Director of External Communciations

About the Team
The External Communications team supports OpenAI’s mission by helping the organization communicate clearly, responsibly, and effectively with external audiences. The team works closely with partners across the company to navigate complex topics, manage evolving narratives, and ensure OpenAI’s communications reflect its values and long-term goals.

About the Role
We’re looking for a Director of External Communications to play a senior, hands-on role supporting OpenAI’s external communications efforts. This role is designed for an experienced communications leader who brings strong judgment, excellent writing skills, and comfort operating in a fast-moving environment.

You will be responsible for developing and executing external communications across media and owned channels, advising internal partners, and supporting executive communications. At times, the role will require ownership of fast-moving or evolving stories, including responding on tight timelines as information develops.

This role is based in San Francisco, New York, or Washington, DC. We use a hybrid work model of three days per week in the office and offer relocation assistance where applicable.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Drafting and refining statements, messaging, and communications materials for external audiences.

• Supporting media engagement and working with reporters as appropriate.

• Executing approved communications across press, social, and owned channels.

• Partnering with internal teams including Legal, Policy, Product, and Leadership on communications strategy and execution.

• Supporting executive communications, including message development and preparation.

• Contributing to messaging frameworks, guidance, and other communications resources.

You might thrive in this role if you:

• Have significant experience in external, corporate, or issues communications.

• Are a strong writer who can operate confidently under time pressure.

• Bring sound judgment about tone, framing, and when to engage.

• Are comfortable navigating ambiguity and evolving information.

• Enjoy fast-paced environments where priorities can shift quickly.

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.

Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. 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