OpenAI· Research Program Management· San Francisco
Program Manager, Alignment
Comp$162K – $240K
Classified Tasks (19)
Automate 0%Augment 68%Human-Only 32%
Augment (13)
AI assists, human decides
2. Translate fuzzy goals into clear project plans with milestones, owners, decision points, and operating rhythms.
operational
3. Write crisp project plans and decision-ready documents that clarify scope, risks, and next steps.
communication
5. Create and maintain project trackers, decision memos, operating processes, review loops, and recurring coordination forums to scale alignment work.
operational
6. Synthesize technical and organizational context into concise written artifacts to enable rapid leader and researcher decision-making.
analytical
7. Map the alignment and AI safety community to identify who is working on what, stakeholder priorities, where OpenAI can help, and which collaborations to pursue.
analytical
8. Run internal and external programs, including organizing events, managing fellowships, overseeing publishing workflows, coordinating community programs, facilitating research collaborations, and administering governance processes.
operational
9. Schedule meetings, prepare agendas, and manage logistics for cross-functional coordination.
administrative
10. Draft initial memos, reports, and other written materials to advance projects and decisions.
communication
11. Maintain and clean up project trackers and ensure documentation and status information are current.
administrative
12. Follow up on action items and loose ends to ensure tasks proceed to completion.
operational
14. Design, implement, and iterate operational processes and workflows end-to-end.
operational
15. Help unblock researchers by identifying impediments, coordinating resources, and escalating issues as needed.
operational
17. Track owners and assign responsibilities to ensure accountability for milestones and deliverables.
operational
Human-Only (6)
Requires human judgment
1. Own 2–4 ambiguous alignment special projects simultaneously and manage them from problem definition through execution and follow-through.
leadership
4. Drive practical execution across research, engineering, policy, product, legal, communications, recruiting, and external collaborators.
leadership
13. Chase decisions and coordinate stakeholders to obtain timely approvals and direction.
communication
16. Pick up and execute operational tasks without an assigned owner to maintain project momentum.
operational
18. Organize and facilitate recurring coordination forums and review meetings to maintain alignment and progress.
communication
19. Execute both highly visible strategic projects and smaller practical operational initiatives as required.
leadership
Job description
Program Manager, Alignment | OpenAI Careers ## Program Manager, Alignment Research Program Management - San Francisco Apply now(opens in a new window) # **Research Program Manager, Alignment** ## **About the Team** OpenAI’s Alignment team works to ensure that increasingly capable AI systems reliably follow human intent, avoid catastrophic behavior, and remain controllable, auditable, and safe as capabilities scale. The team is fast-moving: priorities change as evidence, risks, and organizational needs change. We need people who can help execute important alignment and safety priorities that don’t otherwise have an owner. ## **About the Role** We are looking for a Research Program Manager for the Alignment team. You should expect to move between big, ambiguous questions and very concrete execution: writing a crisp project plan, tracking owners, chasing a decision, running a process, organizing a meeting, helping unblock a researcher, or picking up the operational work nobody else has time to do. OpenAI is a continuously evolving place, and this role will evolve with it. Some projects will be highly visible and strategic; others will be small, practical, or unglamorous. The common thread is doing whatever needs to be done in service of alignment/safety at OpenAI. If you want a role where no work is below you but where scope can expand quickly, and where good judgment and follow-through matter as much as title or function, this may be a strong fit. This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees. **In this role, you will:** * Own 2-4 ambiguous alignment special projects at a time, from problem definition through execution and follow-through. * Turn fuzzy goals into clear plans, milestones, owners, decision points, and operating rhythms. * Drive practical execution across research, engineering, policy, product, legal, communications, recruiting, and external collaborators as needed. * Create and maintain lightweight systems that help alignment work scale, such as project trackers, decision memos, operating processes, review loops, and recurring coordination forums. * Synthesize technical and organizational context into clear written artifacts that help leaders and researchers make decisions quickly. * Map the alignment and AI safety community: understand who is working on what, what people care about, where OpenAI can help, and which collaborations are worth pursuing. * Run internal or external programs when they matter for alignment, including events, fellowships, publishing workflows, community programs, research collaborations, and governance processes. * Do the small work that makes the big work possible: schedule the meeting, write the first draft, clean up the tracker, follow up on the loose end, and make sure the thing actually ships. **You might thrive in this role if you:** * Have 4+ years of experience in research program management, technical program management, operations, chief-of-staff work, partnerships, recruiting, or related roles in fast-moving environments. * Can take a loosely scoped problem, figure out what matters, decide what needs to happen next, and drive it without waiting for detailed instructions. * Are low-ego and execution-oriented: you are equally willing to shape a strategy, write the memo, run the meeting, and handle the logistics. * Write clearly and concisely, especially when translating messy technical or organizational context into decision-ready documents. * Can build trust with researchers and technical teams while also keeping work moving across operational and cross-functional partners. * Are comfortable with ambiguity, confidentiality, changing priorities, and holding several workstreams in your head at once. * Have familiarity with the AI safety or alignment ecosystem, or can get up to speed quickly enough to know who to talk to an