Strategic Sourcing Leader, Research & AI

About the Team

OpenAI’s mission is to build safe artificial general intelligence (AGI) which benefits all of humanity. This long-term undertaking brings the world’s best scientists, engineers, and business professionals into one lab together to accomplish this.

In pursuit of this, our Recruiting team’s focus is to build talent-dense, high-impact teams that are aligned with OpenAI’s cultural values and mission. Our vision is to pioneer the future of recruiting and connect brilliant people with the transformative potential of AI.

About the Role

As a key talent leader for our Research teams, you will own sourcing for one of the most coveted AI companies. You’ll lead and mentor a skilled team to identify and engage top AI and engineering talent, developing strategies that transform teams and enhance our technical edge.  

Your leadership will shape OpenAI’s talent future, fostering strong relationships with candidates, hiring managers, and the technical community, including leaders behind innovations like ChatGPT, Sora, and now, OpenAI o1 and across the organization, up to our CTO, Chief Research Officer, and more.

Your Key Responsibilities will be:

• Lead and Inspire: Drive the development of a high-performing technical sourcing team. Mentor and support your team in developing cutting-edge sourcing techniques, fostering an environment of innovation, collaboration, and continuous improvement.

• Strategic Vision: Partner with leadership to design and execute comprehensive sourcing strategies that align with OpenAI’s growth and long-term technical ambitions.

• Relationship-Driven Recruiting: Develop lasting relationships with key technical leaders, hiring managers, and external partners, positioning OpenAI as the employer of choice for top-tier talent.

• Candidate Experience Excellence: Elevate the candidate experience at every touchpoint, reflecting OpenAI’s values and technical rigor. You’ll ensure every candidate interaction leaves a positive, lasting impression.

• Data-Informed Decision Making: Leverage data to optimize sourcing efforts, making informed, strategic adjustments to improve efficiency, quality, and team performance, and drive operational rigor.

• Diversity and Inclusion: Champion our commitment to building a diverse and inclusive workforce by implementing strategies that attract talent from underrepresented communities.

Who We’re Looking For:

• Deep Technical Sourcing Expertise: Extensive experience in sourcing engineering and research talent for competitive tech markets, with a nuanced understanding of the skills and qualities that define world-class engineers and researchers.

• Visionary Leadership: Proven ability to lead, mentor, and inspire a team of sourcing professionals, helping them grow and succeed in a high-stakes, fast-paced environment.

• Relationship Builder: Exceptional interpersonal skills, with the ability to build deep relationships with both internal stakeholders and external talent in highly specialized fields.

• Strategic and Analytical Mindset: You approach recruiting with a strategic lens, using data and market insights to shape decisions and continuously refine your approach.

• Technical Acumen: Strong understanding of the technical landscape, with the ability to engage credibly with both candidates and hiring managers.

• Diversity Advocate: A commitment to driving diversity in hiring, ensuring that OpenAI continues to attract talent from all backgrounds.

Location and Workplace

This role is based in the Mission Bay, San Francisco, CA office. We use a hybrid work model: three days in the office per week with optional work from home on Thursdays and Fridays. We offer relocation assistance to new employees.

Our open-plan offices have height-adjustable desks, conference rooms, phone booths, well-stocked kitchens full of snacks and drinks, three in-house prepared meals daily, a private outdoor space for working in the sun or socializing, nap rooms, private bike storage, 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.

OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy

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.