Lead Counsel, AI Safety & Cyber Incident Response

OpenAI, Inc.; United States; Hybrid; USD 190,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

OpenAI seeks a counsel to lead cybersecurity and AI safety incident responses, turning complex technical findings into practical legal guidance and shaping durable response processes.

Based in Washington, D.C. or San Francisco with a hybrid model (3 days in the office), you will coordinate with Security, Privacy, Product, and Engineering, manage outside counsel, and help set escalation criteria and reporting obligations.

Qualifications

• Licensed to practice law in your jurisdiction.
• 5+ years of relevant experience.
• Experience managing cybersecurity or privacy incident responses at a tech company, law firm, or government agency.
• Ability to translate technical findings into practical legal advice.
• Strong judgment under time pressure and clear communication of uncertainty.
• Clear, concise writing and ability to keep cross-functional teams aligned.
• Ownership and follow-through with colleagues of different expertise.
• Interest in AI safety and willingness to help develop new approaches.

Responsibilities

• Serve as legal lead on assigned cybersecurity and AI safety incidents, coordinating fact development and advising.
• Work with investigators to understand incident scope, root cause, and affected systems and data.
• Manage outside counsel and third party service engagements for incident response.
• Serve as key Legal point of contact for cross-functional teams.
• Coordinate with Privacy, Product, Regulatory and other counsel on notifications and communications.
• Prepare concise incident updates and decision materials.
• Develop escalation criteria, response playbooks, and handoff processes for incidents.
• Support post-incident reviews and track corrective actions.

Skills

Incident response

Cybersecurity law

Technical translation

Cross-functional collaboration

Clear writing

Ownership

AI safety interest

Availability after hours

Education

Juris Doctor (JD)

Job description

OpenAI seeks a counsel to lead cybersecurity and AI safety incident responses, turning complex technical findings into practical legal guidance and shaping durable response processes.

Based in Washington, D.C. or San Francisco with a hybrid model (3 days in the office), you will coordinate with Security, Privacy, Product, and Engineering, manage outside counsel, and help set escalation criteria and reporting obligations.