Director, Public Policy
Washington D.C. · 10+ years experience · Full-time · Onsite · Posted Oct 15, 2026
At a glance
- Experience
- 10+ years experience
- Employment
- Full-time
- Workplace
- Onsite
- Location
- Washington D.C.
About Perplexity
- Perplexity helps people find answers, explore ideas and get things done with AI. As we grow, we want policymakers around the world to understand what we're building and how it works.
- Overview
- We're hiring a Director, Public Policy as a founding member of our policy team. Based in Washington, D.C., this role will help build and scale our engagement with governments, regulators and policy communities worldwide.
- Ideal candidates have built this function before, not only operated within an established team. The role requires hands-on coordination and will help set policy priorities with company leadership. We will prioritize candidates who can demonstrate resourcefulness, persistence, and a willingness to work through the details to get things done.
- This role reports to the Senior Director, Product, Privacy & Regulatory Legal and will operationalize our public positions set by Comms and executive leadership.
About the role
- Perplexity is seeking a founding Director, Public Policy to build and scale its global engagement strategy with governments, regulators, and policy communities. This role involves operationalizing public positions, managing advocacy efforts, and advising company leadership on regulatory developments.
Responsibilities
- Turn company priorities into a global engagement plan with clear market priorities and measures of progress.
- Establish stakeholder tracking, policy monitoring, and briefing standards.
- Engage policymakers, regulators, trade associations, think tanks, and civil society in the U.S. and key international markets.
- Identify risks and opportunities by monitoring emerging debates and political priorities.
- Advance company positions through direct engagement and coalitions while adhering to lobbying and ethics requirements.
- Translate regulatory developments into business implications and recommendations for Legal, Comms, and Product teams.
- Coordinate external advisers and partners while developing future hiring priorities.
- Prepare company leaders for government meetings, roundtables, and product demonstrations.
Requirements
- At least 10 years of relevant experience in public policy, government affairs, or legislative advocacy.
- Record of building and scaling a policy function, program, or team, ideally at a growing technology company.
- Experience managing policy engagement across multiple jurisdictions, including the U.S. and at least one other major market.
- Experience representing a company, association, or clients before government.
- Proven ability to build a professional network and establish credibility in new markets.
- Strong writing and judgment skills with the ability to explain complex issues plainly.
- Hands-on approach to handling details while building for growth.
- Experience coordinating internal teams and external advisers across regions.
Preferred qualifications
- Government service experience.
- Experience hiring, managing, or developing policy professionals.
- Experience with AI, privacy, competition, copyright, or other technology policy issues.
- Experience on Capitol Hill, in the executive branch, or in a comparable government role outside the U.S.
- Registered lobbying experience and familiarity with lobbying disclosure and ethics requirements.
Workplace
- Based in Washington, D.C.
