Program Manager, Foundations Data and Operations

Slope; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 162,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI is looking for a Program Manager to lead the data acquisition efforts crucial for advancing AI research at our San Francisco location. The ideal candidate will have over 8 years of experience in operations, strategy, or consulting, and possess the ability to engage with senior stakeholders.

This role involves establishing metrics for data quality and managing partnerships while driving strategic initiatives. A competitive compensation range of $162K - $240K is offered.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in operations, strategy, venture capital, or consulting.
• Experience engaging with executives and influencing decisions.
• Strong analytical skills for data-driven decision-making.

Responsibilities

• Lead programs to acquire training data aligned with research roadmaps.
• Translate requirements into technical documentation and operational plans.
• Manage vendor and partner engagements for data sourcing.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical skills

Job description

About the Team

The Foundations Data and Operations team is responsible for acquiring the data OpenAI needs to build frontier AI models. We run high-impact data acquisition programs, such as our web crawler and our data partnerships, and work closely with research to build the training datasets for our models. Our work advances the intelligence of our models and teaches them new skills that hundreds of millions of people benefit from every day.

About the Role

We are hiring a Program Manager to join our team. In this role, you will lead programs to acquire training data to advance our research roadmap. You will work with researchers to define requirements, design and manage acquisition workflows, and establish processes to execute them at scale.

This role requires a blend of strategic thinking and hands‑on execution. The ideal candidate can navigate ambiguity, break down complex problems, manage cross‑functional stakeholders, and drive alignment across technical and business teams. This role may require living close to some physical operations across the US and some hybrid travel to San Francisco.

In this role, you will:

• Work closely with research to understand data needs and define acquisition priorities and timeline that are aligned with our research roadmap.
• Translate research objectives into clear technical requirements and operational plans, ensuring data workflows, timelines, and quality standards are executed to the highest quality standards.
• Lead vendor and partner engagements for data sourcing - including evaluating suppliers, negotiating agreements, and managing delivery.
• Establish and maintain metrics for data quality, throughput, efficiency, and overall program performance, ensuring visibility to leadership and cross‑functional partners.
• Identify gaps in our data ecosystem and proactively drive initiatives to strengthen our data acquisition and creation capabilities over time.

You might thrive in this role if you:

• Have 8+ years of experience in operations, strategy, venture capital, private equity, or consulting, with at least 5 years operating within a company. We will also consider high‑trajectory candidates with fewer years of experience but at top companies with a clear track record of excellence.
• Have experience taking end-to-end ownership of large, ambiguous problems, and breaking them down into clear, actionable plans.
• Have direct experience engaging with executives and senior leaders to influence and drive strategic decisions.
• Excel under pressure, bringing a high motor and exceptional adaptability and flexibility in a fast‑paced, dynamic environment.
• Are highly analytical - sophisticated in your understanding and approach to analyses; ability to ask and answer the most important questions, and present results clearly to leaders to influence decision making.
• Are comfortable operating at all altitudes - discussing strategy and vision with executives, and troubleshooting operations with individual contributors and external partners.
• Have excellent communication and cross‑functional collaboration skills.
• Are passionate about technology and artificial intelligence, and interested in its impact on business and society.

Compensation Range: $162K - $240K

Equal Opportunity Statement

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.