Job description

ABOUT THINKING MACHINES The mission of Thinking Machines is to build AI that extends human will and judgment. We are training frontier models with Inkling, developing Tinker to let people make models their own, and crafting interfaces that broaden human-AI communication. We believe the future worth building is human, and we're hiring people who want to build it. ABOUT THE ROLE We're looking for an experienced policy leader to build and lead Thinking Machines' product policy function. Product policy shapes the rules that govern how Thinking Machines' products and models are built, released, and used: usage policies, content and safety policies, model release and access policies, and developer-facing policies for platforms like Tinker. You'll set policy positions on product-level questions, build the review processes and frameworks that operationalize them, and partner directly with Research, Product, Trust & Safety, Communications, Public Policy and Legal so that policy is built into decisions from the start, not bolted on after launch. This is a build role that will take ownership of it end-to-end: hiring and developing a team, and establishing the policies, review processes, and cross-functional muscle that let the company launch new capabilities responsibly and quickly. Important contact about this role: In this position, you may be exposed to and/or engage with explicit content across a range of topics, including those of a sexual, violent, or psychologically disturbing nature. WHAT YOU'LL DO - Set and drive Thinking Machines' product policy strategy, including usage policies, content and platform policies, and policies governing new model capabilities and releases. - Build and lead the product policy team, including hiring, structuring the function, and establishing how it partners with Research, Product, Trust & Safety, Communications, Public Policy and Legal. - Own the frameworks and review processes that assess new product features and model capabilities for policy risk before launch, and drive the mitigations that come out of that review. - Partner with public policy and research on the company's policy response to novel product and capability questions, including open-weight model release, fine-tuning and customization on platforms like Tinker, agentic capabilities, and enterprise use cases, translating fast-moving product decisions into clear positions and recommendations for leadership. - Partner with Trust & Safety, Research, and Communications to build user-facing policies, including acceptable use and enforcement frameworks, that are both principled and practical to enforce. - Develop the internal infrastructure for product policy decision-making, including intake processes, review thresholds, escalation paths, and decision logs, so policy is built into product and research decisions early rather than at the point of launch. SKILLS AND QUALIFICATIONS Minimum qualifications: - 10+ years of experience in product policy, trust & safety, content policy, or a related field, including significant experience assessing product and platform risk. - Experience building and leading a product policy, trust & safety, or content policy function, including hiring and managing a team. - Strong track record partnering directly with product and engineering teams on policy questions embedded in the development lifecycle, from early design through launch. - Excellent judgment translating complex, fast-moving product and policy questions into clear, actionable recommendations for executive leadership. - Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to represent the company credibly with regulators, industry counterparts, and internal stakeholders alike. Preferred qualifications—we encourage you to apply if you meet some but not all of these: - Experience in a frontier AI company or on an AI safety or trust & safety team, with familiarity with model release, fine-tuning, or agentic product policy questions. - Experience building policy or risk review frameworks for novel technology, such as ranking and recommendation systems, generative AI, or other emergent product surfaces. - Familiarity with the technical fundamentals of frontier AI development sufficient to engage credibly with research and engineering teams. - Background in law, trust & safety, or content policy, with experience navigating regulatory frameworks relevant to product policy, such as online safety regulation, child safety, or platform governance. LOGISTICS - Location: This role is based in San Francisco, California. - Compensation: Depending on background, skills and experience, the expected annual salary range for this position is $300,000-360,000 USD. - Visa sponsorship: We sponsor visas. While we can't guarantee success for every candidate or role, if you're the right fit, we're committed to working through the visa process together. - Benefits: Thinking Machines offers generous health, dental, and vision benefits, unlimited PTO, paid parental leave, and relocation support as needed.

Requirements

Must-haves

We're looking for an experienced policy leader to build and lead Thinking Machines' product policy function.
Important contact about this role: In this position, you may be exposed to and/or engage with explicit content across a range of topics, including those of a sexual, violent, or psychologically disturbing nature.
Set and drive Thinking Machines' product policy strategy, including usage policies, content and platform policies, and policies governing new model capabilities and releases.
Build and lead the product policy team, including hiring, structuring the function, and establishing how it partners with Research, Product, Trust & Safety, Communications, Public Policy and Legal.
Own the frameworks and review processes that assess new product features and model capabilities for policy risk before launch, and drive the mitigations that come out of that review.
Partner with Trust & Safety, Research, and Communications to build user-facing policies, including acceptable use and enforcement frameworks, that are both principled and practical to enforce.
10+ years of experience in product policy, trust & safety, content policy, or a related field, including significant experience assessing product and platform risk.
Experience building and leading a product policy, trust & safety, or content policy function, including hiring and managing a team.
Strong track record partnering directly with product and engineering teams on policy questions embedded in the development lifecycle, from early design through launch.
Excellent judgment translating complex, fast-moving product and policy questions into clear, actionable recommendations for executive leadership.
Strong relationship-building and communication skills, with the ability to represent the company credibly with regulators, industry counterparts, and internal stakeholders alike.
Experience in a frontier AI company or on an AI safety or trust & safety team, with familiarity with model release, fine-tuning, or agentic product policy questions.
Experience building policy or risk review frameworks for novel technology, such as ranking and recommendation systems, generative AI, or other emergent product surfaces.
Familiarity with the technical fundamentals of frontier AI development sufficient to engage credibly with research and engineering teams.
Background in law, trust & safety, or content policy, with experience navigating regulatory frameworks relevant to product policy, such as online safety regulation, child safety, or platform governance.
Location: This role is based in San Francisco, California.
Visa sponsorship: We sponsor visas. While we can't guarantee success for every candidate or role, if you're the right fit, we're committed to working through the visa process together.

Nice-to-haves

Preferred qualifications—we encourage you to apply if you meet some but not all of these:

Application prep

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Keywords to mirror

Platform: ashby
Effort: quick

Benefits

Benefits detected in the listing.

Dental

Vision

Pto

Parental Leave