Grants Officer

OpenAI Foundation; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 130,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI Foundation is seeking a Grants Officer to manage grants from initial review through closeout. You will work with grantees and colleagues across the Foundation, ensuring compliance, due diligence, and high-quality reporting.

Reporting to the Head of Grant Operations, this role requires sound judgment, strong organization, and comfort with data and systems. Join a small, growing team shaping responsible grantmaking as AI advances.

Qualifications

• 4+ years in grants management or related fields with full lifecycle experience.
• Experience administering international grants is helpful.
• Strong spreadsheet and analytical skills.
• Clear written and verbal communication.
• Experience using a grants management system.

Responsibilities

• Conduct grant due diligence and compliance reviews; document findings.
• Manage an assigned grant portfolio through the full lifecycle; track conditions and reports.
• Serve as a point of contact for grantees; communicate information needs and timelines.
• Maintain records in the grants management system; coordinate with Finance and Legal.
• Lead or support grant operations projects and process improvements.

Skills

Grants management

Communication

Analytical skills

Attention to detail

Tools

Grants management system

Spreadsheets

Job description

About OpenAI Foundation

AI is already changing how people work, learn, and access care. It has the potential to unlock extraordinary benefits—faster medical breakthroughs, accelerated scientific discovery, more personalized services in healthcare and education, new tools for creativity and invention, higher productivity and economic growth, improved public services like transportation systems, and so much more.

But building powerful systems to benefit humanity is only a part of the work of our mission. Advanced AI models will also present new challenges that are already surfacing, and we need to be prepared to identify these challenges and develop solutions to address them.

These are the two dimensions of what we’re building the Foundation to do. We aim to enable the use of AI to find solutions to humanity’s hardest problems, transform what people are capable of, and deliver real benefits in people’s lives—while working hard with partners to be ready for new challenges, and to help make society resilient, as AI advances.

This work is just beginning. Over the next year, as we quickly ramp up, the Foundation expects to invest at least $1 billion across life sciences and curing diseases, jobs and economic impact, AI resilience, and community programs. This includes early investments toward our previously announced $25 billion commitment to curing diseases and AI resilience.

About the role

We are looking for a Grants Officer to manage grants from initial review through closeout and help build effective grantmaking practices. Reporting to the Head of Grant Operations, this individual contributor will independently conduct due diligence and compliance reviews, manage an assigned grant portfolio, and work closely with grantees and colleagues across the Foundation.

As part of a small, growing team, you will also contribute to projects, reporting, and process improvements. This role requires sound grantmaking judgment, strong organizational and communication skills, comfort with data and systems, and a willingness to work directly in the details and adapt as priorities evolve.

What you’ll do

• Independently conduct and document grant due diligence and compliance reviews, identify material risks, and develop recommendations. Coordinate further review and help establish grant terms and proportionate reporting expectations with the Head of Grant Operations, program colleagues, and legal counsel.

• Manage an assigned grant portfolio through the full lifecycle, coordinating agreements, payment requests, amendments, renewals, and closeout. Track grant conditions, review grantee reports, and maintain complete records in partnership with program colleagues, Finance, and legal counsel.

• Serve as a responsive point of contact for prospective grantees and grantees, communicating information needs, requirements, and timelines clearly and keeping requests proportionate.

• Maintain accurate records in the grants management system, prepare grant and portfolio summaries, and work with Finance and the Senior Grants Officer, Systems & Data to check data quality and resolve discrepancies.

• Lead or support grant operations projects and process improvements, including practical workflows, templates, and guidance. Provide coverage across the team as priorities and workloads evolve.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of relevant experience in grants management, grant operations, or related fields, including independently managing grants through the full lifecycle—from due diligence and compliance review to agreements and post‑award administration. Experience administering international grants is also helpful.

• Sound grantmaking judgment and working knowledge of grant compliance, including the ability to identify material risks and recognize when specialist review is needed.

• Experience using a grants management system to maintain records, track grant activity, and support reporting.

• Strong spreadsheet and analytical skills, including reviewing financial information, checking data accuracy, and summarizing findings clearly.

• Clear written and verbal communication, with the ability to work effectively with grantees and colleagues across different functions.

• Strong organization and reliable follow‑through across multiple grants and projects. Comfortable handling sensitive information, improving processes, and adapting as priorities evolve.

• Experience using AI responsibly in due diligence, compliance workflows, or data analysis is preferred.

Compensation

The annual base salary range for this role is $130,000 to $150,000 USD.

This range reflects our good‑faith estimate of the base salary we reasonably expect to pay for this position upon hire. Actual base salary will be determined based on job‑related factors, including the candidate’s relevant experience, skills, expertise, the scope of the role, and work location, as applicable.

This salary range does not include benefits or any other compensation for which the role may be eligible.

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.