Senior Technologist

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Job Overview

The Knight-Georgetown Institute (KGI) is seeking a Senior Technologist to join our high-impact team. KGI was established to connect independent research with technology policy and design, with a focus on the online information environment. Much of KGI’s work involves analysis, explanation, or research translation concerning core technologies involved in online information delivery or consumption, including web technologies, social media, search, mobile platforms, AI, and more. 

The Senior Technologist will join KGI’s leadership team, working across the organization’s project portfolio as an expert who both leads and contributes to the technical aspects of KGI’s work. This role will involve technical analysis, technology policy formulation, research synthesis, running expert convenings and working groups, and external communications with a variety of audiences. The Senior Technologist will partner with KGI’s Executive Director in defining and executing KGI’s most tech-focused projects.

The Senior Technologist is expected to be an experienced professional with significant hands-on experience architecting, developing, deploying, or analyzing large-scale software, services, or their components on the internet. A successful candidate will be able to understand and accurately describe how online services, applications, and technologies work; stay abreast of technological developments; conduct analysis of technological systems; and translate technical research for lay audiences. 

This role will span across KGI’s areas of focus: platform governance (including platform design, kids online safety, and transparency), competition policy (including effective enforcement, online search, interoperability, and AI), and new areas as we expand. This position offers the opportunity to shape high-impact tech policy analysis and research synthesis, and to engage with decision makers in government, industry, and the media across the US, the EU, and the UK. KGI is a relatively new organization and the person taking on this role will have the opportunity to help build KGI’s presence and reputation at the intersection of technology, policy, and research.  

The Senior Technologist will report to the Executive Director and work collaboratively across the small but growing organization, including KGI staff, fellows, postdocs, and student affiliates. A successful candidate will build connections with other Georgetown colleagues focused on technology, public policy, and society, as well as with policy communities and coalitions in academia, industry, and civil society. This role will have no direct reports at the outset but may require people management in the future.

Applicants for this role may be based in Washington, DC or remotely. Regular travel to DC for team collaboration and external events will be required.

Responsibilities

• Conceptualize and lead technology-focused research-to-policy translation projects, including running expert working groups, working with external collaborators, and developing KGI’s own analyses
• Cultivate and maintain relationships with current and new collaborators and supporters across technical communities in academia, industry, and civil society
• Analyze and synthesize information about technical trends and developments in industry and academia
• Identify new technical topics and KGI priorities based on legislative, regulatory, industry, or research activity
• Conduct landscape analyses and summarization of existing research
• Author written materials including commentaries, reports, op-eds, presentations, briefings, and other materials synthesizing research and industry developments and relating them to policy debates
• Represent KGI externally with policymakers, researchers, industry, civil society, and the media
• Participate in external public events, panel discussions, and workshops
• Oversee delivery of pre- and post-event communications and work products

Requirements and Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in a technical field, including computer science, electrical engineering, math, data science, or another similar field
• 12+ years experience in a technical role in industry, academia, or government
• Significant hands-on experience architecting, developing, deploying, or analyzing large-scale software, services, or their components on the internet
• Understanding of technology policy issues and the policymaking process at the US federal level
• Experience taking new projects from conceptualization through to execution and evaluation, independently and as part of a team
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear analysis, exert editorial control, and tailor communications to different audiences
• Proven ability to work collaboratively in a team environment
• Proven ability to take initiative independently, manage multiple projects, and meet deadlines

Preferred Qualifications:

• Graduate degree in any field related to technology or public policy
• Direct experience in federal, state, or international policy or advocacy
• People management experience
• Familiarity with social science research methods

Salary

The salary range for this position is $103,723-$175,000. Georgetown University provides pay ranges representing its good faith estimate of what the university reasonably expects to pay for a position. The pay offered to a selected candidate will be determined based on factors such as, but not limited to, the scope and responsibilities of the position, the qualifications of the selected candidate, departmental budget availability, internal equity and external market pay for comparable jobs.

Apply today

Interested applicants should apply through the Georgetown Careers website.

About the Knight-Georgetown Institute

The Knight-Georgetown Institute (KGI) serves as a central hub for translating research into practical resources that policymakers, journalists, and private and public sector leaders can use to tackle information and technology issues in real time, ranging from artificial intelligence to the spread of misinformation and disinformation.

KGI helps policymakers and tech industry leaders address pressing issues related to technology, policy, and ethics and make informed decisions on how technology is used to shape, produce, and share information across platforms. The institute will also train the next generation of leaders to shape the future of information and technology for the common good.