Program Associate/Program Manager (Policy and Leadership Network)

Title: Program Associate/Program Manager (Policy and Leadership Network)

Salary: $100,000-$160,000+ (incl. healthcare and retirement contributions)

• Program Associate: $100,000-$125,000+
• Program Manager: $120,000-$160,000+

Location: In-person, Washington, DC; visa sponsorship available

Job Type: Full-time

Application Deadline:  Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET

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The Horizon Institute for Public Service is seeking a full-time Program Associate/Program Manager (Policy and Leadership Network) to help us rapidly grow new programs aimed at senior policy and leadership talent. 

Interest in AI is exploding in DC and the policy world more broadly. This has created high demand for programs that help senior policy experts and government staff learn about AI. Horizon’s first program for this audience is the AI Policy Leadership Network, which had a highly successful first cohort of 40+ leaders and speakers including Cabinet secretaries and Members of Congress. In this role, you will help scale APLN through end-to-end program support. You will also help build new programs serving the growing audience of senior policy professionals interested in working on AI. This role will be critical to enabling the expansion of Horizon’s work into new areas and audiences. 

We are open to a wide range of candidates, from exceptional recent graduates to more experienced professionals. Competitive applicants will most likely have 1-4+ years of relevant work experience, for example in areas like policy or program management. Early-career applicants will likely be considered for this role at the Program Associate tier, while candidates with more experience may be considered for the Program Manager tier. 

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 past experience. 

Our mission

Emerging technologies like AI are rapidly reshaping our world. The US government plays an essential role in developing and governing such technologies. But policymakers’ ability to stay ahead of the curve depends on access to the requisite expertise—and right now, that expertise is sorely lacking. Horizon exists to close this gap by supporting the next generation of emerging technology policy leaders.

Since our launch three years ago, we’ve helped hundreds of professionals explore and transition into public service careers. Through our fellowship program, we’ve helped 100+ subject-matter experts fill vital roles at top think tanks, in Congress, and in agencies across government. Our online career resources have reached 150,000+ users and we’ve supported over 1,000 individuals through events and advising and headhunting services. We participated in the first-ever government AI hiring fair and run the AI Policy Leadership Network. We plan to both scale these existing programs and launch several more exciting new projects this year. You can read more about our programs and impact in our 2025 year in review.

About the role

Horizon works to build a large field of people who are deeply literate in both technology and policy. Many of our early programs focused on breaking AI and emerging tech talent into policy. With rapidly increasing interest in AI in the policy world, there is now also a lot of demand for programs that help senior policy experts and government staff learn about and work on AI. Our first program for this group was the AI Policy Leadership Network, which you would help run in this role. We will also launch additional projects and programs, which you would get to help build from the ground up during a period of rapid growth at Horizon. This work will span a range of tasks—from project management and networking to research and headhunts—and is a great fit for a strong generalist.

In this role, you will build a deep network and experience engaging with high-profile external partners, advisors, and marquee guests for Horizon senior talent programming, including Cabinet secretaries, Members of Congress, think tank presidents, and key industry figures. Over time, you will be able to grow into significant ownership of high-impact projects. This role is an excellent platform for advancing to senior roles in policy, government, civil society or the private sector.

We are simultaneously recruiting for a Director on the same team, which will be focused on an overlapping portfolio. See Director (Policy and Leadership Network).

Responsibilities

Help run the AI Policy Leadership Network 

• The AI Policy Leadership Network (APLN) brings together experienced professionals from across the AI policy landscape to engage with the people and issues defining America’s approach to AI. The first cohort included White House staffers; senior civil servants, congressional staff, and military officials; and think tank and industry leaders. The program consisted of dinners with current and former Cabinet members (Secretaries of Labor and Commerce), a Senator, senior administration officials, and civil society leaders, in addition to a 3-day learning trip to the Bay Area visiting companies and national labs. 
• Your primary job in this role will be to support the full program cycle of future iterations of APLN, ranging from outreach and recruitment, applicant vetting, candidate and speaker communications, event planning and facilitation (e.g. background research on potential speakers, question prep, etc.), alumni engagement and support, and program evaluation and design to inform future cycles. You will also coordinate with staff from our program partner organizations and internally with other teams at Horizon (e.g. our events team does most of the APLN event planning and organizing).

The remaining portion of your time will support initiatives across the Senior Placements portfolio. You’d likely focus on one area at a time in the section below, though which area and the balance between work will change over time.

Support with scoping and executing new policy and leadership talent programs 

• In addition to APLN, we are expanding our work in serving senior policy talent that’s getting interested in AI, to help deepen their literacy and connect them with opportunities that match their interests. This may involve pilot projects or the launch of new programs. Illustrative examples include:
  • A “bidirectional mentoring program” that pairs experienced policy professionals exploring AI issues with younger AI experts seeking training and advice on policy skills
  • AI “bootcamp” programs for government staff (e.g. experienced national security professionals such as military officers and intelligence analysts) who are impacted by AI/interested in pivoting into AI work and for whom such a tailored program does not exist yet  
  • Selective, small-group convenings (salon/affinity group style) focused on senior policy professionals with specific shared interests in AI policy, disciplinary backgrounds, etc.
  • Operational and policy design for programs that connect deeply experienced people with critical government needs, potentially on a part-time or flexible basis (e.g. OPM’s AI Strategic Reserve)
• You would support new program scoping and delivery, in collaboration with a Director on your team. Pre-launch, work like this would involve doing research on program models and user categories, and talking to prospective participants about their needs and interests. Once a program is designed, you would support the launch and execution of its core components (recruitment of participants, content design and delivery, etc.). Afterward, you would help evaluate whether the program met its goals and whether we should continue it or pilot alternatives. 

Execute high-priority headhunts 

• Horizon often gets asked for leads for important roles inside and outside government. As someone who will get to know Horizon’s network deeply, you will be well-placed to support high-priority headhunts – when a hiring manager approaches us with an opportunity, you can help think of the best potential candidates and facilitate amazing talent matches. This might involve joining calls with hiring managers and candidates, filtering tailored talent lists, and doing background research and reference checks. 
• You may also help run larger-scale programs aimed at getting senior talent into government. One example is our recent AI Rapid Response Fellowship, which is tailored to more senior talent, much of which may already have government and policy experience (vs. our regular fellowship which is aimed at helping people transition into policy).   

Maintain the network databases that enable all of this work 

• The work described above rests on a backbone of network data that needs to be organized in such a way that we can effectively execute on program work: making high-value intros, mapping and reaching out to government offices, pulling names for bespoke headhunts, organizing highly curated convenings and events, etc. In this role, you would help ensure all relevant network data is centrally tracked and available to the team in a user-friendly way, working in close collaboration with our internal data and tech team.     

As a small, nimble, and fast-moving team, we are open to adjusting the role based on an excellent candidate’s profile and interests, and you should expect to occasionally take on work beyond what’s listed here. The exact mix of work will evolve based on your strengths, your interests, and Horizon’s needs.

You may be a good fit for this role if you

• Have strong attention to detail and deliver work at a reliably high quality standard 
• Excel at project management and executing complex projects with interdependent deadlines across multiple stakeholders
• Communicate professionally in writing with diverse stakeholders
• Are comfortable producing and working with structured data (bonus if comfortable using AI tools to augment and accelerate this work) 
• Are social and can bridge different worlds and parts of the political spectrum, given the breadth of our networks  
• Have a demonstrated interest in AI and emerging technology policy (prior experience is a bonus but not required as long as you can learn quickly on the job)

Additionally, Horizon has a strong team culture, and we expect you would fit well if you:

• Are entrepreneurial and a team player, adapting to new responsibilities as our fast-growing organization’s needs may change over time
• Are growth-minded and excited to give and receive feedback frequently in order to maximize performance and impact across our team
• Are motivated by Horizon’s mission and excited to be part of a public service-oriented, user-focused, low-ego, and collaborative team
• Can work in-person in Washington, DC

Salary and benefits

The Program Associate (Policy and Leadership Network) will receive a salary of $100,000–$125,000+ based on experience and seniority. We are also open to hiring this role at the Program Manager level ($120,000–$160,000+) for candidates with substantially more relevant experience. Horizon currently offers a flexible, benefits-equivalent cash stipend (included in salary) rather than a fixed health insurance or retirement plan. The stipend can be used to purchase any of the two dozen health insurance plans on the DC public market (or just keep as an additional salary top-up if you already have health insurance coverage through a parent or spouse) and contribute to a retirement account of your choosing. Starting in late 2026/early 2027, Horizon plans to expand its benefits offerings to include 403(b) retirement accounts and employer-covered health insurance plans. 

Horizon also offers:

• Unlimited vacation, with a recommended minimum of 15 days per year 
• Remote work flexibility for up to 12 weeks/year, contingent on acceptable performance
• 12 weeks of paid parental leave
• Up to $3,000+ per year in professional development funding
• Flexible working hours
• A productive, collaborative office with free snacks and meals 

We can provide visa sponsorship for qualified candidates.

As an additional benefit in select cases, employees with subject-matter expertise in emerging technology can get 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 by Sunday, August 23, 2026 at 11:59 PM ET. Please answer honestly and reflect on your responses, but do not spend too much time on your application: quick bullet points are fine, and answers do not need to be polished, as later stages will evaluate specific skills and knowledge in depth. 

The application process will involve paid work tests, 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 by mid-September. Our ideal start date is November 2026, 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.