Senior Employee Relations Partner

OpenAI•San Francisco, CA

8d•$234,000 - $260,000•Hybrid

About The Position

We’re looking for a Senior Employee Relations Partner to focus on the non-investigative side of ER work, supporting high-trust, high-impact people matters. This includes conflict resolution, high-risk performance management, sensitive employee exits, and navigating workplace dynamics that require thoughtful, strategic support even when they don’t involve formal investigations. This role will report to the senior manager of the team. We're looking for someone who brings creativity, flexibility, and a deeply human-centered approach to solving people challenges. You’re energized by complexity and nuance, and instinctively seek out tailored, thoughtful solutions rather than one-size-fits-all answers. You don’t just apply rules; you understand context, think strategically, and help leaders make principled decisions that reflect our values and evolving culture. This role is a fit for someone who adapts quickly, thrives in uncertainty, and focuses on what’s possible, not just what’s standard. This work requires exceptional interpersonal skills and the ability to connect across all levels, build trust quickly, and guide leaders with clarity and confidence. You should be comfortable in a high-growth, fast-changing environment, making sound decisions with imperfect information. You bring expertise in navigating high-tension, highly escalated employee situations, and remain calm, clear-headed, and grounded under pressure. You’ll approach your work with urgency, empathy, and strong judgment, serving as a collaborative partner and steady presence in nuanced people moments. Your impact will help reinforce a culture of clarity, accountability, and psychological safety, and support leaders and teams in doing their best work through times of growth and complexity. This role will report to the senior manager of the team and will collaborate closely with cross-functional partners across the People Team.

Requirements

A Bachelor’s degree with 10+ years of experience in employee relations or other People roles, ideally in high-growth, fast-paced, and highly dynamic environments.
A non-conventional mindset. You bring creative, outside-the-box thinking to complex people issues, and you’re not bound by the way things have always been done. You know when structure helps, and when a bespoke approach is the better path.
Proven experience managing high-tension, highly escalated employee situations with discretion, empathy, and calm under pressure. You know how to de-escalate effectively, build trust in difficult moments, and support people through emotionally charged or high-stakes scenarios.
A proven track record of handling complex matters with a steady, thoughtful, and pragmatic approach.
Exceptional interpersonal and relationship-building skills—you build trust quickly, communicate with warmth and clarity, and can connect with employees, managers, and senior leaders alike.
Demonstrated ability to design and implement scalable solutions—not only manage individual cases—including frameworks, tools, operating practices, or programs that improved how an organization handled recurring people challenges.
Experience and passion adopting or championing new technology, including AI-enabled tools, to improve team workflows. You approach AI adoption thoughtfully, with attention to confidentiality, accuracy, safeguards, and human judgment.
Strong executive presence and the ability to earn credibility with senior leaders and executives. You communicate a clear point of view, support it with sound reasoning, and remain open and adaptable when challenged.
A track record of operating effectively when policy, precedent, ownership, or the path forward is unclear. You can create structure from ambiguity and make progress without waiting for perfect information.
A low-ego, high-ownership mindset. You’re equally comfortable advising executives and rolling up your sleeves to fine-tune a template, fix a process, or support an employee through a difficult moment.
Strong instincts for people and culture, with the ability to read situations, understand organizational dynamics, and offer grounded, empathetic guidance.
Excellent verbal and written communication skills, especially when navigating sensitive or high-stakes conversations.
Comfort operating in ambiguity and rapid change, with the ability to move quickly and decisively while staying aligned with OpenAI’s mission and values.
A commitment to fairness, discretion, and principled decision-making. You’re thoughtful, balanced, and clear-eyed, even under pressure.

Nice To Haves

Experience in tech, research, or mission-driven orgs is a plus.

Responsibilities

Advise and guide managers, HRBPs, and cross-functional partners through complex or high-risk employee situations, including performance management, conflict resolution, reorganizations, and difficult conversations. You’ll bring emotional intelligence and principled thinking to every interaction.
Help shape the responsible adoption of AI-enabled tools within ER, identifying opportunities to improve workflows, knowledge sharing, and service delivery while maintaining confidentiality, appropriate safeguards, and meaningful human review.
Help build scalable tools and frameworks that strengthen ER support across the company and reduce over-reliance on formal processes or investigations.
Translate recurring ER challenges into scalable tools, guidance, operating practices, and manager resources without creating unnecessary process or bureaucracy.
Act as a sounding board and escalation partner for workplace culture concerns, manager-employee dynamics, and early signals of broader people issues.
Collaborate cross-functionally with HRBPs, Legal, cross-functional partners, and leadership to ensure alignment on people decisions, organizational changes, and policy implementation.
Navigate ambiguity with a proactive, calm, creative, and solutions-oriented mindset, helping to clarify issues and move toward resolution in a dynamic, evolving environment.
Use data and insight to identify trends and advise on systemic solutions that promote trust, engagement, and long-term cultural health.