Grant Operations Director , San Francisco

About OpenAI Foundation

AI is already changing how people work, learn, and access care. It has the potential to unlock extraordinary benefits—faster medical breakthroughs, accelerated scientific discovery, more personalized services in healthcare and education, new tools for creativity and invention, higher productivity and economic growth, improved public services like transportation systems, and so much more.

But building powerful systems to benefit humanity is only a part of the work of our mission. Advanced AI models will also present new challenges that are already surfacing, and we need to be prepared to identify these challenges and develop solutions to address them.

These are the two dimensions of what we’re building the Foundation to do. We aim to enable the use of AI to find solutions to humanity’s hardest problems, transform what people are capable of, and deliver real benefits in people’s lives—while working hard with partners to be ready for new challenges, and to help make society resilient, as AI advances.

This work is just beginning. Over the next year, as we quickly ramp up, the Foundation expects to invest at least $1 billion across life sciences and curing diseases, jobs and economic impact, AI resilience, and community programs. This includes early investments toward our previously announced $25 billion commitment to curing diseases and AI resilience.

About the role

We are looking for a Grant Operations Director to own the Foundation’s grants management system (GMS) and lead operational improvement projects. Reporting to the Head of Grant Operations, you will serve as a close thought partner on grants management processes, policies, and procedures and translate agreed priorities into effective systems and practices.

You will be the Foundation’s primary GMS administrator and internal expert, partnering with the implementation consultant on requirements, testing, and adoption and owning ongoing administration and improvements after handover. You will work with program colleagues, Finance, legal counsel, and Operations/IT to improve grantmaking workflows and resolve operational issues.

This is a hands-on role in a small, growing team. Alongside your systems and data responsibilities, you will review grants to stay close to the work and understand the day-to-day needs of program and Grant Operations colleagues. You and the Head of Grant Operations will agree on priorities and additional projects based on capacity, with room for the role to grow as the team and systems develop.

What you’ll do

• Own the Foundation’s GMS as its primary administrator and internal expert. Lead internal requirements, testing, and adoption in partnership with the Head of Grant Operations and implementation consultant, then own ongoing administration, improvements, documentation, and user support. Coordinate technical support with Operations/IT and obtain independent approval for sensitive access and approval-workflow changes.

• Independently conduct and document due diligence and compliance reviews for selected grants, assess material risks, and develop recommendations, coordinating specialist review as needed. Use this work and regular input from program and Grant Operations colleagues to understand day-to-day needs and improve systems, processes, and guidance.

• Serve as a thought partner to the Head of Grant Operations in developing and improving grants management processes, policies, and procedures. Recommend practical approaches to new grantmaking needs, clarify tradeoffs, and lead implementation of agreed improvements with program colleagues, Finance, and legal counsel.

• Own grant data quality and operational reporting. Develop useful reports and dashboards, work with Finance to reconcile grant and payment records, and use data to identify workload pressures, recurring issues, and opportunities to improve grantmaking operations.

• Share grants and systems expertise through practical guidance, coaching, and support to colleagues on difficult cases.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of relevant experience in grants management, grant operations, or related fields, including hands‑on due diligence and compliance experience and strong understanding of the full grant lifecycle. Experience administering international grants is also helpful.

• Experience managing and developing staff, including setting priorities, delegating work, providing feedback, and supporting performance and professional growth.

• Deep understanding of grantmaking operations and strong due diligence and compliance judgment, including experiences working through complex grants, assessing material risks, and recognizing when specialist review is needed.

• Hands‑on experience administering and improving a grants management system, including configuring workflows, managing access, supporting users, and developing reports.

• Experience building or improving grantmaking processes and leading projects across teams, from identifying needs and setting priorities through implementation and adoption.

• Strong financial, spreadsheet, and data analysis skills, including reviewing financial info, reconciling records, checking accuracy, and turning data into useful reports and recommendations.

• Clear communication, strong working relationships, and reliable follow-through. Comfortable advising colleagues, handling sensitive info…

• Experience with GMS implementation or data migration, workflow automation, or responsible applications of AI is required.

Compensation

The annual base salary range for this role is $220,000 to $260,000 USD.

This range reflects our good‑faith estimate of the base salary we reasonably expect to pay for this position upon hire. Actual base salary will be determined based on job‑related factors, including the candidate’s relevant experience, skills, expertise, the scope of the role, and work location, as applicable.

This salary range does not include benefits or any other compensation for which the role may be eligible.

Equal Opportunity

We are an equal opportunity employer and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status. Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.