Code for America believes government can work for the people, by the people, in the new digital age, and that government at all levels can and should work well for all people. For more than a decade, we’ve worked to show that with the mindful use of technology, we can break down barriers, meet community needs, and find real solutions.
Our employees build and transform government and community tools and services, making them so good they inspire change. We merge the best parts of technology, nonprofit, and government to help support the people who need it most.
With a focus on transparency and fairness, and deep empathy for partners in government and community organizations and the people that our partners serve, we’re building a movement of motivated change agents driven by meaningful results and lasting impact.
At Code for America, you contribute to exciting work while learning and developing in a supportive and flexible environment. Our compensation and benefits are holistic and thoughtfully curated to represent our employees and our mission. Help us drive real generational change that lasts.
Code for America is looking for a talented Emerging Technology & AI Governance & Enablement Lead who will shape how our staff engages with emerging AI tools by building the infrastructure, fluency, and trust that allows people say "yes" safely. As AI becomes more embedded in how organizations work, this role will ensure that Code for America does so in a manner aligned to organizational values and workforce obligations. This work will directly reduce risk, improve staff capacity, and enable programs to deliver greater impact.
About the role:
The Emerging Technology & AI Governance & Enablement Lead is responsible for helping Code for America adopt emerging AI technologies responsibly. A core part of this role is authoring and stewarding the organization's AI Acceptable Use Policy and giving teams the confidence to experiment with emerging technologies while maintaining high standards of responsibility.
This person sits at the intersection of IT, Security, Strategic Operations, and People Operations — translating complex, fast-moving AI capabilities into practical tools, policies, and programs that staff across all disciplines can understand and use. This role works in close partnership with our Security Engineering IT, and People Operations functions — including on policy matters that govern employee conduct and the organization’s obligations to its workforce. The Emerging Technology & AI Governance & Enablement Lead is a builder and a connector: part policy author, part trainer, and part internal consultant, and will be a foundational hire as the organization builds out its broader technology infrastructure.
This role will report to the VP of Engineering and is expected to travel no more than 5% of the time.
Code for America is based in California and can employ those who reside full-time within the United States. This is a remote position.
In this position you will:
- AI Governance & Policy
- Own the full lifecycle of Code for America's AI Acceptable Use Policy: drafting foundational policy from the ground up, socializing it across the organization, driving adoption, and revising it on an ongoing basis as tools, risks, and best practices evolve
- Advise on the employee-facing implications of AI tool deployment, including acceptable use boundaries, monitoring practices, and policy provisions that intersect with employment law and workforce relations — working in close coordination with People Operations and Legal.
- Write governance frameworks and policy documents in accessible, plain-language formats — ensuring that staff at all levels and across all disciplines can understand and act on guidance, not just compliance and IT teams
- Serve as an internal consultant to teams in the early stages of exploring, piloting, or refining AI-assisted workflows — guiding experimentation with a "yes, and here's how to do it safely" orientation
- Document and share learnings from team-level pilots to build organizational knowledge and surface replicable patterns
- Act as a liaison between IT/security and non-technical program and operations teams, translating between contexts and representing staff needs when governance or tooling decisions are being made
- Partner with People Operations and Legal on the development and ongoing review of AI-related employment policies, including policies that govern employee conduct, monitoring, and use of AI tools in the workplace — ensuring governance frameworks are informed by and aligned to employee relations considerations.
- Lead change management for AI-related transitions — helping staff understand not just what is changing, but why, and what it means for their work
- Security Oversight and Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner closely with Security Engineering to ensure AI governance and enablement work is integrated with the organization's broader security posture
- Collaborate with compliance stakeholders and legal/People Operations as needed to assess AI tool risk, data privacy implications, and organizational policy alignment— including implications for employee relations and workforce obligations.
- Monitor the evolving AI governance and security landscape and proactively recommend policy and control updates as new tools, risks, or regulations emerge
- Maintain the vendor inventory, conduct lightweight third-party security reviews on new tools, and escalate higher-risk reviews to the Security Engineering team
- Coordinate security awareness programming, including staff training and onboarding modules
- AI Enablement Programs & Training
- Design, launch, and continuously improve a suite of AI enablement resources: training sessions, onboarding guides, office hours, self-serve resource hubs, and practical playbooks
- Facilitate workshops and learning sessions for staff across all levels and disciplines, explaining technical concepts in accessible, jargon-free ways
- Build and steward an internal AI Champions network — recruiting, supporting, and coordinating peer advocates across departments to drive adoption and share learnings
- Develop onboarding materials for new staff and role-specific enablement resources for teams with specialized AI use cases
- Other duties as assigned
About you:
This position is well suited for someone who understands how to empower innovation without compromising safetyThe ideal candidate brings both enough technical fluency to credibly navigate AI tool risk and enough people-centered instinct to build trust with staff who may be getting started with new technologies.
- 5–8+ years of experience in a role spanning IT, compliance, security, learning & development, or organizational change — ideally with exposure to more than one of these areas
- Demonstrated experience drafting, publishing, and managing the lifecycle of acceptable use, technology, or information security policies — including socializing policy with non-technical audiences and driving organization-wide adoption
- Demonstrated experience with AI tools (e.g., large language models, AI-assisted productivity tools) and a strong understanding of emerging best practices in AI governance, data privacy, and acceptable use
- Familiarity with the intersection of technology policy and employment practices, including acceptable use, and workforce implications of AI tool deployment.
- Experience with security audits and compliance evidence gathering
- Strong written and verbal communication skills with demonstrated experience developing and communicating technology governance frameworks to non-technical audiences
- Experience designing and facilitating training, workshops, or enablement programs at an organizational scale
- Ability to assess and screen vendors/contractors for security and compliance risk
- Proven ability to work cross-functionally, build relationships across disciplines, and move work forward without formal authority
- Experience with change management principles and practice — including stakeholder communication, adoption strategies, and managing transitions
- Comfort operating in ambiguity — experience with and comfort in building something from the ground up
- Tenacity and adaptability; able to navigate relationships and technical challenges and unblock themselves and their team
- A deep commitment to Code for America's mission of making government services work well for the people who need them most
It’s a bonus if you have:
- Experience in nonprofit, civic tech, or government-adjacent organizations
- Familiarity with security concepts (e.g., data classification, third-party risk, SOC 2 or similar frameworks) sufficient to collaborate substantively with Security Engineering
- Experience building or managing a champions/ambassador network or community of practice
- Background in instructional design or adult learning principles
- Familiarity with IT service management or help desk contexts
- Experience supporting or reporting to executive leadership on technology strategy
What you’ll get -
Salary:
Code for America’s salary bands are transparent as a part of our commitment to transparency and fairness. As part of our hiring practices, we aim to target the midpoint of the 2nd quartile of the range for all new hires.
Offer targets vary based on market / geographic location. The offer targets for this role range from $128,945 to $157,850 annually. Your Recruiter will discuss compensation in more detail & answer any related questions, during the initial Recruiter phone screen.
Benefits and perks:
This role includes a comprehensive benefits package including the following:
- Values:
- Leadership and teammates who share a strong work ethic and values, and who respect and care for one another
- A collaborative, cross-functional, hardworking, and joyful environment
- Employee Enablement Support:
- Laptop provided
- A one-time $700 payment for remote environment setup; $200 stipend (in first paycheck) and up to $500 reimbursement, in accordance with our equipment policy
- Cell phone and/or internet reimbursement of $50 per month
- Professional Development:
- $500 annual (per calendar year) stipend towards professional development; prorated at time of hire
- Up to $500 of professional development funds can be rolled over each year, up to a maximum of $1000
- Training / guidance for staff required to utilize AI as part of their role, plus opportunities for employees to gain AI-related skills to support job and career growth
- Retirement & 401k Plans:
- Employees receive a 100% employer match on the first 3% of contributions.
- Employees with 3+ years of service receive an additional 50% match on contributions between 3% and 5%, for a maximum employer contribution of 5%
- Medical:
- At least one no cost health insurance option for full-time employees for employee-only coverage
- A minimum of 80% of the cost of dependent coverage
- Remote Work:
- Code for America employees may work remotely across the US
- Code for America employees main residence must be within the US
- Full-time employees work 40 hours per week, Monday - Friday
- Collaborative working hours: we aim to hold all internal meetings between 10 AM - 3 PM PT. We expect all Code for America staff to be available during these set working hours
- Time Off:
- Open personal time off (subject to manager approval), a minimum of 14 paid holidays, and an org-wide closure from Christmas Day through New Year's Day
- Paid sick time; up to 96 hours annually
- 17 weeks of paid parental and family leave
- 3 weeks of paid sabbatical after 5 years of service
Timeline:
From the time you are contacted by a Recruiter, you can expect a 1-2 month, or longer, hiring process. The specific hiring process and timeline goals for this role will be covered during the initial Recruiter phone screen. Code for America's standard interview process details are also available on our careers page.
Equal Employment Opportunity:
Code for America is an equal opportunity employer. Applicants will not be discriminated against because of race, color, creed, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, religion, national origin, citizenship status, disability, ancestry, marital status, veteran status, medical condition or any protected category prohibited by local, state or federal laws.
Code for America Workers United:
This position is not covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement between Code for America and Code for America Workers United, affiliated with OPEIU, Local 1010. The agreement was ratified on January 14, 2026, and is currently in effect.
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