Strategic Program Manager, Critical Harm Ops - Remote

OpenAI, Inc.; Ontario (CA); Remote; USD 85,000 - 128,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI is seeking a Program Manager for Critical Harm Operations to build durable operating systems and run complex safety programs in a remote-first, Toronto-based team that may transition to in-office by year end.

You will lead cross-functional initiatives, translate constraints into workflows, coordinate with policy, legal, engineering, and product teams, and drive programs from scope to delivery with clear ownership and escalation paths.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in program management, strategy and operations, product operations, technical program management, trust and safety, support operations, risk operations, implementation, or a related field.
• Experience in cybersecurity, biosecurity, or related risk and safety operations is a plus.
• Track record of taking complex, ambiguous work from problem framing through launch and scaled operation.
• Are unusually organized, sharp, and execution-focused; you can manage many moving pieces without losing the few decisions that matter most.
• Build trust and drive alignment across teams without direct authority, while keeping ownership, accountability, and escalation paths clear.
• Are technically and analytically fluent enough to reason about data flows, dashboards, tooling gaps, automation, and failure modes—even if you are not writing production code.
• Communicate clearly with technical, operational, policy, and executive audiences, especially when tradeoffs are sensitive or evidence is incomplete.
• Operate calmly and flexibly in a fast-moving environment, learn new domains quickly, and are comfortable handling high‑severity or sensitive work.
• Experience with vendor operations, QA programs, launch readiness, workflow automation, or AI‑assisted operations.

Responsibilities

• Lead strategic operational builds across priority workflows from problem statement to implemented operating model, including scope, owners, milestones, risks, success measures, and execution cadence.
• Translate policy, safety, technical, legal, and operational constraints into workflows, requirements, playbooks, escalation paths, and decision-making structures that teams can execute.
• Coordinate with User Ops leadership, Product Policy, Integrity, Safety Systems, i2, Legal, Product, Engineering, Support, vendors, and other partners to resolve dependencies and keep critical work moving.
• Move in and out of workflows as priorities shift—standing up new programs, stabilizing operations, improving handoffs, and transitioning durable ownership to the right team.
• Use operational data and frontline signals to identify bottlenecks, quality gaps, capacity needs, ownership failures, and the highest-leverage interventions.
• Drive high-priority escalations and cross-functional decisions to closure, ensuring the right context, accountable owners, clear next steps, and durable follow-up.
• Create the mechanisms that make programs run well: roadmaps, decision logs, status updates, risk registers, operating reviews, and crisp executive communication.
• Identify where AI tools, automation, lightweight systems, or simpler workflows can improve speed, consistency, and scale while preserving appropriate human judgment.

Skills

8+ years experience

Cybersecurity background

Ambiguous problem solving

Organization & execution

Cross-functional influence

Data literacy

Clear communication

Calm under pressure

Vendor ops experience

Job description

OpenAI is seeking a Program Manager for Critical Harm Operations to build durable operating systems and run complex safety programs in a remote-first, Toronto-based team that may transition to in-office by year end.

You will lead cross-functional initiatives, translate constraints into workflows, coordinate with policy, legal, engineering, and product teams, and drive programs from scope to delivery with clear ownership and escalation paths.