Senior Recruiter, Government

About this Team

At OpenAI, we’re here to do something extraordinary: build safe AGI that benefits everyone. That mission demands people who are not just brilliant but also deeply aligned with our values. Our Recruiting team is the gateway—connecting exceptional humans to meaningful, high-impact work. We’re a close-knit, mission-driven crew that takes pride in thoughtful, relationship-first hiring. We partner deeply with teams across OpenAI to find, engage, and support the people who will shape the future of AI.

Our team is helping OpenAI is advance its OpenAI for Government initiative—a unified program to deliver frontier AI tools securely across U.S. and allied public sectors.

About this Role

We are looking for an experienced Recruiter specializing in Government-focused hiring to join our team. This role involves leading full-cycle recruitment efforts, from initial role definition to offer acceptance, with a focus on building strong teams to support OpenAI’s OpenAI for Government initiatives.

You will partner on searches spanning technical, policy, compliance, and go-to-market functions tied to government programs—such as ChatGPT Gov, federal agency partnerships, and global public-sector engagements. You will source and recruit candidates who hold or are eligible for U.S. government security clearances and who have experience working with systems integrators and government systems, including classified environments. Success in the role requires fluency in navigating the cleared talent landscape, strong relationships across the public sector recruiting ecosystem, and the ability to attract mission-driven professionals to cutting edge AI work that supports national security and public service. This role reports to our Go To Market Recruiting Lead.

Your Responsibilities:

• Manage full-cycle recruitment for Government-focused roles, including sourcing and hiring candidates with active U.S. security clearances, identifying talent needs, managing the recruitment process, and negotiating offers.

• Work directly with business leaders to understand departmental objectives and develop proactive hiring strategies that align with organizational goals.

• Ensure an outstanding candidate experience by representing OpenAI professionally and upholding our commitment to diversity and inclusion in all hiring practices.

• Collaborate with internal teams such as HR, Legal, and Compensation to ensure compliance and operational excellence throughout the recruitment lifecycle.

• Utilize advanced sourcing strategies and tools to attract and engage top-tier candidates, with a focus on enhancing diversity within our teams.

• Provide expert advice and support to hiring managers on best practices in interviewing, candidate evaluation, and employment branding.

We’re Seeking:

• 7+ years of full-cycle recruiting experience, particularly within in-house environments at high-growth companies.

• Proven experience sourcing and hiring candidates with active U.S. government security clearances.

• Deep understanding of the federal talent landscape and a track record recruiting for roles supporting the Department of Defense, Intelligence Community, and other federal agencies.

• Ability to identify and engage candidates with backgrounds including defense contractors, systems integrators, and government programs that involve classified systems.

• Excellent communication skills and the ability to engage effectively with diverse teams and stakeholders across cultures.

• A high level of adaptability in fast-paced, evolving environments—balancing strategic vision with hands-on execution.

• A continuous improvement mindset and the ability to evolve processes to meet global hiring needs.

• Proficiency with ATS and sourcing platforms such as Ashby, LinkedIn Recruiter, and other modern recruitment tools.

Workplace & Location

This role can be based in our San Francisco, Washington, DC or New York City office. We are also considering applications to work remotely from within the U.S. If you're remote, travel may be required, including visits to our HQ offices, based on business need.

When applying, let us know which location(s) work for you.

If you're joining us in person, we offer relocation support and follow a hybrid schedule: three days a week in the office, with the option to work from home on Thursdays and Fridays. Our offices are set up for focus and connection—with adjustable desks, phone booths, conference rooms, stocked kitchens, and cozy spots to unwind or catch up with teammates.

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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At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.