Program Manager, M&A Recruiting | People

About the Team

The Strategic Initiatives team sits within OpenAI’s Recruiting org and focuses on some of the most dynamic, people-driven areas of the company. We lead efforts across Executive Recruiting, Mergers & Acquisitions, Talent Intelligence, High Impact Talent, and Special Projects.

About the Role
As a Mergers & Acquisitions Program Manager within Recruiting, you’ll be a key partner in managing people XFN from diligence through employee onboarding on M&A deals. This role demands exceptional judgment, speed, and absolute discretion. You’ll operate at the center of some of OpenAI’s most impactful decisions - shaping the future of the company by bringing in extraordinary, mission-aligned talent.

We’re looking for someone who thrives in ambiguity, moves seamlessly between strategic thinking and execution, and is energized by complexity, challenge, and pace.

This role is based in our San Francisco office or SF Bay Area remote. (For in office: we use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.)

Your Responsibilities

• Co-design, lead, and scale the M&A People XFN workstream program, driving end-to-end management of timeline, candidate experience, and key touchpoints that enable smooth deal execution and set the stage for positive onboarding and integration.

• Build and uplevel playbooks, processes, and communications to support increasing deal volume and complexity, creatively solving for new challenges while ensuring clarity, alignment, and efficiency across cross-functional stakeholders (ex: Recruiting Operations, Comms, Events, etc.)

• Deliver a high-impact candidate and acquired team experience, including producing events such as Town Halls, onboarding customizations, and cultural moments that reflect OpenAI’s mission.

• Partner closely with senior leaders, founders, and acquired teams, demonstrating executive presence and the ability to navigate sensitive situations and competing priorities.

• Lead post-mortem retrospectives for People XFN both at a deal and program level to build repeatable playbooks/process improvement for future deals.

• Liaise with Recruiting Operations and cross-functional partners to build and scale efficient M&A recruiting processes and tools. This may include initiatives related to headcount tracking and allocation, offer creation and issuance, confidentiality workflows, etc.

• Flex into other high-priority areas of Strategic Initiatives as needed.

We're Seeking

• 8+ years of relevant industry experience, including at least 4 years leading program management efforts within Mergers & Acquisitions or driving complex, cross-functional initiatives within specialized technical environments.

• Strong project management skills, including leading initiatives from project scoping to execution phases and the ability to drive alignment across stakeholders, timelines, and tools.

• Strong analytical mindset, leveraging data to evaluate program health, identify risks early, and guide clear, informed decision-making.

• High ownership mindset with intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for technology; thrives in complex, continuously challenging contexts.

• Proven success operating with discretion and high judgment on sensitive or high-profile hires.

• The ability to zoom out strategically and operate at high altitude, while maintaining precision in execution and attention to detail.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to tailor messaging across diverse stakeholders.
  

Nice to Have

• Familiarity with technical hiring, especially in research or AI domains.

• Background in recruiting, education program design, or talent development.

• Experience supporting or buildin