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Research Program Manager, Governance

OpenAI· Research
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Hybrid (San Francisco)$239k - $328kFull-timePosted 1mo ago

About the role

OpenAI is seeking a curious, high-agency Research Program Manager to shape governance reviews, connect ideas and evidence across teams, and develop practical recommendations for governance bodies and senior leaders within OpenAI’s Governance team.

Responsibilities

  • Bring together technical, policy, and operational inputs to develop coherent assessments, recommendations, and decision materials for governance bodies and senior leaders.
  • Work through emerging or ambiguous questions, test assumptions, identify gaps or conflicting evidence, and help determine what additional analysis or decisions are needed.
  • Engage critically with research, evaluations, safeguards, and risk assessments, working with the relevant experts to understand what the evidence supports and where uncertainty remains.
  • Partner with governance-body chairs, technical leaders, and other stakeholders to shape substantive reviews, frame the questions that matter, and communicate conclusions clearly.
  • Translate feedback, recommendations, and decisions into concrete work with accountable owners, milestones, dependencies, and clear criteria for completion.
  • Drive that work forward across teams, resolve blockers, surface difficult tradeoffs, and escalate disagreements or resource gaps when needed.
  • Help teams understand which governance processes apply, integrate reviews into research and deployment plans, and identify changes that require further consideration.
  • Maintain clear records of decisions, rationale, conditions, commitments, exceptions, and unresolved questions.
  • Help improve governance practices, standards, and guidance as capabilities, evidence, and circumstances evolve.
  • Build and refine practical tools, operating cadences, and sources of truth that improve the quality and pace of the work.
  • Develop trusted relationships across Research, Safety Systems, Preparedness, Security, Legal, Product, leadership, and relevant external partners.

Qualifications

  • Have experience leading complex, cross-functional work in a research, technology, policy, safety, security, governance, or related environment.
  • Take initiative, move quickly, and find practical ways forward when ownership, requirements, or the path to an answer are unclear.
  • Are intellectually curious and can learn unfamiliar subjects well enough to ask sharp questions, test an argument, and recognize when deeper expertise is needed.
  • Can synthesize complicated or conflicting information without losing important distinctions, limitations, or uncertainty.
  • Write clearly and precisely, particularly when explaining difficult issues and recommendations to senior decision-makers.
  • Bring strong program-management fundamentals and a record of turning ambiguous requests into work that gets finished.
  • Exercise sound judgment in sensitive situations, navigate disagreement constructively, and know when to act independently or seek a decision.
  • Are willing to try new approaches, learn from feedback, and change your mind when the evidence changes.
  • Build useful structure without adding unnecessary process.
  • Care deeply about the responsible development and deployment of increasingly capable AI systems.

Skills

Required:Cross-functional program managementEvidence synthesis and decision framingStakeholder management and communication

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
  • Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)
  • 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
  • Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)
  • Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees
  • 13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law)
  • Mental health and wellness support
  • Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
  • Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth
  • Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible
  • Relocation support for eligible employees
  • Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided.
Last updated Sep 17, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About OpenAI

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