Catalytic Deployments Program Officer

OpenAI Foundation; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 220,000 - 300,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI Foundation seeks a Program Officer to advance Catalytic Deployments, combining philanthropy, strategy, and operating capabilities. The role supports grant strategy, diligence, and portfolio growth while partnering with external experts and civil society organizations.

The position is based in San Francisco on a hybrid schedule, requiring occasional travel to the US and abroad as projects scale and partnerships mature.

Qualifications

• 5+ years of leadership experience in nonprofits, philanthropy, or government.
• Subject matter expertise in at least one social sector domain (public health, education, poverty alleviation, economic mobility).
• Ability to reason about AI capabilities, constraints, and risks in civil society contexts.
• Ability to evaluate opportunities and make strong recommendations.
• Comfort in fast-moving environments with evolving priorities.
• Experience engaging with external experts, institutions, and senior stakeholders.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with clear synthesis of complex information.
• Strong strategic judgment paired with a bias toward execution.
• High ownership, discretion, and accountability.
• Motivation to accelerate AI’s impact in civil society and contribute to the Foundation’s mission.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to strategy, prioritization, and approach to Catalytic Deployments; own areas over time.
• Source, evaluate, and recommend grants; conduct diligence on organizations and leaders.
• Support growing portfolio of grants with robust judgment and prioritization.
• Engage with researchers, nonprofits, academic centers, funders, and grantees.
• Identify gaps and develop ideas for new efforts, partnerships, or field-building.
• Develop and launch new initiatives from zero-to-one; convene stakeholders as needed.
• Represent the Foundation in external conversations to build credibility.
• Write clear internal recommendations and strategy memos to support decisions.

Skills

Leadership

Grant evaluation

Strategic thinking

Communication

Job description

OpenAI Foundation seeks a Program Officer to advance Catalytic Deployments, combining philanthropy, strategy, and operating capabilities. The role supports grant strategy, diligence, and portfolio growth while partnering with external experts and civil society organizations.

The position is based in San Francisco on a hybrid schedule, requiring occasional travel to the US and abroad as projects scale and partnerships mature.