Lead Policy Analyst, Public Policy

About the Team

OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We believe that achieving our goal requires effective engagement with public policy stakeholders and the broader community impacted by AI. Accordingly, our Public Policy team builds authentic, collaborative relationships with public officials and the broader AI policymaking community to inform and support our shared work in these domains. We ensure that insights from policymakers inform our work and - in collaboration with our colleagues and external stakeholders - seek to further regulation, industry standards, and safe and beneficial development of AI tools. 

About the Role

OpenAI is seeking a highly organized and skilled Lead Policy Analyst with exceptional writing, organizational and strategic thinking abilities to join our Public Policy team, in the Policy Planning group. The Policy Planning function drives the written documents created by our Public Policy team, ranging from public comments and correspondence with legislators to outbound white papers and other documents intended for a policymaker audience. 

Reporting to the Head of Policy Planning, you will be responsible for drafting and coordinating well-crafted public policy documents on behalf of OpenAI. You will need to build a nuanced understanding of the plans, needs, and interests of a wide range of internal and external stakeholders. In addition, you will contribute to the Public Policy team’s thinking about how and where to engage, and help articulate policy frameworks on behalf of OpenAI. 

This is a deeply collaborative role that will leverage OpenAI’s existing strengths across the organization, including both policy and technical functions. In addition to collaborating with the rest of the Public Policy team, Policy Research, and Legal, you will work closely with product and engineering teams to both understand and inform OpenAI’s technology and product decisions. You will need to develop and maintain a clear and nuanced understanding of OpenAI’s technology stack, key research priorities, and product roadmap. 

OpenAI releases industry-leading research and tools. You will face new challenges as the impact of cutting edge generative AI technologies continues to be explored and as the needs of the organization evolve. The policy team is a fast-paced environment and flexibility is essential. You will be accountable for setting clear priorities and balancing tensions, including the cadence of this work —  quicker than academic research, and more deliberate than the most rapid response policy projects —- and the need to balance technical rigor with accessibility for a policy audience.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA and may require frequent travel to participate in meetings and events with key stakeholders. We offer relocation assistance to new employees. 

You should thrive in this role if you:

• Turn around high-quality writing projects quickly, with a focus on making complex technical issues accessible for broader audiences.
• Collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, especially engineering and research teams, and are comfortable aligning a diverse range of internal and external partners.
• Are extremely organized and comfortable tracking a wide range of details, to make sure that every nuance in a policy document reflects the right balance of concerns and interests.
• Are passionate about the promise of technology and the future of artificial intelligence and thoughtful about its potential risks.

We're looking for a blend of:

• Excellent written and oral communication and presentation skills, with the ability to convey complex technical and policy concepts to diverse audiences.
• Experience on key public policy issues and debates related to AI.
• Working comfort with technical concepts related to AI. This can be shown, for instance, by prior work as an engineer or a scientist; a concrete track record of working collaboratively with engineers or scientists; or relevant academic training.
• Ability to execute in fast and flexible environments through rapid cycles of analysis, decision, and action.
• Sound judgment and outstanding personal integrity.
• Genuine care and knowledge about the impact of technology on society.

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. 

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.

Compensation, Benefits and Perks

The annual salary range for this role is $180,000 – $230,000. Total compensation also includes generous equity and benefits.

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family
• Mental health and wellness support
• 401(k) plan with 4% matching
• Unlimited time off and 18+ company holidays per year
• Paid parental leave (20 weeks) and family-planning support
• Annual learning & development stipend ($1,500 per year)

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. 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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