Hardware Procurement Operations Lead (Controls & Integrations)

OpenAI•San Francisco, CA

About The Position

About the Team Procurement sits within Finance and partners closely with Hardware BUs and to enable rapid execution with Finance-grade visibility and audit-ready controls. The team operates as an enablement and operating-system layer across procurement operations, systems, data, and governance—working cross-functionally with Finance/Accounting, Legal, Security/TPRM, Trade, Logistics, and Enterprise Platform Technology. About the Role We are seeking a hands-on leader to co-design, build, and run the procurement operations backbone for OpenAI’s hardware programs. This is a design-and-do role: you will build the operating enablement model (systems flows, governance, processes, and RACI/DRIs) that enables product teams to move at prototyping and production speed—while ensuring Finance, Legal, Security, and Trade requirements are met and audit-ready. You will lead a small team, convene cross-functional forums to align on standard vs. BU-specific operating choices, and serve as the primary escalation point for centrally owned operational blockers. You will partner closely with Finance and Accounting to ensure direct-materials flows are visible and auditable end-to-end. This role does not own product readiness or BU execution (e.g., planning, manufacturing operations, day-to-day logistics). The role reports in Finance and is dotted-line into BU leadership.

Requirements

Experience running direct procurement operations and supply chain operations in fast-moving hardware organizations (NPI → production).
Practical experience with ERP and PLM/MRP integrations, plus asset accounting concepts (tooling/capitalization).
Strong bias for action; delivers pilots that are production-useful within 60–180 days.
Collaborative operating style; partners with BUs to co-design responsibilities while owning the operating system and delivery.
Working knowledge of trade, compliance, and supplier quality.
10+ years in procurement ops, supply chain ops, or hardware manufacturing environments with NPI and BOM experience.
Proven experience delivering ERP direct-materials configurations and at least one PLM/MRP implementation or pilot.
Experience supporting contract manufacturing and logistics motions.
Strong people leadership and track record of building/scaling enablement teams.

Responsibilities

Strategy & operating model Co-design and maintain the operating model with BU and functional leaders—defining what is standardized vs. BU-specific, clarifying central vs. embedded responsibilities, and documenting RACI/DRIs and escalation paths.
Build the operating system (policies, playbooks, tiered approval lanes, templates) so prototype speed and production-grade controls can coexist.
Define and run escalation paths, exception handling, and operating cadences to keep launches moving while maintaining compliance and audit readiness.
Delivery & execution Stand up and run the launch operational readiness (back-office) cadence for hardware programs—defining required controls, SLAs/DRIs, and cross-functional handoffs across supplier onboarding, purchasing/receiving signals, landed cost, and CapEx/asset tagging.
Operationalize supplier onboarding/vendor master controls, PO lifecycle governance, receiving/inspection signals, 3-way match readiness, and tooling/CapEx capture controls.
Ensure Finance-grade visibility via required part/PO metadata and reconciliation routines so Finance can track materials, receipts, liabilities, and supplier payments.
Define requirements and controls for logistics partner performance (with Logistics leadership), including landed-cost visibility, invoice reconciliation, and SLA measurement.
Define and ensure controls/data handoffs for finished-goods flows with manufacturing partners (e.g., title transfer, reporting cadence, data ingestion).
Run operational readiness forums and unblock paths across Procurement, Logistics, Finance/Accounting, Legal, Security/TPRM, and Trade; document DRIs and outcomes tied to launches/milestones.
Serve as primary cross-functional escalation point for centrally owned procurement-ops issues that block launches; partner with BU leads on BU-owned execution topics.
Systems & data Define requirements, workflows, and controls for hardware procurement ops; partner with Enterprise Platform Technology and BU teams to design/deliver integrations across intake, onboarding/risk, and select ERP module rollouts.
Partner with Finance Systems and Accounting to define metadata and reconciliation processes so the org can reconcile materials, spend, receipts, and payments; deliver interim controls where integrations are not yet in place.
Define/recommend/govern procurement-required BOM/AVL attributes (with BU engineering/supply chain) and maintain interim reconciliation workbooks where systems are incomplete.
Governance, risk & compliance Convene cross-functional forums with Legal, Security/TPRM, Trade, and Finance to resolve time-sensitive sourcing/compliance questions, route exceptions, and document DRIs/outcomes for audit readiness.
Maintain a direct procurement operations / supply chain enablement risk register and drive mitigations for supplier, trade, and regulatory risks.
Establish audit-ready evidence practices for key controls (supplier onboarding, approvals, receipts/3-way match, landed cost, CapEx tagging, and exceptions).
People & change Hire and lead a small enablement team (e.g., Procurement Systems Admin, 3PL/4PL, supplier onboarding readiness/RM, embedded pod leads to support BUs).
Translate execution pain points into structural fixes; champion change management through coaching, training, and pilots.
Build strong operating rhythms and partnerships with BU teams, Finance/Accounting, Legal, Security, Trade, and Enterprise Platform Technology.
Automation & continuous improvement Embed automation and AI into intake, onboarding, PO-to-fulfillment, inventory visibility, and dashboards to reduce manual work, improve cycle times, and strengthen compliance.
Define and track Procure-to-Pay operational KPIs; continuously improve workflows and controls based on data and user feedback.