Engagement and Outreach Lead, Global Affairs

As Engagement and Outreach Lead, you will help lead OpenAI’s efforts to build trusted, long-term relationships with third-party organizations, civic and community leaders, and mission-aligned networks that help ensure AI benefits everyone. This role blends strategic partnership and policy development with visible public engagement and coalition-building. You’ll represent OpenAI across education, workforce, technology policy, civic, and public-interest ecosystems – listening to diverse perspectives, co-designing programs, and translating community insight into action across our product, policy, and social impact work.

Responsibilities

Developing and leading a proactive engagement strategy that strengthens OpenAI’s relationships with a range of stakeholders, including community groups, parent organizations, workforce organizations, educators, youth programs, teen safety organizations, unions, consumer, technology policy organizations and civic innovators; Serving as a visible ambassador for OpenAI – representing the company at public forums, conferences, convenings, and in media or influencer collaborations; Building durable partnerships with third-party organizations that advance shared goals in key areas, including but not limited to, education, workforce development, AI safety, and mental health; Establishing ongoing mechanisms for feedback loops between community partners and OpenAI’s internal teams (Policy, Safety, Product, Legal, Communications, and OpenAI Academy); Designing and overseeing multi-stakeholder pilots that test AI use cases for public benefit – ensuring they are measurable, inclusive, and scalable; Leading program scoping, partner recruitment, budgets, and impact measurement; building repeatable playbooks and toolkits that enable regional replication; Collaborating closely with colleagues across OpenAI to ensure community input informs product development, safety practices, and external narratives; Coordinating with internal experts and cross-functional teams to address issues of content integrity, data governance, mental health and wellbeing, privacy, and AI resilience

Requirements

Are a seasoned leader at the intersection of technology and public policy, comfortable working in dynamic, fast-paced, and rapidly evolving environments; Inspire and develop diverse teams, empowering colleagues to excel while maintaining accountability and high ethical standards; Are willing to roll up your sleeves – with humility and good nature – and do the work with teammates in a high-energy, start-up, campaign environment; Enjoy building coalitions and thrive both independently and as part of a high-performing, peer-led team; Are a strong communicator and public advocate who can translate complex technical and policy concepts into compelling narratives for diverse audiences; Embrace cross-functional collaboration and can unify technical, legal, commercial, and operational stakeholders around a shared mission; 8–10+ years of experience in partnerships, public engagement, or external affairs with a track record of leading large-scale, high-impact initiatives; Demonstrated success cultivating and managing relationships across sectors—community, government, nonprofit, labor, or philanthropic; Excellent public speaking, facilitation, and media engagement skills; Strategic thinker and builder who can design programs, lead teams, and execute with discipline; Strong organizational and project management skills; comfort navigating complex, fast-moving environments; Active listener with cultural fluency and empathy; able to earn trust across diverse audiences; Willingness to travel frequently to build relationships and oversee on-the-ground programs; Experience representing an organization publicly—media, conferences, or thought-leadership platforms; Background working with unions, workforce programs, education institutions, or mental health initiatives; Familiarity with community-centered design, participatory research, and program evaluation