Head of Industrial Security

About the Team

The Corporate Security team is responsible for the security and protection of all OpenAI employees and executives. We are committed to creating and maintaining a secure environment that allows our team members to focus on their work without fear of harm or disruption.

About the Role

OpenAI is seeking a Head of Industrial Security to develop, lead, and scale a world-class industrial security program across multiple locations, including San Francisco, Washington DC, and New York. In this role, you will be responsible for building and managing secure facilities (SCIFs), overseeing personnel clearance programs, and ensuring strict compliance with U.S. government regulations. You will collaborate closely with government partners, contractors, and internal teams to safeguard sensitive projects and R&D initiatives.

This role is ideal for someone who combines deep expertise in US Government industrial security programs with hands-on program execution and leadership experience.

In this role, you will:

• Strategic Leadership & Program Development

  • Architect and execute OpenAI’s industrial security strategy, partnering closely with GRC, facilities, and leadership to ensure compliance with NISPOM, ICD 705, DoD/IC regulations, and other federal requirements to enable rapid execution on OpenAI for Government’s strategic programs.

  • Establish multi-year security roadmaps to support OpenAI Public Sector projects, accredited facilities, and sensitive R&D initiatives, balancing the agile nature of our business with the timelines and requirements associated with US Government contracts.

  • Oversee multi-site industrial security programs, including San Francisco, Washington DC, and New York operations as well as supporting foreign government imposed security requirements as needed.

  • Oversee program budgets, vendor relationships, and staffing to ensure scalable operations across multiple sites.
    

  SCIF & Secure Infrastructure Oversight

  • Direct the design, accreditation, and operational management of multiple SCIFs and controlled areas as needed to support our partnerships with the US Government.

  • Lead construction and accreditation efforts in partnership with government agencies, design engineers, and contractors.

  • Ensure facilities meet and exceed ICD 705 and TEMPEST standards, with ongoing audits and readiness checks.
    

  Personnel Security Programs

  • Lead all aspects of personnel security clearance (PCL) management, working directly with DCSA and other agencies to ensure compliance.

  • Implement insider threat and continuous evaluation programs for cleared employees.

  • Manage secure onboarding, foreign travel approvals, and clearance renewals for sensitive projects.
    

  Government Liaison & Compliance

  • Act as the primary liaison with Government security representatives, ensuring smooth communication and compliance.

  • Partner with OpenAI for Government and Legal teams on security-related contract preparation, submissions, and compliance tracking.

  • Lead all federal inspections, audits, and incident investigations, maintaining a best-in-class compliance record.

  • Serve as a liaison to the U.S. government to ensure timely awareness of potential threats and secure information flow to relevant internal teams.

  • Manage sensitive material control, secured communications, and reporting requirements.
    

  Risk & Training Programs

  • Conduct risk assessments of relevant operations and drive mitigation initiatives.

  • Develop advanced security training.

You may be a fit for this role if you have:

• 10+ years of experience in industrial security, with significant experience leading SCIF operations or multi-site programs.

• Active TS/SCI security clearance (Full Scope Polygraph strongly preferred).

• Expert knowledge of NISPOM, ICD 705, DoD 5220.22-M, DFARS, and intelligence community security standards.

• Proven experience building and accrediting multiple SCIFs or classified facilities from the ground up.

• Experience as an FSO, CSSO, or CPSO, including oversight of cleared personnel and classified contracts.

• Exceptional communication skills and executive presence, with experience briefing leadership and government officials.

You may thrive in this role if you have:

• A background in AI, R&D, or high-tech environments.

• Advanced certifications such as ISP®, CPP®, or SPeD.

• A Bachelor’s degree in Security Management, Criminal Justice, or related field (Master’s preferred).

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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