Head of People Science and Operations

Details

About the Team

OpenAI’s People team is committed to hiring, engaging, and supporting world-class talent to help safely build and deploy universally beneficial Artificial General Intelligence (AGI).

The People Science and Operations team is responsible for the systems, data, and operational rigor that underpin every stage of the employee lifecycle. The team’s work sits at the intersection of employee experience, regulatory compliance, and business velocity — ensuring that as OpenAI scales rapidly and globally, foundations remain accurate, auditable, and human-centered. This is a high-trust, high-impact function that partners closely with Finance, Legal, IT, Security, and the broader People team.

About the Role

The Head of People Science and Operations is responsible for building and leading an integrated function spanning People Data Science and People Operations. Reporting to the Chief People Officer, this executive will define how the company uses experimentation, analytics, process design, technology, and service delivery to improve employee experience and organizational effectiveness. They will translate people strategy into durable operating models, ensure decisions are grounded in evidence, and scale core people systems with the business.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA. OpenAI uses a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offers relocation assistance to new employees.

Responsibilities

• Lead a unified strategy across People Data Science, Analytics, and People Operations.
• Inject science into people processes (interviewing, compensation, growth, promotion, reward, recognition).
• Partner with Research, Engineering, and Product teams to apply OpenAI’s technology internally to drive automation, intelligent workflows, and system improvements across People Operations, data science, and employee experience platforms.
• Build an operating model that links experimentation, insight generation, process design, and service delivery.
• Oversee development of people analytics, dashboards, research agendas, and experimentation frameworks to improve decision quality.
• Establish clear service standards, workflows, and controls across core people operations processes.
• Partner with HRBPs, Talent, Total Rewards, Legal, Finance, IT, and Security to improve end-to-end execution on critical people programs.
• Drive simplification and automation across onboarding, job changes, offboarding, case management, employee support, and data governance.
• Create mechanisms to test new people programs quickly, learn from results, and scale what works.
• Ensure people data is reliable, well-governed, and translated into actionable insights for executives and managers.
• Lead teams in experimenting with and deploying OpenAI technology to modernize People systems and operations—embedding AI-enabled automation, decision support, and scalable operational infrastructure.
• Build a high-performing leadership team with capabilities in operations, analytics, research, and change management.
• Define success metrics for operational quality, employee experience, experimentation throughput, and impact on business outcomes.
• Serve as a strategic advisor to the CPO on organizational health, workforce insights, and operating effectiveness.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience across People Operations, HR Operations, People Analytics, organizational effectiveness, or related functions.
• Significant leadership experience running scaled people systems in a complex, fast-moving environment.
• Strong command of analytics, experimentation, and evidence-based decision-making.
• Proven ability to redesign processes and build durable operating mechanisms across functions.
• Experience leading through ambiguity, managing sensitive people data, and balancing speed with rigor.
• High executive presence with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and align cross-functional partners.
• Track record of building and developing senior leaders across multiple disciplines.
• Experience with global operations, workforce systems, compliance considerations, and service delivery models is preferred.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. The company emphasizes safety and human needs in AI development and values diverse perspectives. OpenAI is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities. Background checks will be administered in accordance with applicable law.

Benefits and Compensation

• Base salary range listed: $347K – $385K; offers equity and may include performance-related bonuses.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts.
• Pre-tax accounts (Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, commuter expenses).
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match.
• Paid parental leave and paid medical/caregiver leave.
• Flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees.
• 13+ paid company holidays and additional office closures.
• Mental health and wellness support; employer-paid basic life and disability coverage.
• Annual learning and development stipend.
• Daily meals in offices and meal delivery credits as eligible.
• Relocation support for eligible employees.
• Additional taxable fringe benefits (charitable donation matching, wellness stipends).