Head of Outreach and Partnerships, Trust & Safety

We are seeking an Outreach and Partnerships Manager to own a portfolio of high-impact external partnerships across responsible AI, youth safety and digital well-being, and platform safety. This role combines strategic stakeholder engagement with disciplined program operations. You will shape partnership strategy, translate external expertise into clear recommendations for USDS leaders, and manage the contracting, payment, compliance, and governance processes required to execute partnerships responsibly. This is an individual contributor role.

The successful candidate will operate with a high degree of independence and sound judgment. They will lead complex work across Legal, Compliance, Finance, Procurement, Policy, Product, Engineering, and Operations; identify risks before they become blockers; and establish repeatable processes that improve the quality, speed, and accountability of the team's work.

Key Responsibilities

• Partnership strategy and portfolio ownership: Develop and manage a portfolio of partnerships aligned with USDS Trust & Safety priorities. Set objectives, define partner roles and deliverables, sequence work against business needs, and recommend where the team should invest, expand, or conclude engagements.
• Responsible AI and emerging technology governance: Engage AI researchers, technical experts, and civil society organizations to inform governance models, algorithmic transparency, risk assessments, and responsible AI practices within USDS policies and systems.
• Youth safety and digital well-being: Build relationships with youth advocacy organizations, child safety experts, and developmental researchers to strengthen protective frameworks, age-appropriate experiences, and well-being initiatives.
• External trust and defensibility: Develop credible relationships with academics, think tanks, consumer advocates, and industry groups. Use external input to test assumptions, identify gaps, and strengthen the evidence base for USDS safety standards and content moderation practices.
• Stakeholder convening and executive engagement: Design and lead expert roundtables, advisory sessions, teach-ins, and consultations. Prepare clear agendas and briefing materials, facilitate productive discussion, and convert input into prioritized recommendations for senior leaders and cross-functional teams.
• Contract & Partner Lifecycle Management: Direct end-to-end partner agreements, onboarding, and compliance—including SOW scoping, redlines, renewals, and risk assessments—while coordinating Legal review to ensure full governance before project launch.
• Partnership operations and governance: Own the day-to-day operating process for the partnership portfolio. Establish clear intake and prioritization criteria; track approvals, contracts, deliverables, key decisions, and required records; set expectations for partner communications and internal response times; and provide regular status updates on progress, spend, risks, and upcoming decisions. Maintain templates and trackers so work is consistent, auditable, and scalable.
• Cross-functional leadership: Drive decisions across teams with different priorities and operating models. Clarify ownership, surface tradeoffs, maintain momentum through ambiguity, and influence outcomes without relying on formal authority.
• Impact measurement: Define success measures for each engagement and evaluate whether external input changed policy, product, process, or risk posture. Provide concise updates on outcomes, risks, budget, and next steps to team leadership.

Minimum Qualifications

• 5 years of experience in strategic partnerships, external affairs, public policy, program management, trust and safety, or a related field in technology, government, academia, or the nonprofit sector.
• Demonstrated ownership of complex partner or vendor engagements from initial strategy and scoping through contracting, execution, payment, evaluation, and renewal or closeout.
• Working knowledge of contract and operational processes, including statements of work, procurement, purchase orders, invoices, budget tracking, due diligence, records management, and coordination with Legal and Compliance teams.
• Strong understanding of technology policy topics such as AI governance, youth digital safety, platform accountability, content governance, and data privacy.
• Proven ability to lead ambiguous, cross-functional initiatives independently, make well-reasoned decisions, and escalate legal, compliance, financial, or reputational risks at the right time.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to translate technical and policy issues into clear recommendations for external partners, working teams, and senior executives.
• Ability to travel periodically for stakeholder meetings, partner events, and industry conferences.

Preferred Qualifications

• Advanced degree in public policy, law, technology governance, communications, business administration, or a related field.
• Experience working with U.S.-based advocacy organizations, academic researchers, policy experts, or public-interest technology groups.
• Subject-matter experience in youth mental health, digital literacy, child safety, responsible AI, algorithmic accountability, or related research.