R Street is seeking a Director of Innovation Policy
The job will, initially, focus on two major areas where we’re already working: intellectual property reform (particularly with regard to copyright and patent reform) and the sharing economy. While we’d ideally like someone with experience working in both of these areas, it’s particularly important that the person we hire be able to establish him or herself as a thought leader in the area of intellectual property reform. We don’t need candidates to agree with every word everyone at R Street has written. It’s important, however, that candidates familiarize themselves with the gist of R Street’s past work. Other interests in technology policy broadly will be considered a plus and anyone we hire will be able to spend some time working on technology-related projects and intellectual ventures of his or her choice. Candidates should be willing and able to learn about new areas quickly and keep apace with new developments in Congress, the courts, and the executive branch.
On a day-to-day basis, the person we hire will be expected to produce op-eds, magazine articles and white papers, participate in broad cross-ideological coalitions and engage in educational outreach to policymakers and potential allies. He or she will also be expected to help organize events and conferences.
While proven ability to do the job we’ve described is, of course, absolutely mandatory, we also put a great deal of emphasis on finding people who fit in with our institutional culture. We’re an office with no dress code, no set hours, little formal reporting, and very few meetings, but we take a very serious attitude towards our work. People who haven’t at least sometimes felt that they were more productive than the great majority of their colleagues probably won’t fit in.
Candidates should be able to demonstrate experience working on at least some of the issues we’re dealing with but we’re open to people with a range of different backgrounds. People with less than three years of experience in these fields probably won’t cut it. An advanced degree and record of published work are highly desirable. In general, we believe that highly qualified candidates will have some combination of experience with Capitol Hill, academia, or non-profits working on technology policy.
Salary will be commensurate with experience and we take pride in paying better and providing better benefits than most other think tanks in Washington, D.C. If you’re on the Hill or at another non-profit, it’s highly likely we can pay you more than you currently make.
Our benefits package includes health insurance fully paid for by the employer (including families), an employer-funded HRA to cover health insurance co-pays and deductibles, employer paid disability insurance, unlimited free snacks and drinks at the office, gym membership reimbursement, an automatic employer contribution to a 401(k) plan, bike sharing reimbursement, and an exceptionally generous vacation policy.
We don’t discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, color, national origin, sexual orientation, veteran status, gender identity, taste in music or anything else that’s illegal, immoral or stupid to use as a basis for hiring.
To apply, please send a resume, a cover letter, and a writing sample dealing with some aspect of intellectual property law or policy. A published writing sample is strongly preferred.
Here’s how the process will work going forward: We’ll look at all resumes we receive and reach out to candidates we want to interview remotely within a week of receiving their resumes. Candidates who believe they are highly qualified and don’t hear back within a week should drop us a line. Based on remote interviews, we’ll invite a few candidates to our offices for in-person interviews with our entire team.
We currently intended to accept applications until close of business on Monday January 12, 2015 and schedule in-person interviews during the week of January 19th, 2015, probably on January 20th, 2015. In-person interviews will take place in Washington, D.C. at our new office near Farragut square. We typically make hiring decisions within 24 hours of these in-person interviews. This timeline, however, may change.
Applications should be sent to [email protected].
