Model Policy Manager, National Security

OpenAI; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 266,000 - 335,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental & vision

401(k) plan

Paid parental leave

Paid time off

Relocation support

Meal credits

Office snacks & beverages

Job summary

OpenAI in San Francisco is seeking a Model Policy Manager to shape model behavior for U.S. government use, focusing on national security applications.

The role defines nuanced policies and translates them into training and evaluation criteria to guide high-stakes deployments while preserving usefulness. Based in our San Francisco office with relocation support and a hybrid schedule (three days in office, option to work from home Thursdays and Fridays), you will collaborate with research,

Qualifications

• Bring relevant experience in AI safety, policy, or risk assessment.
• Have strong judgment and can turn complex safety questions into clear, practical policies.
• Have the technical fluency to work hands-on with model data and evaluations.
• Are motivated by OpenAI’s mission and the responsible use of AI in safety-critical settings.
• Have an active TS/SCI clearance or equivalent.

Responsibilities

• Develop model policies that guide safe and useful behavior.
• Build evaluations, identify policy gaps and model failures, and use findings to improve policies and training.
• Work with research, engineering, and domain experts to support safe, reliable deployment.

Skills

AI safety experience

Policy development

Risk assessment

Technical fluency

Job description

Model Policy Manager, National Security

Model Policy - San Francisco

About the Team

Safety Systems manages the complete lifecycle of safety efforts for OpenAI’s frontier models, ensuring our models are deployed responsibly and have a positive impact on society. Our work spans diverse research and engineering initiatives—from system-level safeguards and model training to evaluation and red‑teaming—all aimed at mitigating misuse, misalignment, and maintaining our high bar for safety. We lead OpenAI's commitment to developing and deploying safe Artificial General Intelligence (AGI), fostering a culture of trust, responsibility, and transparency. Our goal is to continuously learn from deployments, distribute AI’s benefits widely, and ensure that powerful tools remain aligned with human values and safety considerations.

Within Safety Systems, the Model Policy team works to ensure that frontier models behave safely and reliably in real‑world environments by designing policies that define safe model behavior. Some of our publications include:

• Safety at every step
• OpenAI GPT6 System Card
• OpenAI Model Spec

About the Role

We’re hiring a Model Policy Manager to shape model behavior for U.S. government use, with a focus on national security applications. You’ll define nuanced policies and translate them into training and evaluation criteria, helping models navigate high‑stakes scenarios while preserving their usefulness and capabilities.

This role is based in our San Francisco office. We offer relocation support to new employees, and we use a hybrid model: three days in the office per week with optional work from home on Thursdays and Fridays.

In this role, you will:

• Develop model policies that guide safe and useful behavior.
• Build evaluations, identify policy gaps and model failures, and use findings to improve policies and training.
• Work with research, engineering, and domain experts to support safe, reliable deployment.

You might thrive in this role if you:

• Bring relevant experience in AI safety, policy, or risk assessment.
• Have strong judgment and can turn complex safety questions into clear, practical policies.
• Have the technical fluency to work hands‑on with model data and evaluations.
• Are motivated by OpenAI’s mission and the responsible use of AI in safety‑critical settings.
• Have an active TS/SCI clearance or equivalent.

Security Requirements

• Active TS/SCI clearance or equivalent is preferred but not required

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 Affir… 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

$266K – $335K + 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.