Program Officer, Catalytic Deployment

OpenAI Foundation • San Francisco, CA

13d • $220,000 - $300,000 • Hybrid

About The Position

The Program Officer is a key role on the Catalytic Deployments team that combines philanthropic investment, strategy, institution-building, and operations. Program Officers support the strategy and execution of major areas of the Catalytic Deployments portfolio, working closely with the Head of Catalytic Deployments to set overall team priorities. As part of this work, Program Officers will support the development of large philanthropic investments, from grants to ambitious multi-year initiatives, and potentially new institutions. Ideal Program Officers have experience in at least one social sector domain, such as public health, education, poverty alleviation, and economic mobility. This role requires strong judgment, high ownership, and the ability to operate with meaningful autonomy. This role reports to the Head of Catalytic Deployments, Civil Society and Philanthropy. This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We currently use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week. Some travel to the U.S. and to other countries will be required.

Requirements

• 5+ years of leadership experience in nonprofits, philanthropy, or government
• Subject matter expertise in at least one social sector domain, such as public health, education, poverty alleviation, and economic mobility
• Ability to reason clearly about AI capabilities, implementation constraints, organizational readiness and the risks of deploying AI systems in civil society contexts.
• Demonstrated ability to evaluate technical or organizational opportunities and make strong recommendations
• Comfort operating in a fast-moving environment where priorities may evolve over time
• Experience engaging credibly with external experts, institutions, and senior stakeholders
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information clearly and persuasively
• Strong strategic judgment combined with a bias toward execution
• High degree of ownership, discretion, and accountability
• Deep motivation to accelerate AI’s impact in civil society and contribute to the Foundation’s mission

Nice To Haves

• Direct experience deploying or scaling AI-enabled approaches in at least one social-sector domain.
• Demonstrated out-of-the-box and original thinking about AI-for-good.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to the strategy, prioritization, and the Foundation’s approach to Catalytic Deployments; over time, own specific areas within Catalytic Deployments
• Source, evaluate, and recommend grants and other funding opportunities. Conduct diligence on organizations, projects, and leaders, including execution capability and potential for scaling the benefit of AI-enabled approaches
• Support a growing portfolio of grants, ensuring strong judgment, clear prioritization, and high-quality follow-through
• Engage deeply with the external ecosystem, including researchers, nonprofits, academic centers, public-interest organizations, data platforms, funders, and other potential grantee organizations
• Identify gaps in the current ecosystem and develop ideas for how the Foundation can support new efforts, partnerships, or field-building initiatives
• Develop and launch new initiatives from zero-to-one, including helping shape concepts, convene stakeholders, and stand up new efforts where needed
• Represent the Foundation in external conversations, helping to build credibility, source opportunities, and strengthen the broader field
• Write clear internal recommendations and strategy memos to support decision-making

Benefits

• The annual base salary range for this role is $220,000 to $300,000 USD.
• This range reflects our good-faith estimate of the base salary we reasonably expect to pay for this position upon hire. Actual base salary will be determined based on job-related factors, including the candidate’s relevant experience, skills, expertise, the scope of the role, and work location, as applicable.
• This salary range does not include benefits or any other compensation for which the role may be eligible.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed