Human Rights & Responsible Deployment Lead (National Security)

OpenAI•Washington, DC

About The Position

OpenAI is seeking a Human Rights & Responsible Deployment Lead for National Security to ensure its technologies are deployed responsibly, respecting human rights, particularly in sensitive national security environments. This role is central to high-stakes decision-making, translating human rights principles into operational frameworks for evaluating, approving, and monitoring AI use. The position involves close collaboration with internal teams (Government, Global Affairs, research, policy, product) and extensive engagement with external stakeholders like human rights organizations, policymakers, and expert communities.

Requirements

10+ years of experience in human rights, national security, conflict, or related policy fields.
Deep expertise in human rights standards and their application in complex, real-world operational contexts.
Demonstrated ability to build or influence governance frameworks and decision-making processes.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to engage effectively across technical, policy, and external stakeholder groups.
Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous, high-stakes environments.
Commitment to OpenAI’s mission of ensuring AI benefits all of humanity.

Nice To Haves

Experience working with or within government, military, intelligence, or international institutions.
Experience engaging directly with defense, intelligence, or security sector actors on human rights or civilian protection issues.
Experience bridging perspectives between governments and civil society organizations.
Familiarity with emerging AI technologies and their potential risks and benefits.

Responsibilities

Operationalize OpenAI for Government’s role in policy and governance for evaluating high-risk national security use cases (defense, intelligence).
Develop clear criteria and frameworks to guide decision-making for AI use cases.
Partner with internal teams to assess risks of proposed deployments and identify mitigation strategies.
Support leadership in making informed decisions balancing mission impact, safety, and human rights.
Collaborate with research and product teams to integrate human rights into model design, evaluation, and deployment.
Identify and characterize patterns of human rights risk beyond traditional areas like surveillance and privacy.
Support the development of systems and safeguards for models to recognize and respond to high-risk or rights-sensitive use cases.
Contribute to exploring how AI can reduce harm, including applications improving civilian protection in conflict.
Expand red teaming efforts to include robust human rights expertise.
Convene external experts on topics like armed conflict, civilian protection, transnational repression, and vulnerable populations.
Use expert inputs to stress test model capabilities and real-world deployment scenarios.
Build and maintain relationships with human rights organizations, multilateral institutions, and expert communities.
Represent OpenAI in external engagements on human rights and responsible AI deployment.
Facilitate dialogue with stakeholders to understand concerns and incorporate insights.
Serve as a resource to leadership and cross-functional teams on human rights in high-stakes contexts.
Support the development of internal materials, training, and guidance on human rights issues.
Provide input on external communications, publications, and policy positions.
Help establish frameworks for monitoring real-world human rights impacts of deployed systems.
Collaborate with teams to respond to and investigate incidents or concerns.
Ensure lessons learned are incorporated into future governance, product, and policy decisions.