Member of Policy Staff
Locke · Washington, DC, US · Y Combinator Summer 2026
- Salary
- $72K - $200K
- Equity
- 0.10% - 2.00%
- Location
- Washington, DC, US
- Type
- Full-time
- Experience
- Any (new grads ok)
- Visa
- US citizen/visa only
- Posted
- 5 Jul 2026
- Listed until
- 23 Nov 2026, or when it closes
About the role
We're hiring Members of Policy Staff - generalists who own client work from start to finish. You'll sit close to founders and government decision-makers alike, and you'll have real ownership from day one.
The work leans in one of two directions depending on your background. Tell us which fits you (or if you can do both).
- Track A - Lobbying & Policy. You represent clients before elected officials and regulators, leverage our agents to monitor the bills and rules that affect them, and turn a messy policy landscape into clear action.
- Track B - Government Sales & Contracting. You’ll help our deep-tech and defense clients win government contracts - facilitating introductions to champions, writing winning proposals with agents, and running the strategy to land real deals and contracts.
What You'll Do
- Own client relationships and work in tandem with our internal AI agents to deliver work they rely on - memos, strategy, alerts, and proposals
- Engage legislative offices and agencies on behalf of clients, facilitating meaningful conversations to push their priorities forward
- Write and manage proposals and shape clients' path to government contracts
- Provide strategic guidance and analysis to clients
- Work closely with our engineering team: we need strong collaboration between our technical and non-technical teams to make our agents better.
- Help build the playbook as we grow!
What We're Looking For
- Solid experience with government affairs, congressional or agency work, defense BD, government proposal writing, or a closely related field
- High agency and comfort with ambiguity - you figure things out and drive them to completion
- Extreme comfortability with AI tooling: if you have never used Claude Code / Codex / Cursor, this is probably not for you.
- Bonus: an existing network on the Hill, federal agencies, or state governments
Logistics
- In-person 5-6 days a week, with frequent travel
- Competitive PTO, benefits, and compensation that will grow rapidly with performance
- Fun: we like traveling, grabbing food, and frolicking around SF / DC together
Apply on Work at a Startup ↗ Applications go to Locke directly. CISO AI takes no fee and has no part in hiring.
CISO AI lists open roles at Y Combinator startups and at the portfolio companies of Australian venture funds, read daily from their own boards. This role is Locke's own listing; it leaves this page the day it leaves their board.