Serve as lead for state and local government affairs across many Western states
• Build and maintain relationships with state legislators, governors' offices, attorneys general, and state agency leaders
• Engage directly with local officials like mayors, city councils, and county commissions
• Track state and local legislation and regulatory proceedings affecting AI and the technology sector
• Build partnerships with local and regional organizations
• Represent Anthropic at legislative hearings, regional events, and public forums
• Work with the Communications team to develop regional policy campaign messaging
• Translate technical research and policy positions into regional engagement strategies
• Manage outside advisors and registered lobbyists
• Coordinate with policy, communications, legal, and executive teams

Required qualifications

• Align with the mission and embrace the imperative of policy impact and change
• Experience in state and local government affairs, political strategy, or legislative roles
• Demonstrated success contributing to legislative and regulatory outcomes
• Existing relationships with state and local leaders in the West
• Understand how state legislatures and executive branches work
• Track record of executing on strategic objectives and delivering measurable outcomes
• Prepared to travel regularly across the region
• Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience
• Field of study relevant to the role

Nice to have

• 8+ years of experience in state and local government affairs, political strategy, or legislative roles
• Experience building partnerships with external organizations
• Exposure to technology policy or emerging technology regulation
• Understanding of how to build coalitions and identify aligned constituencies
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and stakeholder relationships across different states
• Ability to work well under time pressure and manage competing demands
• Ability to translate complex technical topics into clear language
• Experience working with communications teams to develop effective messaging
• Comfortable being honest about tradeoffs
• Drawn to working with an organization that approaches AI policy with intensity and intellectual honesty

Benefits

• Competitive compensation and benefits
• Optional equity donation matching
• Generous vacation and parental leave
• Flexible working hours
• Office space

Before you apply

• We do sponsor visas, though not for every role or candidate
• For roles in California, qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered in accordance with state and local laws

About the company

Anthropic is a public benefit corporation headquartered in San Francisco. Its mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems.