Senior Counsel, Commercial (Health and Life Sciences)

OpenAI•San Francisco, CA

2d•$330,000 - $366,000•Hybrid

About The Position

OpenAI is seeking an experienced attorney to join its commercial legal team and help lead legal support for the company’s rapidly growing business, with a focus on life sciences. Based in the United States, the role partners with teams including Go-to-Market, Partnerships, Procurement, Finance, Product, Infrastructure, and Engineering. The attorney will negotiate high-impact agreements and help build scalable frameworks for responsible growth. The position is based in San Francisco, California, with a hybrid schedule of three days in the office per week. Remote candidates will also be considered, and relocation assistance is offered to new employees.

Requirements

10 or more years of relevant legal experience, including substantial responsibility for drafting and negotiating complex commercial agreements.
Experience with life sciences transactions.
Familiarity with HIPAA and transactions involving health data.
Ability to translate legal and commercial complexity into clear, actionable advice for business stakeholders and senior leaders.
Sound judgment, ownership, and ability to move matters forward when facts are incomplete or circumstances change.
Ability to build trust across functions, communicate a principled position, and work constructively toward a solution.
Interest in improving processes and creating practical tools that help a growing team scale.
Curiosity about technology and motivation to learn about AI and its commercial implications.

Responsibilities

Serve as the legal partner for business transactions, partnerships, and operations, with a focus on life sciences.
Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice to Go-to-Market, Partnerships, and Research teams.
Draft, structure, and negotiate complex commercial agreements with enterprise customers, vendors, and strategic partners, including life sciences transactions.
Identify and coordinate issues involving intellectual property, privacy, security, regulatory requirements, and product use with relevant specialist teams.
Lead negotiations, manage multiple stakeholders, and escalate consequential issues with clear options and recommendations.
Develop and improve templates, playbooks, processes, and training to make routine contracting more efficient and consistent.
Monitor and advise on regulatory and compliance matters affecting AI and technology in life sciences.
Collaborate with colleagues across OpenAI’s global legal team to ensure alignment across jurisdictions.