How to apply for Communications Senior Associate

About Institute for AI Policy and Strategy

The Institute for AI Policy and Strategy is a nonprofit that produces research for policy recommendations aimed at reducing risks from frontier AI systems. It is remote-first in the US and focused on translating AI research into policy outputs. Someone might want to work here if they want communications work tied directly to AI policy research rather than general tech marketing.

About the role

This Communications Senior Associate role manages communications deliverables from inception through publication, including tracking projects, flagging deadline risks, and coordinating approvals across teams. The person also drafts and edits copy for web, social media, and newsletters, repurposes research into platform-ready formats, and oversees digital and multimedia production with contractors. The role is impactful because it determines whether the institute's policy research reaches the right audiences in usable formats.

A typical day

A typical day might involve checking project timelines for upcoming communications deliverables, flagging a deadline risk to a research or policy team, and editing a newsletter draft. You might also brief a contractor on a multimedia asset, review copy for a social post, and repurpose a new research publication into a web summary. The exact rhythm depends on the team's workflow, so ask about their project tracking tools and approval process in the interview.

Who Institute for AI Policy and Strategy is looking for

• Has experience managing communications projects end to end, including workflow approvals and handoffs across teams, and can flag deadline risks early.
• Can draft and edit copy for web, social media, and newsletters, and can repurpose dense research into platform-ready formats.
• Has overseen digital and multimedia content production, including managing contractors and maintaining editorial quality.
• Can identify new content formats that extend research reach and support organizational programming, not just execute existing templates.

Tips for this application

• In your application, describe a specific communications deliverable you managed from inception through publication, including how you tracked approvals and flagged deadline risks.
• Show how you have repurposed research or technical material into web, social, or newsletter copy. Use a concrete example with the platform and audience.
• Name the tools you used for project tracking and workflow approvals, such as Asana, Trello, Notion, or similar, and explain how you used them.
• If you have managed contractors for multimedia or digital production, describe the scope, your editorial review process, and how you maintained quality.
• Read the institute's research publications before applying and reference one specific output in your materials, explaining how you would repurpose it for a platform.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your experience managing communications deliverables end to end, including tracking deadlines and coordinating approvals across teams.', 'A concrete example of repurposing research into platform-ready copy for web, social media, or newsletters.', 'Your experience overseeing digital or multimedia production and managing contractors while maintaining editorial quality.', "Why you want to apply communications skills to AI policy research specifically, and how you would extend the reach of the institute's research."]

Research before applying

• Read the institute's recent research publications and note their format, length, and target audience.
• Check the institute's website, social media, and newsletters to see current communications output and identify gaps or opportunities.
• Look up the backgrounds of the institute's team and any published communications or policy outputs to understand their audience and tone.
• Find any public information about the institute's organizational programming to understand what communications work supports.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk through a communications project you managed from inception through publication. How did you track approvals and handle deadline risks?
• How would you repurpose one of the institute's recent research publications into a social media thread and a newsletter item?
• Describe your experience managing contractors for digital or multimedia content. How did you maintain editorial quality?
• How do you decide which new content formats are worth testing to extend research reach?
• How would you coordinate communications workflow approvals across research, policy, and operations teams in a remote setting?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic cover letter that does not mention AI policy, the institute's research, or the communications deliverables described in the job post.
• Claiming experience repurposing research without giving a concrete example of the source material, the platform, and the result.
• Focusing only on writing and editing while ignoring the project management, deadline tracking, and contractor oversight parts of the role.