Horizon Institute For Public Service
Senior Program Associate (Accelerator & Content)
Horizon Institute For Public Service, Washington, District of Columbia, us, 20022
Title : Senior Program Associate (Accelerator & Content)
Salary : $85,000-$110,000+ (incl. healthcare and retirement contributions)
Location : In-person, Washington, DC; visa sponsorship available
Job Type : Full-time
Application Deadline:
May 22nd, 2025
The Horizon Institute for Public Service is seeking a full-time
Senior Program Associate (Accelerator & Content)
to help design and build Horizon's talent development ecosystem by advancing several of our most scalable and complementary educational programs: you'll lead the implementation of our career accelerator program, providing personalized training and support to aspiring policy professionals; you'll boost our capacity and spearhead product innovations to maximize the value of emergingtechpolicy.org, our highly successful career website; and you'll help us pilot new educational programs like online courses. These programs share their focus on creating high-quality educational content for users and doing quick product iteration and feedback cycles, all aimed at building impactful talent pipelines for emerging technology policy.
Competitive applicants will likely have completed at least a bachelor's degree and have some relevant experience in program management, product design, or digital content work. If you think the role is a great fit for your skills and interests, we encourage you to apply even if you don't have previous experience in this exact field. Our hiring process is designed to test for aptitudes and skills, not specific resume markers or experience. Previous experience in US policy or emerging technology is helpful, but not required.
Our mission
The Horizon Institute for Public Service is a non-profit that supports the next generation of public servants with expertise in emerging technologies.
Emerging technologies, like biotechnology and artificial intelligence, are rapidly reshaping our world. The US government plays an essential role in developing and governing new technologies, crafting policies to take advantage of their benefits and avert the risks they pose. But policymakers' ability to stay ahead of the curve depends on access to the requisite expertise. And right now, that expertise is sorely lacking.
Since our launch two years ago, we've helped hundreds of experts launch critically needed careers in public service. For example, through our fellowship program, we've helped 75+ subject-matter experts fill vital roles at top think tanks, congressional offices, and federal agencies. Our online emergingtechpolicy.org career resource has reached 70,000+ users. We've also helped more than 1,000 individuals through our online seminar series and 1-1 advising calls, and participated in the first-ever government AI hiring fair. You can read more about our work here.
About the role
As the Senior Program Associate (Accelerator & Content), you will develop specialized expertise in emerging technology policy talent development while working as a key member of our tight-knit, high-performing team. You'll be managed by our Senior Program Director, Darius Meissner; work closely with our Senior Research Associate, Trinity Smith, on emergingtechpolicy.org; and receive mentorship from our Co-Executive Director, Remco Zwetsloot. This role offers a significant opportunity to grow and influence program direction; it combines program management, product design, and digital content to supercharge our ability to help talented individuals transition into impactful careers in policy fields such as AI and bio. It's an excellent platform for advancing to program management, product development, or senior program operations positions at other high-impact nonprofits, think tanks, in government, or in industry.
Responsibilities Career accelerator program work (40-50%) Horizon has launched the pilot version of our career accelerator, which we aim to run at multiple cycles per year (potentially 75-100+ participants). The SPA would serve as the key implementation and thought partner to the Senior Program Director, helping grow and optimize the program through continuous feedback and iteration cycles. Application process:
Make sure the application process runs smoothly and is maximally efficient as one of our top talent intake and vetting mechanisms (e.g., managing the application tracking system to identify top talent; supporting applicant review; communicating with candidates). Training and infrastructure : Build the program infrastructure and training components that enable participant success, including creating effective coordination resources and helping execute high-quality policy training modules (e.g., developing essential program and training materials; cultivating relationships with external speakers; coordinating with participants; getting feedback from participants to improve training). Mentorship systems & tailored support : Coordinate our 1-1 mentorship and external career coach programs as scalable ways for participants to get career advice from experienced policy practitioners and professional coaches (e.g., coordinate with mentors and coaches; match participants with experts; streamline the matching process). Program strategy, evaluation, and iteration : Drive continuous program improvements by measuring outcomes to create actionable insights, contributing to program strategy, and helping iterate on program design (e.g., run surveys for participants, mentors, and hiring managers; provide input on program strategy; pilot new support services). Alumni engagement & partnership work : Maximize the program's lasting value by nurturing our growing alumni community and building lasting relationships with critical external stakeholders, like hiring managers, mentors, and policy experts (e.g., develop and execute an alumni engagement strategy).
Emergingtechpolicy.org
content and product support (20-30%) Since launching in November 2023, emergingtechpolicy.org has become the leading public resource on US AI and biosecurity policy careers. The website has grown to 100+ guides, exceeding three books' worth of content, and it has been visited more than 200,000 times. The SPA would supercharge our capacity to publish high-value, scalable career advice and greatly improve the website functionality and user experience by owning project management and product work and collaborating with our Senior Research Associate, who has the primary responsibility for drafting guides and related editorial work. Project management:
Maximize our web content output by supporting the full publication pipeline (e.g., track progress across different in-progress projects; communicate with external authors and reviewers; own our website WordPress, including uploading new guides and implementing other website edits; coordinate with external contractors). Product improvements : Help lead improvements to our web product offering, substantially increasing the value of emergingtechpolicy.org by improving user experience, website credibility, and available features. Past examples: adding AI audio narrations across the website and optimizing our homepage design to increase career interest form sign-ups. Future example: Building an integrated AI chatbot that can function as a first-line career advisor and content recommender. Content development & drafting : Increase our capacity to produce and maintain high-quality online guides (e.g., review content before publication; update existing content; run expert surveys to crowdsource advice - potentially help research and draft new content for guides, depending on interest and bandwidth).
Explore and develop online course suite (or other new products/programs) (10-20%) By the end of 2025, we'll seriously explore creating repeatable guided online courses that could leverage our emergingtechpolicy.org guides and reach hundreds/thousands of individuals in our target audience every year. The SPA would work closely with the Senior Program Director to design, implement, grow, and evaluate our online courses as well as other potential new products/programs to maximize public service career transitions and accelerations among our target audience. This new initiative offers significant growth potential and creative freedom. Program design and development: After identifying key educational needs in our target audience, architect a suite of highly scalable educational offerings by creating engaging online courses that leverage our existing content and expertise (e.g. setting up a high-quality online learning platform; designing engaging learning experiences; developing comprehensive syllabi, including by adapting emergingtechpolicy.org guides into structured educational modules; potentially piloting multi-media content like podcasts or video). Program strategy, testing and evaluation: Drive our experimental approach to educational innovation through rapid testing, user research, prototyping, and data collection to continuously improve our offerings (e.g. conducting mini-tests to validate key hypotheses on course formats, measuring demand from potential participants and facilitators, analyzing participant outcomes, recommending strategic adjustments based on findings).
Assorted other work, based on organizational needs and the SPA's interests. This includes time for personal learning and professional development (e.g., attending in-person events, time to do reading, etc.). As a small, nimble, and fast-moving team, we are open to adjusting the role based on an excellent candidate's profile and interests. For example, components of the job description above may be substituted with support for Horizon's communications, talent work, or operations, depending on experience and aptitudes.
You may be a good fit if you
Excel at project management and can handle multiple complex projects with interdependent deadlines Are excited to grow in product and program development, supporting the full product pipeline from design and implementation through program evaluation and strategy Enjoy user-centered design, conducting user research, prototyping, and iterating to build highly effective products Are able to communicate professionally in writing with diverse stakeholders Navigate digital platforms (WordPress, Airtable, Notion, Slack, etc.) confidently and are open to leveraging AI tools to enhance all aspects of your work (e.g., writing, visual design, data analysis) Are entrepreneurial and a team player, adapting to new responsibilities as our growing organization's needs may change over time Are motivated by Horizon's mission and excited to join a public service-oriented, tight-knit, and collaborative team that's always learning Can work in-person in Washington, DC Have a demonstrated interest in policy/government and/or AI/bio (prior experience not required as long as you are excited to learn rapidly on the job) Salary and benefits
The
Senior Program Associate (Accelerator & Content)
will receive a salary of $85,000-$110,000+ based on experience and seniority. As a small non-profit, Horizon does not yet provide a traditional benefits package, such as health insurance or a retirement plan. Instead, we offer a competitive salary (as a W-2 employee), inclusive of a benefits-equivalent stipend, to empower our employees to tailor their benefits according to their individual needs.
Horizon additionally offers:
Unlimited vacation 12 weeks of paid parental leave Up to $3,000 per year in professional development funding Flexible working hours A productive, collaborative office
We can provide visa sponsorship for qualified candidates.
As an additional benefit, employees with subject-matter expertise in emerging technology have the unique opportunity to utilize Horizon's placement expertise to do a public interest rotation for up to 12 months after working at Horizon for 2 years. At least 6 months' notice must be given to redeem this benefit.
Application process
Interested candidates should express initial interest by filling out an application ( . The application process will involve a paid short work test, a paid longer work test, a structured interview, reference checks, and a paid in-person work trial. We will acknowledge receipt of all applications and aim to get back to candidates within 10 days of the application deadline. Our ideal start date is July 2025, though flexibility is offered for exceptional candidates.
We welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. Strong candidates may not always fulfill all our required or desired criteria. Studies show that individuals from underrepresented groups may underestimate their qualifications. Therefore, we urge you not to self-disqualify prematurely. If you are excited about this work, we strongly encourage you to apply.
Salary : $85,000-$110,000+ (incl. healthcare and retirement contributions)
Location : In-person, Washington, DC; visa sponsorship available
Job Type : Full-time
Application Deadline:
May 22nd, 2025
The Horizon Institute for Public Service is seeking a full-time
Senior Program Associate (Accelerator & Content)
to help design and build Horizon's talent development ecosystem by advancing several of our most scalable and complementary educational programs: you'll lead the implementation of our career accelerator program, providing personalized training and support to aspiring policy professionals; you'll boost our capacity and spearhead product innovations to maximize the value of emergingtechpolicy.org, our highly successful career website; and you'll help us pilot new educational programs like online courses. These programs share their focus on creating high-quality educational content for users and doing quick product iteration and feedback cycles, all aimed at building impactful talent pipelines for emerging technology policy.
Competitive applicants will likely have completed at least a bachelor's degree and have some relevant experience in program management, product design, or digital content work. If you think the role is a great fit for your skills and interests, we encourage you to apply even if you don't have previous experience in this exact field. Our hiring process is designed to test for aptitudes and skills, not specific resume markers or experience. Previous experience in US policy or emerging technology is helpful, but not required.
Our mission
The Horizon Institute for Public Service is a non-profit that supports the next generation of public servants with expertise in emerging technologies.
Emerging technologies, like biotechnology and artificial intelligence, are rapidly reshaping our world. The US government plays an essential role in developing and governing new technologies, crafting policies to take advantage of their benefits and avert the risks they pose. But policymakers' ability to stay ahead of the curve depends on access to the requisite expertise. And right now, that expertise is sorely lacking.
Since our launch two years ago, we've helped hundreds of experts launch critically needed careers in public service. For example, through our fellowship program, we've helped 75+ subject-matter experts fill vital roles at top think tanks, congressional offices, and federal agencies. Our online emergingtechpolicy.org career resource has reached 70,000+ users. We've also helped more than 1,000 individuals through our online seminar series and 1-1 advising calls, and participated in the first-ever government AI hiring fair. You can read more about our work here.
About the role
As the Senior Program Associate (Accelerator & Content), you will develop specialized expertise in emerging technology policy talent development while working as a key member of our tight-knit, high-performing team. You'll be managed by our Senior Program Director, Darius Meissner; work closely with our Senior Research Associate, Trinity Smith, on emergingtechpolicy.org; and receive mentorship from our Co-Executive Director, Remco Zwetsloot. This role offers a significant opportunity to grow and influence program direction; it combines program management, product design, and digital content to supercharge our ability to help talented individuals transition into impactful careers in policy fields such as AI and bio. It's an excellent platform for advancing to program management, product development, or senior program operations positions at other high-impact nonprofits, think tanks, in government, or in industry.
Responsibilities Career accelerator program work (40-50%) Horizon has launched the pilot version of our career accelerator, which we aim to run at multiple cycles per year (potentially 75-100+ participants). The SPA would serve as the key implementation and thought partner to the Senior Program Director, helping grow and optimize the program through continuous feedback and iteration cycles. Application process:
Make sure the application process runs smoothly and is maximally efficient as one of our top talent intake and vetting mechanisms (e.g., managing the application tracking system to identify top talent; supporting applicant review; communicating with candidates). Training and infrastructure : Build the program infrastructure and training components that enable participant success, including creating effective coordination resources and helping execute high-quality policy training modules (e.g., developing essential program and training materials; cultivating relationships with external speakers; coordinating with participants; getting feedback from participants to improve training). Mentorship systems & tailored support : Coordinate our 1-1 mentorship and external career coach programs as scalable ways for participants to get career advice from experienced policy practitioners and professional coaches (e.g., coordinate with mentors and coaches; match participants with experts; streamline the matching process). Program strategy, evaluation, and iteration : Drive continuous program improvements by measuring outcomes to create actionable insights, contributing to program strategy, and helping iterate on program design (e.g., run surveys for participants, mentors, and hiring managers; provide input on program strategy; pilot new support services). Alumni engagement & partnership work : Maximize the program's lasting value by nurturing our growing alumni community and building lasting relationships with critical external stakeholders, like hiring managers, mentors, and policy experts (e.g., develop and execute an alumni engagement strategy).
Emergingtechpolicy.org
content and product support (20-30%) Since launching in November 2023, emergingtechpolicy.org has become the leading public resource on US AI and biosecurity policy careers. The website has grown to 100+ guides, exceeding three books' worth of content, and it has been visited more than 200,000 times. The SPA would supercharge our capacity to publish high-value, scalable career advice and greatly improve the website functionality and user experience by owning project management and product work and collaborating with our Senior Research Associate, who has the primary responsibility for drafting guides and related editorial work. Project management:
Maximize our web content output by supporting the full publication pipeline (e.g., track progress across different in-progress projects; communicate with external authors and reviewers; own our website WordPress, including uploading new guides and implementing other website edits; coordinate with external contractors). Product improvements : Help lead improvements to our web product offering, substantially increasing the value of emergingtechpolicy.org by improving user experience, website credibility, and available features. Past examples: adding AI audio narrations across the website and optimizing our homepage design to increase career interest form sign-ups. Future example: Building an integrated AI chatbot that can function as a first-line career advisor and content recommender. Content development & drafting : Increase our capacity to produce and maintain high-quality online guides (e.g., review content before publication; update existing content; run expert surveys to crowdsource advice - potentially help research and draft new content for guides, depending on interest and bandwidth).
Explore and develop online course suite (or other new products/programs) (10-20%) By the end of 2025, we'll seriously explore creating repeatable guided online courses that could leverage our emergingtechpolicy.org guides and reach hundreds/thousands of individuals in our target audience every year. The SPA would work closely with the Senior Program Director to design, implement, grow, and evaluate our online courses as well as other potential new products/programs to maximize public service career transitions and accelerations among our target audience. This new initiative offers significant growth potential and creative freedom. Program design and development: After identifying key educational needs in our target audience, architect a suite of highly scalable educational offerings by creating engaging online courses that leverage our existing content and expertise (e.g. setting up a high-quality online learning platform; designing engaging learning experiences; developing comprehensive syllabi, including by adapting emergingtechpolicy.org guides into structured educational modules; potentially piloting multi-media content like podcasts or video). Program strategy, testing and evaluation: Drive our experimental approach to educational innovation through rapid testing, user research, prototyping, and data collection to continuously improve our offerings (e.g. conducting mini-tests to validate key hypotheses on course formats, measuring demand from potential participants and facilitators, analyzing participant outcomes, recommending strategic adjustments based on findings).
Assorted other work, based on organizational needs and the SPA's interests. This includes time for personal learning and professional development (e.g., attending in-person events, time to do reading, etc.). As a small, nimble, and fast-moving team, we are open to adjusting the role based on an excellent candidate's profile and interests. For example, components of the job description above may be substituted with support for Horizon's communications, talent work, or operations, depending on experience and aptitudes.
You may be a good fit if you
Excel at project management and can handle multiple complex projects with interdependent deadlines Are excited to grow in product and program development, supporting the full product pipeline from design and implementation through program evaluation and strategy Enjoy user-centered design, conducting user research, prototyping, and iterating to build highly effective products Are able to communicate professionally in writing with diverse stakeholders Navigate digital platforms (WordPress, Airtable, Notion, Slack, etc.) confidently and are open to leveraging AI tools to enhance all aspects of your work (e.g., writing, visual design, data analysis) Are entrepreneurial and a team player, adapting to new responsibilities as our growing organization's needs may change over time Are motivated by Horizon's mission and excited to join a public service-oriented, tight-knit, and collaborative team that's always learning Can work in-person in Washington, DC Have a demonstrated interest in policy/government and/or AI/bio (prior experience not required as long as you are excited to learn rapidly on the job) Salary and benefits
The
Senior Program Associate (Accelerator & Content)
will receive a salary of $85,000-$110,000+ based on experience and seniority. As a small non-profit, Horizon does not yet provide a traditional benefits package, such as health insurance or a retirement plan. Instead, we offer a competitive salary (as a W-2 employee), inclusive of a benefits-equivalent stipend, to empower our employees to tailor their benefits according to their individual needs.
Horizon additionally offers:
Unlimited vacation 12 weeks of paid parental leave Up to $3,000 per year in professional development funding Flexible working hours A productive, collaborative office
We can provide visa sponsorship for qualified candidates.
As an additional benefit, employees with subject-matter expertise in emerging technology have the unique opportunity to utilize Horizon's placement expertise to do a public interest rotation for up to 12 months after working at Horizon for 2 years. At least 6 months' notice must be given to redeem this benefit.
Application process
Interested candidates should express initial interest by filling out an application ( . The application process will involve a paid short work test, a paid longer work test, a structured interview, reference checks, and a paid in-person work trial. We will acknowledge receipt of all applications and aim to get back to candidates within 10 days of the application deadline. Our ideal start date is July 2025, though flexibility is offered for exceptional candidates.
We welcome candidates from diverse backgrounds and experiences to apply. Strong candidates may not always fulfill all our required or desired criteria. Studies show that individuals from underrepresented groups may underestimate their qualifications. Therefore, we urge you not to self-disqualify prematurely. If you are excited about this work, we strongly encourage you to apply.