Product Policy - National Security

Details

About the Team

The Product Policy team is responsible for the development, implementation, enforcement, and communication of the policies that govern use of OpenAI’s services, including ChatGPT, GPTs, the GPT store, Sora, and the OpenAI API. As a member of this team, you will be instrumental in developing policy approaches to best enable both innovative and responsible use of AI so that our groundbreaking technologies are truly used to benefit all people.

About the Role

As a member of the Product Policy team, you will work at the intersection of AI capabilities, national security use cases, and risk governance. You will contribute to the development and refinement of OpenAI’s national security usage policies, support operational decision-making on sensitive use cases, and partner closely with technical, legal, investigations, and OpenAI for Government teams to ensure responsible deployment of our systems in high-risk contexts.

This role will own significant parts of the core work, operating with autonomy while partnering closely with the manager for strategic direction and prioritization. Much of the foundational infrastructure for this work is already in place; we are seeking a strong executor with relevant domain expertise who can take ownership of this portfolio and drive it forward as the scope and complexity of national security engagement continues to grow.

This role is based in Washington, D.C. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

In this role, you will:

• Contribute to the ongoing development, refinement, and communication of OpenAI’s approach to governing national security use of OpenAI technology.
• Support operational reviews of high-risk use cases, including preparing clear, well-structured decision briefs for internal stakeholders on complex or sensitive matters.
• Partner closely with cross-functional teams to design and support risk assessments, evaluations, and other mechanisms used to assess fitness-for-purpose of AI capabilities in national security contexts.
• Drive national-security deployments through required safety, risk, and governance processes.
• Collaborate with investigations and detection teams to define and operationalize principles for identifying, prioritizing, and responding to unauthorized or adversarial national-security use of OpenAI technology.
• Engage directly with government stakeholders on AI safety and governance, helping both OpenAI and government partners understand emerging risks and responsible deployment.

Requirements / Qualifications

• 4+ years of experience working in national security, defense, intelligence, or adjacent high-risk policy environments, with demonstrated experience with advanced or emerging technologies (including AI-enabled systems).
• Experience developing and/or operationalizing risk assessments and policies in partnership with technical and legal teams.
• Ability to drive alignment across diverse internal and external stakeholders, navigating substantive differences in perspective while balancing principled risk management with pragmatic decision-making.
• Strong communication skills to engage product managers, engineers, researchers, lawyers, and executives with clarity and credibility.
• Ability to adapt quickly to new problem spaces and evolving priorities, learning unfamiliar domains as needed and contributing effectively across adjacent work streams as organizational needs shift.

You could be an especially great fit if you are eligible for a U.S. security clearance (or equivalent clearance in another NATO country).

Benefits & Compensation

• Compensation summary listed: $280K (offers equity). The base pay offered may vary depending on location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. Total compensation may include equity and performance-related bonuses.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts.
• Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match.
• Paid parental leave, paid medical and caregiver leave, and paid time off (flexible PTO for exempt employees; up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees).
• 13+ paid company holidays and periodic company 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 (e.g., charitable donation matching, wellness stipends).

Additional Notes

• Background checks will be administered in accordance with applicable law.
• OpenAI is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.
• Candidates may be asked to provide information consistent with privacy and compliance policies listed by OpenAI.