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Policy Think Tank Jobs in Oregon (NOW HIRING)

Convergent Research

OR

$121K - $156K/yr

This could look like complex systems research in academia, policy research at a think tank, market research in a product role, or analyst research in the intelligence community. * generalist: able to ...

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Policy Think Tank information

See Oregon salary details

$56.6K

$106.7K

$123.7K

How much do policy think tank jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 7, 2026, the average yearly pay for policy think tank in Oregon is $106,732.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $87,800.00 and $123,200.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Policy Think Tank vs Policy Analyst?

AspectPolicy Think TankPolicy Analyst
Required CredentialsMaster's degree or higher in public policy, political science, or related fieldsBachelor's or Master's degree in similar fields
Work EnvironmentResearch institutes, non-profit organizations, or think tanks focused on policy researchGovernment agencies, consulting firms, or advocacy groups
Employer & Industry UsageUsed by policy research organizations to develop and analyze policiesEmployed by government or private sector to analyze and recommend policies

Policy Think Tanks and Policy Analysts both work within the policy development sphere, often requiring similar educational backgrounds. Think tanks focus on conducting research and producing policy reports, while Policy Analysts typically analyze existing policies and provide recommendations. Both roles are essential in shaping public policy but differ mainly in scope and organizational setting.

What is a policy think tank?

A policy think tank is a group of individuals who research public policy issues, interact with various ideas on how to improve policies, and come up with recommended solutions. It is a place to process ideas scientifically, research a topic, analyze a strategy, and create an agenda. A policy think tank may interact with advocacy groups but ultimately aims to generate new ideas rather than promoting reasons why policy change is needed. It can cover a wide variety of topics and works to make a difference in the community. Policy think tanks may utilize universities and scholars. They can also be a for-profit group funded by a business or organization.

What are some common challenges faced when working in a policy think tank environment?

Working in a policy think tank often involves juggling multiple projects with tight deadlines and adapting to rapidly evolving policy landscapes. Professionals must balance in-depth research with clear, accessible communication for diverse audiences, including policymakers, stakeholders, and the public. Collaboration is key, as teams frequently include experts from different disciplines, requiring strong interpersonal and project management skills. Additionally, staying up-to-date with current events and legislative changes is essential to ensure that research and recommendations remain relevant and impactful.

What is a policy think tank?

A policy think tank is an organization that conducts research and analysis on public policy issues. These organizations aim to inform and influence government decision-making, public debate, and policy development through studies, reports, and recommendations. Think tanks may focus on a range of topics including economics, social policy, defense, and the environment. They often employ researchers, analysts, and subject matter experts to provide evidence-based insights. Funding can come from governments, private donors, or foundations, and their work is often published for public or governmental use.
More about Policy Think Tank jobs
What are the most commonly searched types of Policy Think Tank jobs in Oregon? The most popular types of Policy Think Tank jobs in Oregon are:
What are popular job titles related to Policy Think Tank jobs in Oregon? For Policy Think Tank jobs in Oregon, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Policy Think Tank jobs in Oregon look for? The top searched job categories for Policy Think Tank jobs in Oregon are:
What cities in Oregon are hiring for Policy Think Tank jobs? Cities in Oregon with the most Policy Think Tank job openings:
Policy Think Tank jobs near you
Infographic showing various Policy Think Tank job openings in Oregon as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 80% Full Time, 18% Part Time, and 1% Contract. Highlights an 95% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 4% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $106,732 per year, or $51.3 per hour.

Field Strategist

Convergent Research

OR

$121K - $156K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement

Re-posted 13 days ago

Job description

Advancements in AI bring both opportunities and serious risks.  Atlas Computing takes on society-scale AI risks that no existing institution is built to address - we design the intervention, validate it with domain experts and funders, then recruit and empower the specialist who will own it.

You can think of us as:

  • A tiger team that identifies, scopes, and launches interventions that aren't a good fit for existing organizations
  • A design studio developing and staffing product requirements docs for coordination and market failures
  • A think tank combined with whatever their analog of "tech transfer" would be.

We start from the opportunity or risk, map the context in which the need for interventions arise. Then we sketch possible interventions, iteratively working with experts to ensure feasibility and potential stakeholders to establish sufficiency to have the desired impact.  Finally, we will make it as easy as possible for a career professional to take ownership over each interventions (we believe most of these efforts don't require risk-seeking young generalists courted by traditional VCs, but rather are best addressed by career professionals who have spent the last decade or more executing on very similar work).

Atlas Computing is looking to hire a cohort of Field Strategists, each of whom will scope multiple potential interventions simultaneously and hand them all off.

While this is a separate role from our Founders (who will scope a single  intervention they would then lead themselves), we expect the Field Strategists will work closely in collaboration with our cohort of Founders.

While Atlas is interested in many aspects of AI Resilience, we expect this first cohort will likely focus on some combination of AI infrastructure security (especially these 6 problems) and epistemic security; we will prioritize candidates with relevant experience.

Success in the first 6 months looks like
  • The hire has created two or more clear write-ups, each describing:
    • Why advances in AI capabilities pose a specific risk to society
    • What a proposed intervention would look like.
    • Who are the best people in the world to advise and steer the intervention
      • (and their attestation that this solution is plausible).
    • What decision-makers would change their behavior because of this intervention
      • (and their attestation that this intervention plan is sufficient).
    • Who would likely fund it
    • (and what their decision criteria would be).
    • What skills and experience the founder needs (and where are we likely to find that person)
  • The hire has worked with a recruiter to pitch potential founders for that organization and has introduced one to potential funders.
  • A more junior hire would:
    • focus on 1-2 interventions at a time.
    • benefit from checking in with Atlas leadership multiple times per week.
  • A more senior hire would:
    • develop 3-5 organizations simultaneously and on ~3-5 month timescales.
    • benefit from the freedom of little oversight.
    • be "fire and forget", sharing weekly updates as needed to highlight potential opportunities.
    • (perhaps) provide mentorship to junior hires.

Note that we expect this first cohort to focus primarily on starting new efforts in the United States that could scale globally, rather than creating efforts starting outside the US, but this is not a hard constraint.

You may be a fit for this role if you have...
  • expertise in navigating and/or modifying complex systems (natural or human-made), 
    • This could look like complex systems research in academia, policy research at a think tank, market research in a product role, or analyst research in the intelligence community.
  • generalist: able to quickly understand nuances in a variety of topics, including ML architecture, export control laws, and ideological differences within the AI community.
  • meaningful experience in at least one of these areas:
    • Cybersecurity - Technical:
      • Software security, vulnerability analysis (or related).
      • Hardware security or hardware supply chain security (or related).
      • Identity & authentication systems (or related).
      • Privacy engineering or privacy threat modeling (or related).
    • Cybersecurity - Strategic:
      • Cybersecurity strategy, Red Team, or threat intelligence (or related).
      • Cyber-defense coordination or policy (e.g., IC, CISA).
      • Risk analysis in highly complex environments.
    • Epistemic Security - Technical:
      • Media forensics, deepfake detection, or content provenance (or related).
      • Platform trust & safety, content moderation systems, or recommender integrity (or related).
      • Computational propaganda analysis or bot/network detection (or related).
    • Epistemic Security - Strategic:
      • Information operations analysis or counter-influence strategy (e.g., IC, think tank, or allied government).
      • Election security, democratic resilience, or civic information integrity (or related).
      • Institutional epistemic governance or public trust measurement (or related).
  • Cross-cutting
    • Strategic technological or product planning.
    • Working in an "ARPA" entity.
    • Technology roadmapping or multi-year strategic planning.
    • a strong ability to interview experts and synthesize across domains.
    • comfort forming and revising hypotheses quickly.
    • strong creative problem-solving skills, love finding pareto improvements to the obvious options.
    • a capability to reason about AI trajectory, safety, and future-state technologies.
We also expect everyone to have...
  • a practice of reviewing the state-of-the-art after having an idea, coupled with an urge to prototype, test, and iterate.
  • a founder mindset, with a high degree of ownership over outcomes (not process) and the ability to personally make and externally drive progress with little oversight.
  • experience coordinating and aligning stakeholders to work toward a common goal.
  • strong analytical, problem-solving, and communication skills.
  • comfort with uncertainty and interest in shaping our culture, as we're still a very small organization.
Bonus points if you...
  • strongly hold a conviction that AI is going to reshape the face of civilization fairly soon, and you want to join a hard-working team focused on making that go as well as possible.
  • have deep networks in cybersecurity, AI inference infrastructure, epistemic security, or relevant professional networks.
  • have experience acting as a COO-type integrator across complex, multi-expert efforts
  • thrive in a high-trust, low-structure environment.
  • love talking to people across multiple domains about concrete actions that can address important problems.
  • know how to solve problems with money, but also know how to operate on a tight budget.
  • seriously considered starting your own company, but the opportunity or push hasn't come up yet.
  • find yourself always recommending books, models, and frameworks.
  • are deeply committed to improving the human condition with technology...
  •  and understanding how different people might differently define "improving", "human", "condition", and "technology" in that sentence.
  • have work authorization to work in the US (and ideally also would be eligible to hold a US security clearance)
$150,000 - $250,000 a year

More senior candidates may be eligible for higher than this maximum salary.

Location: Remote, with many calls in Pacific Time. 
Preference for candidates based in the US who are eligible for a security clearance

Travel: likely ~20% travel

 We also offer 

  • Up to a 6% 401k match, equitably benchmarked based on experience and adjusted for location)
  • Excellent medical insurance options: 10-20 plans to choose from across major national and local carriers. Employee and family premiums for most plans are fully covered by the Company contribution.
  • Excellent dental and vision insurance. Employee and family premiums for most plans are fully covered by the Company contribution.
  • Company-paid life insurance, AD&D, long- and short-term disability insurance, as well as voluntary supplemental insurance options
  • 19 holidays (including the week off between Christmas Eve and New Year's Day)
We may use artificial intelligence (AI) tools to support parts of the hiring process, such as reviewing applications, analyzing resumes, or assessing responses and identifying potential inconsistencies or verification signals in application materials based on available information. These tools assist our recruitment team but do not replace human judgment. Final hiring decisions are ultimately made by humans. If you would like more information about how your data is processed, please contact us.
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