Research Lead, Policy Communications

We Love AI Jobs; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 347,000 - 385,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Relocation assistance

Job summary

OpenAI is seeking a Senior Research Lead, Policy Communications, to design and oversee a mixed-methods research program on how people engage with AI policy issues. You will translate findings into actionable guidance for Policy, Communications, Product, and other partners, influencing strategic decisions across teams.

Based in San Francisco or remote, the role follows a hybrid model with three days in the office per week and relocation assistance for new hires.

Qualifications

• Extensive experience leading public-opinion, policy, or behavioral research.
• Strong expertise in survey design, sampling, and weighting.
• Proven ability to translate research findings into practical policy and product guidance.

Responsibilities

• Build and manage a rigorous mixed-methods research program from questions through analysis and reporting.
• Lead survey, longitudinal, interviews, and focus-group research on AI policy communications.
• Translate findings into actionable recommendations for Policy, Communications, Product, Marketing, and Legal.
• Establish durable research practices, benchmarks, and reusable tools.

Skills

Mixed-methods research

Survey methods

Questionnaire design

Sampling and weighting

Statistical analysis

Qualitative interviews

Focus groups

Longitudinal research

Job description

This role leads mixed-methods research on how people understand and engage with complex AI policy issues. You will develop quantitative and qualitative studies, then turn the evidence into practical recommendations for policy, communications, product, and other teams.* Permanent* Hybrid* Senior### Skills and expertiseMixed-methods researchSurvey methodsQuestionnaire designSampling and weightingStatistical analysisQualitative interviewsFocus groupsLongitudinal research### Key responsibilities* Build and manage research programs from study design through fieldwork, analysis, and reporting.* Lead survey, longitudinal, interview, and focus-group research on policy communications.* Translate findings into practical recommendations for policy, communications, product, and other partners.## How this job comparesCompared with 11 open lead research jobs on October 10, 2026.Pay: This job pays $347K to $385K a year. The 5 open lead research jobs that publish US pay start at $282K on average, so this job starts about 23% higher.Similar open jobs: We Love AI Jobs lists 11 open lead research jobs at 9 companies.Remote work: This job is hybrid. 2 of the 11 lead research jobs (18%) are remote.AI in this role: Medium. The role uses AI tools and works with AI systems as a regular part of the job. The research program focuses on how people engage with AI policy issues and informs communications and product decisions. The posting does not describe hands-on model development or use of specific AI tools.## Full descriptionAbout the TeamThe Product Policy team develops and implements policies that shape how OpenAI’s technology is built and used. We work with teams across the company to turn complex questions about AI’s benefits and risks into practical guidance for responsible research, product development, and deployment.About the RoleAs Research Lead, Policy Communications, you will build and lead a rigorous research program that helps OpenAI understand how people engage with complex AI policy issues. You will design qualitative and quantitative studies, develop durable research practices, and translate findings into clear recommendations for Policy, Communications, Product, and other partners. Your work will help teams communicate complex topics accurately, responsibly, and in ways that are useful to a broad range of audiences.This role can be based in San Francisco or Remote. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.You’ll be responsible for:• Build and manage a mixed-methods research program from initial questions through study design, fieldwork, analysis, reporting, and documentation. Establish high standards for quality, consistency, and responsible research practice.• Design rigorous quantitative research, including surveys and longitudinal studies. Oversee questionnaire design, sampling, weighting, vendor quality, analysis, and clear communication of uncertainty and limitations.• Lead qualitative research, including interviews and focus groups, to understand how people interpret complex policy topics. Use these insights to improve the clarity, accuracy, and usefulness of policy communications.• Turn findings into executive-ready reports with practical recommendations for Policy, Communications, Product, Marketing, Data Science, Legal, Privacy, and other partners. Build reusable research tools, benchmarks, and knowledge that strengthen decision-making over time.We’re looking for someone with:• We’re looking for a senior mixed-methods research leader who combines deep quantitative and qualitative expertise with strong strategic judgment. You should be able to independently turn an ambiguous policy communications question into a rigorous well-scoped research plan, a clear interpretation of the evidence, and practical recommendations that teams can use.• You might thrive in this role if you:• Bring substantial experience leading public-opinion, communications, policy, market, or behavioral research in a complex or fast-moving environment.• Have deep survey-methods expertise, including questionnaire design, sampling, weighting, panel and vendor quality, experimentation, statistical analysis, longitudinal research, and clear treatment of uncertainty.• Design and conduct or oversee strong qualitative research, including recruitment, interviewing or moderation, synthesis, and integration with quantitative findings.• Have experience designing research across varied populations and judging whether a sample can support the conclusions being drawn.• Translate research into clear communications, policy, and product recommendations, and influence senior cross-functional partners when evidence challenges a preferred direction.• Communicate complex methods and findings clearly; manage research vendors, budgets, timelines, privacy, and research ethics; and build durable systems that let organizational learning compound.About OpenAIOpenAI 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 Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.