Compensation Programs & Operations Lead

OpenAI, Inc.; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 270,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI, Inc. in San Francisco seeks a Compensation Programs & Operations Lead to own end-to-end global compensation programs, from scoping to launch, reconciliation, and continuous improvement.

You will translate priorities into executable plans and collaborate with partners across People, Finance, Legal, Payroll, Equity Administration, and other teams. The role requires 10+ years of compensation experience, with deep expertise in base pay, incentives, equity, benchmarking, and program

Qualifications

• 10+ years of progressive compensation experience, including global programs and operations.
• Experience leading compensation cycles, planning, analysis, and reconciliation.
• Deep expertise in base pay, incentives, equity, benchmarking, and salary structures.
• Strong cross-functional collaboration with partners across HR, Finance, Legal, Payroll, and Equity.

Responsibilities

• Own the end-to-end compensation program portfolio, including cyclical and ad hoc initiatives.
• Define scope, milestones, owners, dependencies, and resource needs for programs.
• Translate designs into rules, workflows, approvals, and exception handling.
• Build models, validate inputs, and reconcile outcomes with attention to accuracy.
• Develop operating guides, communications, and training for stakeholders.

Skills

Compensation operations

Program management

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical skills

Leadership communication

Tools

Workday

Job description

Compensation Programs & Operations Lead | OpenAI

Careers

Compensation Programs & Operations Lead

Total Rewards - San Francisco

About the Team

OpenAI’s Compensation team helps attract, reward, and retain the people advancing our mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. We develop compensation strategies and programs that support a rapidly evolving business, combining market insight, sound judgment, and thoughtful execution. We partner across People, Finance, Legal, and the business to deliver programs that employees and leaders can understand and trust.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Compensation Programs & Operations Lead to own the end-to-end program management of our cyclical and ad hoc compensation programs globally. You will turn compensation priorities into executable plans and lead delivery from initial scoping through launch, reconciliation, and continuous improvement.

This is a senior, hands-on role for a compensation subject-matter expert who is energized by operations and E2E program ownership. You should bring experience across compensation operations analysis, compensation analysis, business partnership, and program management. Having done this work yourself, you understand the practical details behind compensation decisions and what it takes to implement them accurately.

You will establish how our compensation programs run: the calendar, responsibilities, systems requirements, controls, communications, and handoffs that connect program design to the employee experience. You’ll partner closely with Compensation Partners, HR Business Partners, People Operations, People Technology, Finance, Payroll, Equity Administration, and Legal, creating clarity and driving execution as priorities evolve.

In this role, you will:

• Lead our compensation program portfolio. Own the integrated roadmap and calendar for cyclical and ad hoc programs, including compensation reviews, bonus and equity cycles, promotion-related compensation processes, recognition and retention initiatives, and new program launches.
• Drive programs from planning through completion. Define scope, deliverables, milestones, accountable owners, dependencies, and resource needs. Coordinate work across teams, resolve blockers, and bring decisions and tradeoffs to the right owners early.
• Translate compensation expertise into practical operations. Work with Compensation Partners and program owners to turn approved designs into clear eligibility rules, calculations, workflows, approval paths, and exception processes. Identify gaps and implementation risks before launch.
• Stay close to the analysis and data. Build and review models, validate inputs and calculations, investigate discrepancies, and reconcile final outcomes. Be comfortable working directly in the details when a program needs it.
• Build reliable execution controls. Establish quality checks, documented approvals, access controls, and audit trails. Coordinate accurate handoffs to Payroll, Equity Administration, and People Operations, with clear ownership through completion.
• Shape compensation systems and tooling. Translate business needs into requirements, partner with People Technology on configuration and integrations, lead user acceptance testing, and prioritize improvements that reduce manual work and errors.
• Manage incoming requests and changing priorities. Create a practical intake and prioritization process for ad hoc compensation initiatives. Make capacity, timing, and dependencies visible so urgent work can be delivered alongside recurring commitments.
• Make programs easier to understand and use. Develop operating guides, manager resources, communications, and training. Equip Compensation Partners and other stakeholders to explain programs consistently and resolve questions efficiently.
• Improve how the function operates. Measure accuracy, timeliness, manual effort, and stakeholder experience. Run post-cycle reviews and turn findings into simpler processes, stronger documentation, and effective automation.

You might thrive in this role if you:

• Have 10+ years of progressive compensation experience, including substantial responsibility for global compensation programs and operations in a complex, fast-growing organization.
• Have performed the core responsibilities of a Compensation Operations Analyst, Compensation Analyst, Compensation Partner, and Compensation Program Manager, whether through separate roles or a combination of positions.
• Bring deep compensation expertise across base pay, incentives, equity, market benchmarking, salary structures, and job architecture, and understand how these elements translate into day-to-day administration.
• Have independently led complex compensation cycles and new initiatives, coordinating multiple teams from planning and analysis through implementation and reconciliation.
• Are deliberately drawn to an operations-focused role. You enjoy making programs work, improving the details, and building processes that others can rely on.
• Combine strong analytical skills with practical systems experience, including advanced spreadsheet modeling and hands‑on work with Workday or comparable HR and compensation platforms.
• Can establish priorities and drive progress when requirements are incomplete or changing, while making thoughtful tradeoffs about speed, accuracy, and capacity.
• Communicate clearly with senior leaders and working teams, influence across functions, and make ownership and next steps explicit.
• Exercise sound judgment with confidential information and bring a high standard of accuracy, accountability, and service to your work.

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.

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 information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

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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.

Compensation

$270K – $320K + Offers Equity

The base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job‑related knowledge, skills, and experience. If the role is non‑exempt, overtime pay will be provided consistent with applicable laws. In addition to the salary range listed above, total compensation also includes generous equity, performance‑related bonus(es) for eligible employees, and the following benefits.

• 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.

More details about our benefits are available to candidates during the hiring process.

This role is at‑will and OpenAI reserves the right to modify base pay and other compensation components at any time based on individual performance, team or company results, or market conditions.