Generative AI Technologist-in-Residence

About U.S. Digital Response

U.S. Digital Response (USDR) is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that helps governments and organizations respond quickly and efficiently to support the critical needs of the public.

Leveraging an amazing internal team along with a network of pro-bono technical experts, USDR addresses and uncovers solutions for common, systemic challenges that public servants are facing. We operate with humility and deep respect for our partners and believe that modern and resilient technology applied in the public interest can deliver people-centered services at the speed of need.

Since March 2020, USDR’s projects have impacted 42M+ people in 37 U.S. states and territories. We've built deep partnerships with over 250 government and nonprofit partners, strong expertise across more than 330 projects, and repeatable processes to solve some of the most pressing challenges in order to help state and local governments meet the critical needs of people today, while building digital resilience to stand up to the crises of tomorrow.

Learn more about our last year in our annual impact report

About the Digital Delivery Program

Government services too frequently do not keep up with the public’s needs, particularly as services have moved from in-person to digital delivery, where the digital presence of the service is as critical as the service itself. Creating user-centered designs, responsive workflows, and equitable services helps ensure everyone – including the most vulnerable–receive the critical services they need to thrive.

Government services are evolving to meet the public’s needs more effectively, particularly as many of the services transition from in-person to digital platforms. By focusing on user-centered design, responsive workflows, and equitable service delivery, governments are better positioned to provide essential services that empower all citizens, including the most vulnerable, to thrive.

Many governments face capacity gaps when delivering digital services. While this is most apparent in crisis moments, these gaps exist throughout the ecosystem of government delivery. USDR’s Digital Delivery program takes a two-pronged approach to bolster capacity:

• Be the capacity: In instances where services can be immediately unblocked by a surge of tech talent, USDR volunteers build direct solutions with governments.
• Build the capacity: Digital Delivery helps governments build digital capacity for the long term by helping teams become fluent in digital best practices, policies, and tools and helping governments leverage each other’s good work.

About The Role

The Generative AI Strategist (Technologist in Residence) at USDR is a high impact role that bridges the gap between emergent generative AI technologies and practical, human-centric government tools and policies. In this role, you will navigate the intersection of generative AI technology and public sector service delivery to help USDR deliver on its mission to serve governments and communities at scale.

You will be responsible for transforming potential into impact. With a rich understanding of generative AI's capabilities, limits, and the standards set in the AI Executive Order, you will critically evaluate the potential of new technologies to address real world problems in public sector delivery.

This full-time, remote position offers a unique opportunity to shape the future of public sector service delivery through Generative AI—effecting change for the millions of lives touched by government services.

Responsibilities

Co-Lead a Portfolio of Generative AI-related Engagements with Government Partners (40%)

• Shape USDR’s menu of offerings for governments on generative AI-related use cases by proactively identifying gaps and operational challenges within government agencies that generative AI could solve and that have the potential to scale to multiple jurisdictions
• Translate governments’ needs into USDR volunteer technical assistance engagements or hands-on coaching to provide strategic support for building long-term capacity.
• Join meetings with our government partners as they experiment with the ethical and impactful use of generative AI to improve public services.
• Strategize and collaborate with the Volunteers Team to maintain and contribute to the workflows and processes of volunteer matching, outreach, and placement

Advise and Oversee Interdisciplinary Team Building Generative AI Tools (50%)

• Lead technical scoping for partnership engagements and work with a product manager to develop a roadmap for scaling.
• Advise and oversee technical work of an interdisciplinary team of staff and volunteers (research, UX design, engineering, content), including a rotating group of skilled volunteers, to develop AI-driven tools and prototypes while fostering an environment of collaboration and innovation.

Sustainable Success (10%)

• Create documentation, reports, and/or dashboards to capture outcomes from generative AI engagements.
• Share findings on results and opportunities with the broader civic tech ecosystem.
• Embody and champion the values in our Volunteer Oath.
• Collaborate with the Digital Delivery Team and Volunteers Team to ensure ongoing alignment with program goals.

Qualified candidates will have:

• 5+ years in a technology role with strong technical understanding of generative AI and machine learning, as well as AI ethics.
• Excellent communication skills across a broad set of cross-functional stakeholders, including complex external partners.
• Demonstrated ability in providing high integrity leadership with minimum of 5 years of experience leading products or teams
• Sound judgment and capable of navigating ambiguity and imperfect information while maintaining close attention to detail.
• A knack for hearing amorphous needs, rapidly empathizing, and translating those needs into concrete next steps.
• Strong project management skills, including: a bias towards action, keen analytical and problem-solving skills, and the ability to manage complex projects and multi-task.
• Strong interest in supporting equitable, effective access to public services using modern technology, design, and research practices.
• Sensitivity towards equity concerns and a desire to work toward creating an organizational culture and project offerings that reflect inclusive values.
• Or any combination of education, experience, and measurable performance that demonstrates the capability to perform the duties of the position.

What you'll get:

• A competitive salary, consistent with similar roles in other tech non-profits in major U.S. metropolitan cities. The annual salary range for this role is $180,000-210,000 depending on experience.
• Full health, dental and vision benefits (USDR pays 100% of the cost for our employees and 80% of the cost for their dependents).
• 401K with a matching contribution of up to 3 percent of your pay with $1 for each dollar you contribute and for more than 3 percent and up to 5 percent of your pay with $0.50 for each dollar you contribute.
• An equipment reimbursement for the purchase of a computer and peripheral devices of up to $2,000 along with a Work from Home allowance of $100 each month to support employees as they navigate working from home.
• A discretionary budget of $500 per year per employee for learning and development along with an organization-wide L&D budget to support individuals and teams with work-related learning and development expenses
• A supportive community where everyone can thrive and find a balance between working hard to make a difference and taking care of themselves. This means that we are committed to a fully remote work environment (for US-based employees) along with flexible schedules and time off policies that work with your life.

Equal Employment Opportunity

U.S. Digital Response is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer fully dedicated to achieving a diverse staff. All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, national origin, age, sex (including pregnancy, gender identity and expression, and sexual orientation), disability status, protected veteran status, political party affiliation, or any other characteristic protected by law.

We encourage and welcome all interested potential applicants, regardless of background or prior experience volunteering with U.S. Digital Response, to apply.

All USDR staff members work remotely in support of flexibility, wellness, and work-life balance. At this time, USDR is only hiring candidates who reside in the United States, and who have and maintain active U.S. Work Authorization.