State and Local Affairs Lead, Midwest

Friendly · Friendly US (Travel Required) · USD 230,000-265,000 / year · 8+ years experience · Remote · Posted Sep 28, 2026

At a glance

Anthropic’s mission is to create reliable, interpretable, and steerable AI systems. We want AI to be safe and beneficial for our users and for society as a whole. Our team is a quickly growing group of committed researchers, engineers, policy experts, and business leaders working together to build beneficial AI systems.

We are looking for a State and Local Affairs Lead to lead Anthropic's engagement with state and local governments across the Midwestern United States, advancing AI policy, legislation, and regulation that supports Anthropic's mission.
In this role, you will work closely with Anthropic's other Regional State and Local Affairs Leads, as well as coordinate with our Policy leadership, Communications, and Legal teams.
You will own Anthropic's relationships and legislative and regulatory work across the Midwest, engaging with state legislatures, governors' offices, attorneys general, state agencies, and local governments while traveling regularly across the region.

Serve as Anthropic's lead for state and local government affairs across the Midwestern United States, working in close coordination with the other Regional State and Local Affairs Leads
Build and maintain relationships with state legislators, legislative staff, governors' offices, attorneys general, and state agency leaders across your region
Engage directly with local officials whose decisions affect Anthropic's work — mayors, city councils, county commissions, and economic development boards
Track state and local legislation and regulatory proceedings affecting AI and the technology sector, provide analysis and intelligence to inform company strategy, and represent Anthropic's positions
Build durable partnerships with local and regional organizations, including chambers of commerce, economic development groups, labor organizations, universities, and school districts
Represent Anthropic at legislative hearings, regional events, and public forums, including with audiences who are skeptical of AI
Work with the Communications team to develop clear, accurate messaging for regional policy campaigns
Translate Anthropic's technical research and policy positions into engagement strategies tailored to Midwestern state political environments
Manage the outside advisors and registered lobbyists who support Anthropic's work in your region
Coordinate with Anthropic's policy, communications, legal, and executive teams to ensure that regional activity aligns with company-wide positioning

Align with our mission and embrace the imperative of policy impact and change
Have experience in state and local government affairs, political strategy, or legislative roles, with demonstrated success contributing to legislative and regulatory outcomes
Have existing relationships with state and local leaders in the Midwest, including legislators, governors' offices, attorneys general, or county and municipal officials
Understand how state legislatures and executive branches work — committee processes, legislative and regulatory procedures, and how to move policy forward — and understand where local authority begins and ends
Have a track record of executing on strategic objectives and delivering measurable outcomes in government affairs roles
Are prepared to travel regularly across the region
Bachelor’s degree or an equivalent combination of education, training, and/or experience
A field of study relevant to the role as demonstrated through coursework, training, or professional experience

Have 8+ years of experience in state and local government affairs, political strategy, or legislative roles
Have experience building partnerships with external organizations including chambers of commerce, economic development groups, labor organizations, and universities
Have exposure to technology policy or emerging technology regulation; understand the unique challenges of navigating policy for rapidly evolving technologies
Demonstrate understanding of how to build coalitions and identify aligned constituencies to advance shared objectives
Can manage multiple priorities and stakeholder relationships across different states and adapt to different political environments
Can work well under time pressure and manage competing demands
Can translate complex technical topics into clear, accessible language for policymakers and residents alike
Have experience working with communications teams to develop effective messaging for policy campaigns

Location: Friendly; Friendly US (Travel Required)
Location-based hybrid policy: Currently, we expect all staff to be in one of our offices at least 25% of the time, though some roles may require more time in our offices.