Policy Jobs in California
Policy jobs in California are among the most active in the country, concentrated in state and local government, public health agencies, advocacy organizations, and technology-adjacent public affairs teams. The largest hiring centers are Sacramento, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, where employers such as the State of California, Kaiser Permanente, and the University of California system maintain ongoing policy needs. The most in-demand specialties are health policy, environmental and climate policy, and technology and data governance. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
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Showing 5 of 168+ Policy jobs
Key Responsibilities
- Explore cost-effective and scalable data collection strategies for real robot hardware, complemented by simulation where beneficial.
- Develop and evaluate training approaches that leverage heterogeneous and multimodal data to improve policy generalization across tasks and environments.
- Iteratively investigate the interplay between data collection and model training, evaluating how data design choices affect downstream policy performance.
- Implement baselines and perform benchmark evaluations on hardware and in simulation where applicable.
- Document findings and contribute to internal research reports.
- Contribute to the portfolio of patents and publish research results when applicable at top-tier conferences and journals in robotics and machine learning.
Minimum Qualifications
- Ph.D. or highly qualified M.S. candidate in robotics, computer science, or a related field.
- Experience with representation learning using multimodal robot data (e.g., RGB, RGB-D, and tactile).
- Experience with policy deployment on real-world robots.
- Experience with robotic simulators (e.g., Isaac Sim or MuJoCo).
- Proficient with Python, C++, and PyTorch.
- Experience with the Robot Operating System (ROS 2)
Bonus Qualifications
- Experience with in-hand dexterous manipulation on multi-fingered robot hands.
- Experience with scalable or low-cost data collection for robot learning (e.g., teleoperation systems, human demonstration capture, or wearable and handheld devices).
- Experience training robot policies on large-scale or heterogeneous datasets (e.g., human videos, cross-embodiment data, or mixed real and simulated data).
- Experience with multimodal sensing for manipulation, particularly tactile and force sensing.
- Experience with large vision-language-action (VLA) models or other robot foundation models.
- Experience with sim-to-real approaches.
Dexterous manipulation, Embodied AI, Robot Foundation models
Key Responsibilities
- Explore cost-effective and scalable data collection strategies for real robot hardware, complemented by simulation where beneficial.
- Develop and evaluate training approaches that leverage heterogeneous and multimodal data to improve policy generalization across tasks and environments.
- Iteratively investigate the interplay between data collection and model training, evaluating how data design choices affect downstream policy performance.
- Implement baselines and perform benchmark evaluations on hardware and in simulation where applicable.
- Document findings and contribute to internal research reports.
- Contribute to the portfolio of patents and publish research results when applicable at top-tier conferences and journals in robotics and machine learning.
Minimum Qualifications
- Ph.D. or highly qualified M.S. candidate in robotics, computer science, or a related field.
- Experience with representation learning using multimodal robot data (e.g., RGB, RGB-D, and tactile).
- Experience with policy deployment on real-world robots.
- Experience with robotic simulators (e.g., Isaac Sim or MuJoCo).
- Proficient with Python, C++, and PyTorch.
- Experience with the Robot Operating System (ROS 2)
Bonus Qualifications
- Experience with in-hand dexterous manipulation on multi-fingered robot hands.
- Experience with scalable or low-cost data collection for robot learning (e.g., teleoperation systems, human demonstration capture, or wearable and handheld devices).
- Experience training robot policies on large-scale or heterogeneous datasets (e.g., human videos, cross-embodiment data, or mixed real and simulated data).
- Experience with multimodal sensing for manipulation, particularly tactile and force sensing.
- Experience with large vision-language-action (VLA) models or other robot foundation models.
- Experience with sim-to-real approaches.
Dexterous manipulation, Embodied AI, Robot Foundation models
See All 168+ Policy Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Policy JobsPolicy Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Policy Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
- TikTok16
- Anthropic11
- Google9
- University of California Berkeley8
- University of California - San Francisco8
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software11
- Manufacturing2
- Science & Research2
- Investment & Asset Management1
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in policy jobs across California.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in public policy, public administration, or a related field
- Demonstrated experience analyzing legislation, regulation, or government programs
- Strong written communication skills for policy memos, briefs, and public comment letters
- Familiarity with California legislative processes, rulemaking, or state agency operations
- Proficiency with data tools and quantitative methods for policy analysis and reporting
- Experience engaging with government stakeholders, community groups, or elected officials
Policy Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a policy professional in California?
Most policy roles in California require at least a bachelor's degree in public policy, political science, public administration, or a closely related field, with a master's degree increasingly expected for analyst and senior roles. California does not require a state-issued license to work in policy, but candidates who understand California's legislative calendar, the state budget process, and the regulatory role of agencies like CalHR and CARB have a clear advantage in the hiring pool.
Which companies hire policy professionals in California?
California policy roles are posted by TikTok, Anthropic, and Google and others right now, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. California's mix of large state agencies, major health systems, and technology firms with public affairs divisions makes it one of the broadest policy hiring markets in the nation.
Which California cities have the most policy jobs?
San Francisco, San Jose, and Los Angeles have the most policy openings in California right now. Sacramento dominates because it is the seat of state government and home to dozens of agencies, advocacy groups, and lobbying firms, while Los Angeles and San Francisco draw policy talent into health systems, environmental organizations, and large corporations with substantial government affairs functions.
Are there remote policy jobs in California?
Yes, and more than most fields. About 68% of policy openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, reflecting how much policy research, writing, and stakeholder coordination can happen off-site. Roles focused on legislative analysis, policy writing, and data-driven research tend to offer the most remote flexibility, while positions requiring regular appearances before state agencies or the legislature are typically hybrid or in-person.
How can I get hired as a policy professional in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is a fellowship or internship with a California state agency, legislative office, or advocacy organization, where you build a record of analytical work and stakeholder engagement. The California Governor's Office of Planning and Research, the California Legislature's Capitol Fellows Program, and large employers like the University of California system and Kaiser Permanente run structured programs for early-career candidates. Moving into policy from adjacent roles such as program coordinator, legislative aide, or public affairs assistant is also common, and a strong writing sample or policy memo portfolio gives candidates without direct experience a concrete edge.
Where can I find and apply to policy jobs in California?
You can find and apply to policy jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current California openings across state government, healthcare, advocacy, and the private sector. Search the roles that match your experience level and specialization, then apply directly to the ones that fit.
See All 168+ Policy Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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