Head of U.S. State Policy and Partnerships

OpenAI • San Francisco, CA

14d • Hybrid

About The Position

OpenAI is seeking a visionary, strategic, and highly accomplished leader to serve as our Head of U.S. State Policy and Partnerships. In this role, you will lead a team of public policy professionals to drive OpenAI’s policy engagements across the various states, territories, and municipalities in the United States. You will shape state and local campaigns, partnerships, and high-level government engagement to advance OpenAI’s mission while navigating complex regulatory environments. Reporting to the Head of US and Canada Policy and Partnerships, you will lead a team of seasoned advocates who are engaging with all levels of state and local government and shaping AI policy debates and outcomes. This role is based in San Francisco, CA or Washington, DC. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

Requirements

• 15+ years of experience in state government, technology policy, or a related field, including senior leadership roles.
• Established credibility and relationships with state and local leaders, including governors, mayors, and state legislators.
• Proven ability to lead high-stakes policy campaigns, shape legislation or regulation, and build partnerships across multiple states.
• Demonstrated success managing and developing high performing teams.
• Deep knowledge of state political and regulatory ecosystems, with a strong grasp of AI-related issues such as safety, privacy, competition, and infrastructure.
• Exceptional judgment, integrity, and political instincts with a proven ability to build consensus across diverse stakeholders, advance bold ideas, and deliver results in fast-moving, dynamic environments.
• Outstanding communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills with a track record of influencing senior stakeholders.
• Experience working across functions (e.g., legal, research, communications, commercial) to develop coordinated strategies and deliver results.

Nice To Haves

• Are a seasoned leader at the intersection of technology and public policy, comfortable working in dynamic, fast-paced, and rapidly evolving environments.
• Inspire and develop diverse teams, empowering colleagues to excel while maintaining accountability and high ethical standards.
• Are willing to roll up your sleeves – with humility and good nature – and do the work with teammates in a high-energy, start-up, campaign environment.
• Enjoy building coalitions and thrive both independently and as part of a high-performing, peer-led team.
• Are a strong communicator and public advocate who can translate complex technical and policy concepts into compelling narratives for diverse audiences.
• Embrace cross-functional collaboration and can unify technical, legal, commercial, and operational stakeholders around a shared mission.

Responsibilities

• Strategy & leadership: Set and execute the State and Local strategy, ensuring alignment with OpenAI’s priorities and leveraging all available campaign tools to drive good policy – while serving as part of senior leadership of U.S. and Canada Policy and Partnerships team.
• Team management: Lead and develop a high-performing team of senior policy professionals across multiple states, fostering inclusivity, growth, and integrity.
• Policy & political engagement: Cultivate direct relationships with governors, state legislators, mayors, and local leaders; anticipate and shape legislative, regulatory, and political trends; advise executives on political risk and policy positioning.
• Partnerships & campaigns: Design and execute state and regional campaigns and partnerships with governments, universities, industry, and third party groups; support key campaigns like Stargate/infrastructure.
• Cross-functional collaboration: Work closely with research, engineering, product, legal, communications, finance, and industrial compute teams to align policy strategies with technical roadmaps and business objectives.
• Representation: Represent OpenAI external events such as conferences, summits, and government meetings.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Executive
• Education Level: No Education Listed
• Number of Employees: 1,001-5,000 employees