Data Center Physical Security Manager

About the Team

OpenAI, in close collaboration with our capital partners, is embarking on a journey to build the world’s most advanced AI infrastructure ecosystem. The Corporate Security team is central to this mission, deploying proven and cutting-edge security technologies to protect our spaces, assets, and people. This team sits at the intersection of commercial, technical, strategy, and operations, interacting with teams and executives inside and outside of OpenAI.

About the Role

We are seeking a Data Center Lead specializing in Physical Security Management. This role is crucial for ensuring the safety and security of mission-critical data center facilities. The primary responsibility is to develop, implement, and oversee end-to-end physical security strategies and risk mitigation measures for large-scale data center campuses. In this role, you will work closely with our security teams to design robust physical security protocols and ensure compliance with industry standards. Additionally, you will collaborate with experts in networking, power, cooling, supply chain, construction, and operations to enhance the physical security measures and streamline operational logistics.

As a Data Center Physical Security Manager, you’ll play a key role in shaping OpenAI’s security landscape as we expand our data center footprint. As a member of the Corporate Security team, you will be responsible for implementing safety solutions at our data centers.

This role is open to remote employees, or relocation assistance is available to one of our OpenAI offices in San Francisco, Seattle, or New York City.

In This Role, You Will:

• Lead and manage end-to-end security infrastructure projects across multiple data center locations.

• Coordinate with construction teams, contractors, and security vendors to integrate physical and technical security measures.

• Develop and manage project timelines, budgets, and resources to ensure on-time, within-budget completion.

• Collaborate with Corporate Security team members to conduct risk assessments and develop mitigation strategies.

• Oversee the design and implementation of physical security features, including vehicle controls, physical barriers, secure doors, and mantraps.

• Ensure compliance with industry standards and best practices for data center security.

• Work with architects and engineers to incorporate security measures during the design phase.

• Manage the deployment of CCTV, access control systems, alarms, and monitoring solutions.

• Collaborate with IT and security teams to integrate physical security systems with network infrastructure.

• Oversee vendor selection, installation, and commissioning of technical security systems.

• Implement and maintain IPMS for real-time security monitoring.

• Develop and implement security operations protocols for data center sites.

• Ensure regular maintenance, testing, and upgrades of security systems.

• Train and support on-site security teams in system operations and emergency procedures.

• Serve as the primary point of contact for all physical security matters during construction and operational phases at data centers.

• Coordinate with internal teams, external partners, and vendors to align security measures with organizational goals.

• Conduct regular security audits and provide recommendations for continuous improvement.

You Might Thrive in This Role If You Have:

• A bachelor’s degree in Security Management, Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).

• 10+ years of experience in project management for data centers, construction, or high-security environments.

• Proven expertise in physical and technical security infrastructure, including CCTV, access control, alarms, and monitoring systems.

• A strong understanding of data center security standards (e.g., ISO 27001, SOC 2, TIA-942).

• Excellent organizational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects while maintaining attention to detail.

• Strong interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to handle sensitive security matters discreetly.

• The ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams, especially when coordinating security installations that impact facility infrastructure.

• A willingness to respond to urgent needs outside regular hours.

• A readiness to travel domestically and internationally as needed.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

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