Strategic Operations Lead – User Safety, Risk Operations

OpenAI

Strategic Operations Lead focusing on operational builds in User Safety & Risk Operations at OpenAI. Leading cross-functional initiatives and managing AI-fluent workflows for safety and risk tasks.

Posted 6/3/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $252,000 - $335,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

SQL

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead strategic operational builds from ambiguous problem statement to implemented operating model, including scope, owners, workflows, milestones, risks, and success measures.
Build launch and early-life operating models for complex partner deployments, including monitoring cadence, escalation paths, ownership maps, reporting expectations, and follow-up mechanisms.
Translate technical, policy, safety, privacy, and operational constraints into practical workflows that teams can execute.
Define how safety and risk signals should be monitored, reviewed, packaged, escalated, and tracked through resolution.
Partner with senior leaders across USRO and cross-functional teams to translate business, product, safety, and operational needs into clear execution plans.
Use data and operational signals to understand workflow health, capacity needs, bottlenecks, quality gaps, and risks.
Identify where AI tools, automation, lightweight systems, or better workflows can reduce operational burden and improve consistency.
Keep operating models current as data pipelines, tooling, dashboards, partner processes, and ownership mature.

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years of experience in operations, strategy and operations, product operations, technical program management, trust and safety operations, risk operations, implementation or management consulting, or a related field.
Track record of leading complex, ambiguous work from problem framing through execution.
Strong technical fluency, including the ability to reason through data flows, system ownership, logs, dashboards, tooling gaps, and failure modes.
Strong data literacy, including experience using SQL, spreadsheets, dashboards, and metrics to analyze workflows, assess risk, identify gaps, and drive decision making.
Comfortable operating where data access, tooling, ownership, or policy thresholds are incomplete or changing.
Able to work closely with Product, Engineering, Data Science, and technical operations teams; ask the right questions; and translate technical constraints into operational requirements.
Pragmatic about sequencing: knows what must be ready for launch, what can be monitored before action is taken, and what needs to become durable over time.
AI-fluent, with a track record of using AI tools to move faster, improve quality, or create operational leverage.
Strong interpersonal judgment, with the ability to build trust across teams while keeping ownership, accountability, and escalation paths clear.
Implementation-oriented and comfortable building the workflow, not just defining the strategy.
Able to operate at a fast pace while staying organized, calm, and effective in high-ambiguity environments.
Tool-agnostic and resourceful, with a track record of quickly learning unfamiliar systems and building effective solutions with limited resources, including lightweight tools, AI-assisted workflows, dashboards, documentation, and process design.

Benefits

Comp & perks

Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)
401(k) retirement plan with employer match
Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)
Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees
13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law)
Mental health and wellness support
Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth
Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible
Relocation support for eligible employees
Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

operationsstrategytechnical program managementtrust and safety operationsrisk operationsdata literacySQLdata flowsmetricsAI tools

Soft Skills

interpersonal judgmentorganizational skillsproblem framingexecutiontrust buildingaccountabilityadaptabilitycalmness under pressureeffective communicationpragmatic sequencing