Job Description

Director of Government Capacity

Full-time FAS staff

Washington, DC

Why FAS?  

Does FAS sound like an organization that you would be energized to join?  Is it aligned to your values?

The Federation of American Scientists (FAS) takes quite seriously our role as a beacon and voice for the science community.  

FAS has a rich history: after the devastating bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki in 1945, a group of atomic researchers – deeply concerned about the use of science for malice – created an organization committed to using science and technology to benefit humanity.  

The group they created – the Federation of Atomic Scientists – soon became the Federation of American Scientists in recognition of the hundreds of scientists across diverse disciplines who joined together to speak with one voice for the betterment of the world.  

Today, we are a group of entrepreneurial, intrepid changemakers, forging a better future for all through the nexus of science, technology and talent. We value equity, inclusion, and transparency.  As a collective, we are building an organization focused on being impact-driven, customer-focused, and growth-oriented as a force for good in the world.

Skills and Expertise: Must Haves

This is a founding role leading a new team.  Do you have the unique set of attributes we need for the role?

Expertise

What skills do you need to show proficiency (or higher) in order to be a strong candidate?

• Demonstrated ability to build, maintain and scale a successful multi-million dollar initiative alongside philanthropy and other organizations.
• Vision, expertise, persistence and tenacity to identify and drive change inside government (executive branch and Congress) through varied avenues, while curating a national conversation on the need for government reform that relates to the American public.

• An ability to build multiyear initiatives focused on reforming the federal government’s talent model and digital infrastructure; creating frameworks to de-proceduralize government policies and procedures; and envisioning and implementing a new government operating model to better support connectivity between the legislative and executive branches. 
• Expertise and strategic vision to drive impact through collaboration with related FAS portfolios to apply government capacity and reform insights at the state and local level, in the climate policy domain, and in service of identifying and placing talent in high-impact government roles.
• Organizational leadership skills equipping one to serve as a member of the FAS Leadership Team.

People Skills

What leadership skills do you need to possess to be a strong candidate?

Management expertise that led to strong results for a team and/or organization, including:

• Demonstrated ability to: develop and implement a strategic plan; raise multiyear philanthropic funds; engage with executives internal and external to the organization.  
• Coaching and/or developing a diverse staff and external consultants, with evidence to support success in talent development.
• Ability to collaborate internally and externally and to push policy forward on a wide variety of avenues. 
• Articulating what excellent performance looks like, and establishing clear metrics to celebrate growth and ensure accountability.
• Tracking data consistently and being able to produce evidence over time that proves a demonstrable commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion. 

Transformational culture building that shifted what people imagined was possible, including:

• Creating and investing others in an aspirational, strategic vision that is ambitious and bold, challenging the status quo in ways that are audacious and impactful.
• Building a psychologically safe environment where evidence of belonging exists among all team members.
• The ability to successfully lead a change management process, including investing in all stakeholders, even among those who are resistant. 
• Evidence of prior success leading teams where risk-taking and continuous learning were championed.

To Sum It Up…

What’s the “elevator pitch” for the role?

The Director of Government Capacity will lead in building and leading a new team to seek to understand the root causes of barriers and bottlenecks to more effective governing, rapidly develop and evaluate new policy and practice changes, and then support their implementation by working closely with agency leaders and policymakers in the executive branch, Congress, and state and local government. 

As a cross-policy initiative, the government capacity team will also work with other issue portfolios at FAS to help them deploy government capacity expertise, reform proposals, and practice changes at federal agencies across core FAS domains, from climate and clean energy regulatory ingenuity to national security. At the same time, the Director will spearhead business development with both philanthropy and governments to support this agenda, raising or maintaining a portfolio of at least $3M annually.

Externally, the Director will engage as a thought leader in the emerging government capacity movement and help build a coalition of individuals and organizations working to advance common goals.

The ideal candidate will be tenacious and action-oriented with the demonstrated ability to articulate a bold strategy that challenges the status quo, execute, adapt, learn, and improve upon existing work. Experience with and understanding of how government agencies work, and how to deploy levers of change to improve how government functions, will be essential to the success of this new body of work.  

This application closes on August 25, 2025 at 11:59 pm ET.

Work Environment 

This position will be a hybrid role, meaning that both remote and in-person work can be accommodated, generally two to three days per week on-site, and two to three days per week remote. For this role, much of the work will be relationship building and meeting with federal government officials within Washington, DC.

FAS has recently unionized. As this team grows, you may be managing someone who is included in a union-represented collective bargaining unit, and specific terms and conditions of employment are subject to collective bargaining.

Salary Range

$170,000-210,000

Hiring Statement

Don’t check off every box? Apply anyway! Studies have shown that women and people of color are less likely to apply for jobs unless they meet every listed qualification. At FAS we are dedicated to building a diverse and inclusive workplace, and developing new voices. If you’re excited about this role but your past experience doesn’t align perfectly, we encourage you to apply anyway – you might just be the right candidate.

The Federation of American Scientists is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, disability, genetic information, marital status, amnesty, or status as a covered veteran in accordance with applicable federal, state and local laws. The Federation of American Scientists  prohibits discriminating against employees and job applicants who inquire about, discuss, or disclose the compensation of the employee or applicant or another employee or applicant. Employment is contingent on successful verification of eligibility to work in the United States.

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