Program Officer, High-Burden Diseases

OpenAI Foundation•San Francisco, CA

48d•$220,000 - $330,000•Hybrid

About The Position

The OpenAI Foundation is establishing its life sciences program to accelerate progress in curing diseases and enhancing human health. The program will initially concentrate on AI for Alzheimer's, Public Data for Health, and High-Burden Diseases. The foundation aims to invest at least $1 billion over the next year across life sciences and curing diseases, jobs and economic impact, AI resilience, and community programs. This role is a founding position within the Life Sciences and Curing Diseases program, focusing on High-Burden Diseases, defined as those causing over 500,000 deaths and/or 25 million DALYs annually, and facing market failures leading to underinvestment in R&D. The role involves investing in AI and data applications to advance R&D for preventing and treating these diseases globally. It's a generalist role requiring flexibility and judgment to work across scientific, strategic, and grantmaking areas, sourcing and evaluating opportunities, engaging with external organizations, supporting strategy development, and deploying resources. The ideal candidate is flexible, thoughtful, strategic, and action-oriented, comfortable switching between topics, engaging with experts, and translating the mission into actionable recommendations. The position is based in San Francisco, CA (strongly preferred) with a hybrid work model (3 days in office) and requires some travel.

Requirements

7-10+ years experience strongly preferred, although earlier-career candidates with a track record of truly exceptional ability and accomplishment will be considered
Relevant experience in areas such as biology, chemistry, translational medicine, drug development, clinical practice, global health, biotechnology, venture or grant investing in life sciences, or related fields
Ability to engage credibly across a range of scientific and strategic topics, even when not operating as the deepest domain specialist in each one
Demonstrated ability to evaluate scientific, technical, or organizational opportunities and make strong recommendations
Experience engaging credibly with external experts, institutions, and other stakeholders
Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to synthesize complex information clearly and persuasively
Strong judgment, follow-through, and comfort operating with meaningful autonomy
Ability to work effectively in a highly ambiguous, evolving environment
High degree of ownership, discretion, and accountability
Deep motivation to help accelerate progress in life sciences and contribute to the Foundation’s mission

Nice To Haves

Excited to help build a new focus area from the ground up
Highly flexible and comfortable operating in a fast-moving environment where priorities may evolve over time
Can take a broad, ambiguous problem and turn it into a clear strategy, strong relationships, and concrete action
Have strong judgment about people, organizations, and scientific opportunities
Energized by meeting with external partners, asking sharp questions, and forming an independent view
Have a global mindset and understanding of lower and middle income country (LMIC) contexts and realities
Curious and excited to explore the uses of AI in R&D and health interventions to accelerate and open up new intervention space in disease diagnosis, prevention and treatment
Can balance strategic thinking with practical execution and detail-oriented follow-through
Comfortable making recommendations in areas where there is uncertainty and incomplete information
Have the maturity and adaptability to work closely with leadership while also operating with substantial autonomy
Would be excited to work as a cross-cutting generalist
Care deeply about the Foundation’s mission and the opportunity to build public goods that support long-term progress in health and science

Responsibilities

Help source, evaluate, and recommend grants and other funding opportunities across multiple domains within the High-Burden Diseases program
Support research of new disease or technology areas and determine where the Foundation should focus and develop investment theses under which we will source and develop grants and funding opportunities
Conduct diligence on organizations, projects, and leaders, including assessing scientific value, execution capability, data quality, and potential for real-world impact
Help design and manage a growing portfolio of grants, ensuring strong judgment, clear prioritization, and high-quality follow-through
Work closely with the Head of High-Burden Diseases to shape strategy, prioritize opportunities, and refine the Foundation’s approach over time
Engage deeply with the external ecosystem, including researchers, nonprofits, academic centers, public-interest organizations, data platforms, funders, and other potential grantee organizations
Build and maintain strong relationships with leaders across biology, medicine, public health, data infrastructure, open science, and AI-enabled research
Identify gaps in the current ecosystem and develop ideas for how the Foundation can support new efforts, partnerships, or field-building initiatives
Support the creation of new initiatives from zero-to-one, including helping shape concepts, convene stakeholders, and stand up new efforts where needed
Write clear internal recommendations and strategy memos to support decision-making
Represent the Foundation in external conversations, helping to build credibility, source opportunities, and strengthen the broader field