Safety Policy Lead, Youth Safety

About the role

Discord is seeking a dedicated Safety Policy Lead to spearhead the development and management of policies focused on youth safety. This position is in overseeing the entire policy lifecycle, from identifying pressing issues to ensuring that policies are effectively enforced. The role will tackle significant challenges, including the prevention of child sexual abuse material, grooming, and exploitation of minors.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Conduct thorough research to formulate safety policies aimed at protecting youth, addressing critical issues such as child sexual abuse material (CSAM), grooming behaviors, child exploitation, and age verification processes.
• Oversee the complete policy lifecycle, which includes defining problems, justifying data, consulting with various departments, testing enforcement measures, and gathering feedback post-implementation.
• Collaborate closely with the Legal team to ensure that compliance requirements from laws such as KOSA, COPPA, DSA Article 28, and the Online Safety Act are effectively integrated into policy frameworks.
• Partner with teams in Trust and Safety, Engineering, and Machine Learning to develop enforcement infrastructures, including datasets and classification systems that support policy objectives.
• Revise and enhance policies based on insights gained from implementation and quality assurance evaluations, ensuring they remain effective and relevant.
• Engage with external organizations focused on child safety, such as the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC), to represent Discord's stance and collaborate on best practices.
• Provide swift policy responses to emerging threats to child safety, coordinating efforts during incidents and regulatory notifications to ensure timely and effective action.
• Take ownership of an additional functional area within the Safety Policy team, which may include policy implementation systems, governance of AI/LLM technologies, or frameworks that prioritize safety by design.

Requirements

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in policy development, particularly in trust and safety or child protection, within a technology platform or civil society organization.
• Extensive understanding of youth safety issues, including frameworks from NCMEC and ICAC, hash-matching systems, grooming patterns, age assurance, and regulations governing minors online.
• Direct experience with child safety provisions outlined in KOSA, COPPA, DSA, or the Online Safety Act is essential.
• Proven ability to draft policies that are not only effective but also provide clear criteria and guidance for implementation.
• Experience in collaborating with machine learning and automation teams to convert policy requirements into actionable detection signals.
• Capacity to make sound decisions under pressure and navigate ambiguous situations effectively.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, capable of addressing diverse audiences ranging from moderators to executive leadership.
• A Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience is required.

Nice to have

• An advanced degree in law, public policy, child development, psychology, or a related discipline would be advantageous.
• Familiarity with Discord's platform, as well as the gaming and creator communities, is a plus.
• Multilingual skills that cater to Discord's international user base are desirable.

Skills & tools

• Proficient in policy development and implementation strategies.
• Familiarity with child safety regulations and compliance frameworks.
• Experience with data analysis and interpretation to inform policy decisions.
• Knowledge of machine learning applications in policy enforcement.
• Strong project management skills to oversee multiple initiatives simultaneously.
• Excellent interpersonal skills for effective collaboration across teams and with external organizations.

Practical notes

• This position may involve regular exposure to distressing content, including child sexual abuse material and exploitation cases. Discord provides wellness support to help manage the emotional impact of this work.
• Expected travel for this role is approximately 15%.
• Candidates must either reside in Los Angeles or be willing to relocate to this area.
• The base salary for this position in the United States ranges from $192,000 to $216,000, in addition to equity and benefits. Compensation will be tailored based on individual skills, experience, and educational background.

About the company

Discord is used by over 200 million people every month for many different reasons, but there's one thing that nearly everyone does on our platform: play video games. Over 90% of our users play games, spending a combined 1.5 billion hours playing thousands of unique titles on Discord each month.