Counsel, Employment

About the Role

We are seeking an employment lawyer to help build the legal foundations for OpenAI's next stage of growth. Working closely with our employment counsel team and colleagues across the company, you will shape practical approaches to challenging employment issues in a fast-growing AI company. This is a hands-on role for a thoughtful lawyer who enjoys variety, moves quickly, and wants to help build a strong employment legal function as the business scales.

You will collaborate with experienced employment counsel on US and international employment issues, the employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions, and emerging questions about AI in the workplace. A central part of your work will be turning lessons from individual matters into practical policies, guidance, and approaches that work at scale. You will also own stakeholder relationships and manage counseling matters, exercising sound judgment and taking responsibility for outcomes. You will join a bright, collaborative team that values initiative and shared learning, with opportunities to learn from senior colleagues, deepen your expertise, and take on increasingly complex matters over time.

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:

• Help shape OpenAI's employment legal approach as the company scales, developing practical policies, playbooks, and processes that address recurring issues and support sound, timely decisions.
• Collaborate with senior employment counsel and cross-functional partners on a broad range of US employment matters, including recruiting and hiring, performance management, employee conduct, leaves of absence, accommodations, and separations.
• Own designated stakeholder relationships and counseling matters, providing clear, practical advice and working independently while drawing on the team's experience and judgment as appropriate.
• Advise on international employment matters and support the employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions, including diligence and workforce integration, collaborating with local and specialist counsel as appropriate.
• Partner on strategic projects and emerging legal questions, including the use of AI in employment and workplace practices.
• Translate legal developments and lessons from your work into useful guidance, training, brown bags, and office hours for stakeholders across the company.
• Manage employment disputes, administrative charges, and related matters in collaboration with colleagues and outside counsel, as appropriate.
• Draft and negotiate employment documents and agreements, and identify practical ways to strengthen how the company handles employment matters as it grows.

You might thrive in this role if you:

• Have 7+ years of relevant employment law experience at a law firm, an in-house legal team, or a combination of both, with a record of excellent work and increasing responsibility.
• Have strong knowledge of US employment law, including California law, and sound judgment in advising on a broad range of workplace matters.
• Analyze unfamiliar issues quickly and translate complex legal requirements into clear, practical recommendations that account for business needs and employee experience.
• Enjoy building in a fast-growth environment: spotting gaps, developing practical solutions, and seeing them through to implementation.
• Bring initiative, a strong work ethic, and consistent follow-through; manage competing priorities and deliver high-quality work at a fast pace.
• Take ownership of your work, welcome feedback, and value the opportunity to learn from experienced colleagues; exercise sound judgment about when to act independently, collaborate, or escalate.
• Build trusted relationships through clear communication, discretion, and empathy, and contribute to a collaborative team that shares knowledge and supports one another.
• Are curious about technology, comfortable with ambiguity, and motivated by OpenAI's mission.
• Have a JD and are licensed or qualified to practice in California.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience advising on international employment matters and the employment aspects of mergers and acquisitions.
• Experience providing AI-specific employment law advice, including advising on AI enablement, automation, and employee privacy in workplace or product contexts.