Program Manager, Critical Harm Operations

ABOUT THE TEAM

Critical Harm Operations sits within User Safety & Risk Operations and builds enforcement systems for Frontier Risk and Material Harm that are accurate fast defensible and built to scale. We turn policy intent into operational readiness review standards quality systems escalation paths automation guardrails and durable cross-functional operating models.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We are looking for an exceptional Program Manager to help build durable operating systems and run some of OpenAIs most complex safety operations. The core need is a high-agency operator who can take an ambiguous problem create the right structure align cross-functional partners and drive the work through execution.

This role will move across Critical Harm priorities as needs evolve. You may step into operationalizing national security or violent-activities workflows support wellbeing and Frontier Risk initiatives or help scale programs such as Trusted Access. Deep domain expertise is helpful but not required; the strongest candidates will learn quickly exercise excellent judgment and make complex programs move.

IN THIS ROLE YOU WILL:

• Lead strategic operational builds across priority workflows from problem statement to implemented operating model including scope owners milestones risks success measures and execution cadence.

• Translate policy safety technical legal and operational constraints into workflows requirements playbooks escalation paths and decision-making structures that teams can execute.

• Coordinate with User Ops leadership Product Policy Integrity Safety Systems i2 Legal Product Engineering Support vendors and other partners to resolve dependencies and keep critical work moving.

• Move in and out of workflows as priorities shiftstanding up new programs stabilizing operations improving handoffs and transitioning durable ownership to the right team.

• Use operational data and frontline signals to identify bottlenecks quality gaps capacity needs ownership failures and the highest-leverage interventions.

• Drive high-priority escalations and cross-functional decisions to closure ensuring the right context accountable owners clear next steps and durable follow-up.

• Create the mechanisms that make programs run well: roadmaps decision logs status updates risk registers operating reviews and crisp executive communication.

• Identify where AI tools automation lightweight systems or simpler workflows can improve speed consistency and scale while preserving appropriate human judgment.

YOU MIGHT THRIVE IN THIS ROLE IF YOU:

• Have 8 years of experience in program management strategy and operations product operations technical program management trust and safety support operations risk operations implementation or a related field.

• Have a track record of taking complex ambiguous work from problem framing through launch and scaled operation.

• Are unusually organized sharp and execution-focused; you can manage many moving pieces without losing the few decisions that matter most.

• Build trust and drive alignment across teams without direct authority while keeping ownership accountability and escalation paths clear.

• Are technically and analytically fluent enough to reason about data flows dashboards tooling gaps automation and failure modeseven if you are not writing production code.

• Communicate clearly with technical operational policy and executive audiences especially when tradeoffs are sensitive or evidence is incomplete.

• Operate calmly and flexibly in a fast-moving environment learn new domains quickly and are comfortable handling high-severity or sensitive work.

• Experience with vendor operations QA programs launch readiness workflow automation or AI-assisted operations.

NICE TO HAVE

• Experience in customer support or other high-stakes scaled operations.

• Deep expertise with national security violence or other severe-harm domains.

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 we do not discriminate on the basis of race religion color national origin sex sexual orientation age veteran status disability genetic information or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

For additional information please see OpenAIs Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary confidential and non-public addition job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.

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.

Required Experience:

IC