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Talent Lead — State Capacity

We’re offering a $3k bounty to whoever refers our hire

Washington, DC preferred; also open to remote US

6-month position | Apply here by March 20, 2026

About IFP

The Institute for Progress (IFP) is a non-partisan think tank focused on innovation policy. Our organization works to accelerate and shape the direction of scientific, technological, and industrial progress. IFP works with policymakers across the political spectrum in Washington, D.C. to make it easier to build the future in the United States. You can read more about our vision and mission in our founding essay written by co-founders Alec Stapp and Caleb Watney.

The role

AI is moving fast. The federal government needs people who deeply understand it. Right now, there aren’t nearly enough people with that expertise in the rooms where decisions get made.

This is a problem IFP is well-positioned to help solve. We sit at the intersection of the tech and policy worlds, and we want to build a function dedicated to getting more talented people from AI and adjacent fields into government.

You’ll design and run programs to find exceptional people, help them understand where their skills are most needed, and support them in making the leap into public service. This could involve running talent identification programs, organizing convenings and events, building partnerships with other AI or talent-focused organizations, and developing tools and pipelines to connect technical talent with government opportunities at scale.

This is a build role. We’ve done early work here and seen strong demand, but there’s no established playbook. You’ll be figuring out what works, iterating fast, and shaping what this function becomes.

What you’ll do

  • Design and run programs to identify high-potential talent for AI roles across government.
  • Build relationships across AI and adjacent fields to find people who are great fits for government service. 
  • Help talent understand the landscape of government opportunities and where their skills are most needed.
  • Develop partnerships with other organizations to strengthen each other’s pipelines.
  • Build tooling to track talent and evaluate fit at scale.
  • Experiment with new approaches like events, convenings, fellowship models, and automated sourcing tools. 

Who you are

This role could be a fit for a wide range of backgrounds, like recruiting, sales, venture capital, donor relations, program management, operations, or running your own projects. 

You’ll be a great fit if you are: 

  • A builder. You’ve designed and run programs end-to-end: developing the strategy, executing, and iterating. 
  • Agentic and self-directed. You can make your own plans, stay organized across a high volume of parallel tasks, and get creative when you’re stuck.
  • A connector. You make friends across very different circles, and you genuinely enjoy talking to people all day.
  • Curious about people. You ask great questions, quickly understand what someone cares about, and have strong judgment about talent. 
  • Optimistic and persistent. A lot of this work is high-volume and low-conversion. You stay motivated and keep pushing anyway.
  • Well-networked in tech, tech policy, defense tech, national security, or adjacent communities — or you’ve demonstrated you can break into new networks fast.

Salary & benefits

  • IFP offers highly competitive compensation. The salary for this role will be at least $120,000, with the potential for more based on experience. You will also receive comprehensive health insurance, unlimited paid time off, and other benefits matching those of our full-time employees.

Logistics

  • This is a 6-month position with the potential to convert to a permanent role.
  • This role sits within our Emerging Technology team.
  • We strongly prefer candidates based in Washington, D.C., but are open to remote candidates elsewhere in the US.
  • Our ideal start date is as soon as possible.

How to apply

  • Apply here by March 20, 2026.