Government Partnerships Communications Lead

The Business of HLTH Podcast; Washington (District of Columbia); On-site; USD 187,000 - 266,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI seeks an exceptional communications professional to lead government and public-sector communications from its Washington, DC base. You will shape external narratives about AI partnerships with federal, state, and local governments, support major customer moments, and guide messaging across cybersecurity, biodefense, national security, science, and related fields.

The role requires strategic judgment, quick, collaborative action on complex issues, and a passion for technology storytelling.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional communications and media relations experience.
• Experience translating complex technical and policy work into clear external narratives.
• Proven success building relationships and collaborating with press, executives, government partners, and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Developing and executing communications plans that educate press, policymakers, customers, and the public about OpenAI's government partnerships and public-sector work.
• Building proactive campaigns and customer stories that demonstrate how AI can improve public services, strengthen government workforces, and support critical missions.
• Supporting communications across priority areas including cybersecurity, biodefense, national security, science, and science.
• Building deep relationships with national, state, local, technology, policy, and enterprise media and managing inbound requests.
• Partnering cross-functionally with Global Affairs, public-sector go-to-market, legal, product, research, safety, security, and other teams.
• Providing counsel and communications support to senior leaders and partners across interviews, speeches, events, and other public moments.
• Anticipating communications risks and developing thoughtful mitigation and response strategies.

Skills

Media relations

Policy communication

Crisis communications

Job description

About The Team

OpenAI's mission is to ensure that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity.

OpenAI's mission is to ensure that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. Our Communications team includes External Communications, Internal Communications, and other strategic communications functions. The team's role is to clearly and authentically explain our technology, values, and approach to safely building powerful AI.

About The Role

We are seeking an exceptional communications professional to lead communications support for OpenAI's partnerships with federal, state, and local governments and our broader public‑sector enterprise work. This person will help tell the story of how governments are using AI, support major customer and partner moments, and communicate about government work happening across priority areas including cybersecurity, biodefense, national security, science.

This role will partner closely with public‑sector go‑to‑market and partnerships, Global Affairs, legal, product, research, safety, and security teams to develop clear external communications for the public, media, policymakers, and customers. The ideal candidate will bring strong strategic and tactical communications judgment, move quickly and collaboratively on complex issues, and have a passion for technology and storytelling.

In This Role, You Will

• Developing and executing communications plans that educate press, policymakers, customers, and the public about OpenAI's government partnerships and public‑sector work
• Building proactive campaigns and customer stories that demonstrate how AI can improve public services, strengthen government workforces, and support critical missions
• Supporting communications across priority areas including cybersecurity, biodefense, national security, science, and science.
• Building deep relationships with national, state, local, technology, policy, and enterprise media and managing inbound requests
• Partnering cross‑functionally with Global Affairs, public‑sector go‑to‑market, legal, product, research, safety, security, and other teams
• Providing counsel and communications support to senior leaders and partners across interviews, speeches, events, and other public moments
• Anticipating communications risks and developing thoughtful mitigation and response strategies

You Might Thrive In This Role If You Have

• 7+ years of professional communications and media relations experience, including work on government, enterprise technology, national security, cybersecurity, biodefense, or other highly scrutinized issues
• A strong track record of driving media campaigns in support of policy, partnership, or business priorities
• Experience translating complex technical and policy work into clear, credible external narratives
• Proven success building relationships and collaborating with press, executives, government partners, and cross‑functional teams
• Strong political and policy judgment, high ownership, and comfort operating quickly in an environment with limited structure

Workplace & Location

This role is based in Washington, DC, and will require occasional travel.

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

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We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

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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 Range: $187K - $266K