Director, Policy and PR

At any given time, 16 million Americans are experiencing a crisis that requires urgent help from our legal system or government. The right assistance could transform their lives. But today, most never get it.

Atticus makes it easy for any sick or injured person in crisis to get the life-changing aid they deserve. In the last six years, we’ve become the leading platform connecting people with disabilities to government benefits. We also help victims of accidents, misconduct, and violence get compensation from insurance.

So far, we’ve helped hundreds of thousands of people access over $10B in life-changing aid —and earned over 17,000+ five-star reviews. And we’re just getting started.

We've raised more than $100 million from top VC firms like Fika, Forerunner, GV (Google Ventures), and True Ventures, with ambitions to create a category defining business assisting needy Americans. (We closed our Series C round in April 2025, so we're well-funded for the foreseeable future.) In 2025, our team grew from 151 to 210, and we will grow again in 2026.

This role will help shape the future of how our country legislates and adjudicates the many legal fields addressing individuals in crisis – e.g., personal injury, medical malpractice, mass torts, workers compensation, disability benefits. First and most immediately, we will dramatically reshape how disabled Americans apply for and ultimately get Social Security benefits (one of the country’s largest benefit programs, with 11 million beneficiaries, $150 billion in payments annually). We envision a future in which the disability application process – currently, a tortuous multi-hour process – can be reduced to a 20-minute online exercise. And that outcome will necessarily require developing close relationships and collaboration with the Social Security Administration. Next up, we’ll push into other contingent-law fields that aid individuals in crisis.

In this role, you will:

Policy Leadership & Strategy

• Develop and deliver on Atticus’s policy agenda, with a near-term focus on Social Security Administration engagement and a long-term focus on enabling Atticus to serve clients in every state and for every contingency fee area of law

• Establish and maintain key relationships across the executive branch — especially within SSA, HHS, and related offices — as well as with congressional offices, nonprofit organizations, state legislatures, and state bar associations

• Serve as the primary Atticus representative in policy discussions, legislative hearings, and coalition efforts

• Drive proactive engagement that positions Atticus as a thought leader

• Lead analysis of federal policy trends, regulatory actions, and legislative developments that impact Atticus’s clients, partners, and competitive positioning

Public Relations & Communications

• Develop and deliver a communications strategy that raises Atticus’s profile with policymakers, business partners, and clients

• Build a communications function within the company that collaborates with other key stakeholders (e.g. marketing) to create the right kinds of public-facing content, in service of the broader comms strategy

• Bring in the right external expertise / partners and manage them effectively

• Represent Atticus in thought-leadership settings and support Atticus executives with public comments

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Product, Legal, Client Experience, and other internal teams to align policy objectives with product roadmaps and go-to-market strategies

• Advise internal teams on policy risk, compliance implications, and opportunities

• Manage and mentor policy and communications staff as the team grows

Qualifications

Required:

• 10+ years of experience in federal policy, government affairs, public relations, legal practice or related fields, with demonstrated success shaping outcomes in complex environments

• Established relationships in D.C. that can open the right doors to progress our policy agenda

• Exceptional written and verbal communication skills, capable of translating complex technical or policy topics for diverse audiences

• A proactive, collaborative mindset and strong judgment in high-stakes settings

• Washington, D.C. area presence

Bonus / Nice-to-Have:

• Deep knowledge of or established relationships with the Social Security Administration

• Experience at a startup or other fast-paced, agile environment

• Proven experience building and executing a policy agenda that navigates legal, technical, and bureaucratic landscapes
  

We are strongly committed to building a diverse team. If you’re from a background that’s underrepresented in tech, we’d love to meet you.

This is a rare opportunity to join a startup that has strong traction (substantial funding, well-respected backers, tremendous growth, and many happy customers) but is still small enough that you can have a huge impact and play a role in shaping our culture.

We’re a certified B Corporation tackling a critical social problem. Our mission to help people in need drives everything we do, and your work here will touch many lives.

We offer competitive pay — including equity — and generous benefits:

• Medical and dental insurance with 100% of employee premiums covered

• 15 vacation days & ~20 paid holidays each year (including two weeks at the end-of-year)

• Free membership to OneMedical

• $600/year internet stipend

• $1,000 reimbursable stipend for education and training outside of work

• Up to $1,200/year student loan repayment assistance

• 401(k) and optional HSA/FSA

• Humble, thoughtful, smart, fun colleagues

We anticipate the base salary band for this role will be between $200,000 and $275,000 in addition to equity and benefits. The salary at offer will be determined by a number of factors such as candidate’s experience, knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as internal equity among our team.

While we do require candidates to be located in and around Washington, D.C., this job is fully remote and we’re committed to empowering everyone with flexibility. Work remotely, and travel to LA (on the company dime) as needed to be with your colleagues – usually quarterly, plus offsites. We care a lot about building a great culture and we think some interactions need to happen in person, so we put a lot of thought into retreats, offsites, and other ways to gather.