Active TS/SCI security clearance Full Scope Polygraph
Expert knowledge of 32 CFR Part 117 and Intelligence Community Directives
Experience as an FSO, CSSO, or CPSO with DoD, IC, and SAP customers
Exceptional communication skills with experience briefing leadership and government officials.
Responsibilities
Support tactical operations of industrial security program ensuring compliance with federal regulations
Develop multi-year security roadmaps for Public Sector projects and sensitive R&D initiatives
Manage classified facilities documentation and SOPs
Participate in construction and accreditation efforts with government agencies and contractors
Conduct regular audits and readiness checks to maintain facility standards
Ensure compliance with personnel security programs and liaise with government partners
Oversee sensitive material control and conduct relevant risk assessments.
Benefits
Collaborative work environment with government partners
Opportunity to impact national security through R&D initiatives
Training and development programs
Participation in leadership briefings and strategic planning
Chance to work in a fast-paced AI-focused company.
Full Job Description
About the Role
As a Personnel Security Specialist, you will own the day-to-day personnel security operations that allow OpenAI employees to support classified government work. You will manage clearance and access requests, maintain government-system records, coordinate visits and briefings, support onboarding and offboarding, and guide employees through sensitive security requirements with discretion and care.
We're looking for a hands-on security professional who can independently manage a high-volume operational queue, keep cases and records organized, recognize when issues require escalation, and improve the processes behind the work. This role offers the opportunity to help build a modern personnel security function that supports important national security programs while delivering a thoughtful, responsive employee experience.
This role is based in San Francisco, CA, or Washington, DC. We use a hybrid work model of three days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees. Additional onsite presence and occasional travel may be required based on classified program and government customer needs.
In this role, you will:
Own the daily personnel security workload from intake through completion, including clearance verification, access nominations, visit requests, onboarding, offboarding, briefings, and reporting actions.
Process and track personnel eligibility, classified access, indoctrinations, debriefings, customer approvals, and other program-specific security requirements.
Maintain accurate, current, and audit-ready records in DISS, NBIS/eApp, NISS, internal tracking systems, and other applicable government or customer platforms.
Guide employees through security forms, clearance and access requirements, required briefings, and reportable events while protecting sensitive personal information.
Coordinate personnel security actions with government security representatives, customer security offices, program teams, and internal partners across Security, People, Recruiting, Legal, and IT.
Prepare and manage visit authorization requests, security access requests, and related customer access packages, including CAC, NIPR, SIPR, and SAAR documentation when applicable.
Identify discrepancies, aging cases, missing documentation, potential security concerns, and reportable information, escalating sensitive or complex issues promptly and appropriately.
Maintain clear visibility into case ownership, status, deadlines, next steps, and government or customer dependencies.
Develop and improve checklists, standard operating procedures, templates, metrics, and workflows that reduce backlog, manual effort, and missed handoffs.
Support self-inspections, customer reviews, recurring reporting, and broader efforts to build a scalable, reliable personnel security program.
You might thrive in this role if you:
Have hands-on personnel security experience supporting a cleared defense contractor, Intelligence Community organization, federal customer, or comparable classified environment.
Have directly managed clearance verification, access processing, indoctrinations, debriefings, visit requests, security briefings, and onboarding or offboarding for cleared personnel.
Have working experience with DISS and NBIS/eApp; familiarity with NISS, SWFT, Scattered Castles, or customer-specific security systems is a plus.
Understand the NISPOM, applicable Security Executive Agent Directives, and government or customer personnel security requirements.
Are highly organized and can manage competing priorities, sensitive records, recurring deadlines, and a high-volume case queue without losing accuracy.
Communicate clearly and respectfully, particularly when explaining complex requirements or supporting employees through sensitive and sometimes frustrating processes.
Demonstrate discretion with personal information and sound judgment about when to involve security leadership, Legal, People, or government security officials.
Look for practical ways to improve operational reliability through documentation, metrics, templates, and approved AI tools, agents, and automations, while protecting sensitive information and preserving required human review and security judgment.
Have experience supporting SCI or SAP access, customer-specific nominations, visit authorization requests, or related access packages.
Hold active Top Secret eligibility and current SCI access, and can obtain and maintain any customer-required polygraph or additional access approvals.
About OpenAI
OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory consisting of the for-profit corporation OpenAI LP and its parent company, the non-profit OpenAI Inc. The company was founded in 2015 by a group of technology leaders, including Elon Musk, Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, and John Schulman. OpenAI's mission is to develop and promote friendly AI for the betterment of humanity. The company has developed a number of cutting-edge AI technologies, including GPT-3, a language processing system that can generate human-like text. OpenAI has received funding from a number of high-profile investors, including LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman and venture capitalist Peter Thiel.
