Employee Relations and Investigations Lead

About the team

OpenAI’s People team aims to hire, engage, and retain world-class talent who will safely build and deploy universally beneficial Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). The Global Employee Relations and People Policy team is a Center of Excellence within the People team, providing subject-matter expertise in employee relations, workplace investigations, policy development, and strategic guidance and support for high-stakes, complex, and sensitive employee matters across OpenAI's global offices.

About the role

We are looking for an experienced Employee Relations and Investigations Lead to join our Global Employee Relations, Investigations, and People Policy team. This role will report to the Global Head of Employee Relations and will be instrumental in leading and scaling a high-performing global employee relations and workplace investigations team. You will conduct and guide complex investigations into potential policy violations, provide subject-matter expertise on high-stakes employment matters, and work closely with senior leadership to influence and implement strategic initiatives while supporting informed decision-making. Additionally, you will provide day-to-day guidance to other team members on complex investigations and help scale and define our global investigations and employee relations strategy.

You’ll have several responsibilities, including:

• Mentor, develop, and scale a global team of employee relations and investigations professionals.
• Oversee and conduct comprehensive investigations into employee concerns, including misconduct, harassment, discrimination, and policy violations across OpenAI’s global offices.
• Ensure adherence to best practices and gold-standard investigative procedures, including meticulous documentation and report writing.
• Provide subject matter expertise on high-stakes and complex employment matters, ensuring compliance with employment laws and company policies.
• Collaborate with Legal, HR, and cross-functional teams to resolve complex personnel matters in a manner that is consistent with company policies and complies with labor and employment laws.
• Develop and implement innovative strategies to enhance workplace culture and align with OpenAI’s values.
• Analyze employee relations data to inform and refine People programs and policies.
• Stay informed on U.S. and global employment law trends and best practices.
• Drive continuous improvement of employee relations processes and tools, focusing on speed, efficiency, and innovation.

We’ll look for these qualities, experience, and skills:

• A JD degree and 10+ years of experience as an employment or workplace investigations attorney, or in another in-house investigations role, or advising on complex employee relations issues. Global employment law experience or AWI-CH designation is a plus.
• Demonstrated experience in leading and scaling high-performing employee relations or investigations teams at global companies. 
• Proven ability to manage highly sensitive and complex employee relations issues with a strong record of de-escalating charged situations.
• Exceptional analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to produce clear, rigorous, and legally defensible investigation reports.
• Strong interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, with the ability to build trust and influence at all organizational levels.
• Data-driven and proactive approach with a commitment to continuous improvement and dynamic problem-solving.
• Unwavering integrity and professionalism, with a commitment to maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information with the utmost discretion.
• Ability to think strategically and creatively in high-pressure environments.

Location and Workplace

This role is based in our San Francisco, CA office and we offer relocation assistance to new employees.

Our offices use a hybrid work model: three days in the office per week with optional work from home on Thursdays and Fridays. Our open-plan offices have height-adjustable desks, conference rooms, phone booths, well-stocked kitchens full of snacks and drinks and more.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. 

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. 

OpenAI Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement

For US Based Candidates: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

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At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.