Description
Compensation
$347K – $385K • Offers Equity
The base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. If the role is non-exempt, overtime pay will be provided consistent with applicable laws. In addition to the salary range listed above, total compensation also includes generous equity, performance-related bonus(es) for eligible employees, and the following benefits.
- Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
- Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)
- 401(k) retirement plan with employer match
- Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)
- Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees
- 13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law)
- Mental health and wellness support
- Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
- Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth
- Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible
- Relocation support for eligible employees
- Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided.
About the Team
The Product Policy team develops and implements policies that shape how OpenAI’s technology is built and used. We work with teams across the company to turn complex questions about AI’s benefits and risks into practical guidance for responsible research, product development, and deployment.
About the Role
As Research Lead, Policy Communications, you will build and lead a rigorous research program that helps OpenAI understand how people engage with complex AI policy issues. You will design qualitative and quantitative studies, develop durable research practices, and translate findings into clear recommendations for Policy, Communications, Product, and other partners. Your work will help teams communicate complex topics accurately, responsibly, and in ways that are useful to a broad range of audiences.
Responsibilities
- Build and manage a mixed-methods research program from initial questions through study design, fieldwork, analysis, reporting, and documentation. Establish high standards for quality, consistency, and responsible research practice.
- Design rigorous quantitative research, including surveys and longitudinal studies. Oversee questionnaire design, sampling, weighting, vendor quality, analysis, and clear communication of uncertainty and limitations.
- Lead qualitative research, including interviews and focus groups, to understand how people interpret complex policy topics. Use these insights to improve the clarity, accuracy, and usefulness of policy communications.
- Turn findings into executive-ready reports with practical recommendations for Policy, Communications, Product, Marketing, Data Science, Legal, Privacy, and other partners. Build reusable research tools, benchmarks, and knowledge that strengthen decision-making over time.
Requirements
- We’re looking for a senior mixed-methods research leader who combines deep quantitative and qualitative expertise with strong strategic judgment. You should be able to independently turn an ambiguous policy communications question into a rigorous well-scoped research plan, a clear interpretation of the evidence, and practical recommendations that teams can use.
- You might thrive in this role if you:
- Bring substantial experience leading public-opinion, communications, policy, market, or behavioral research in a complex or fast-moving environment.
- Have deep survey-methods expertise, including questionnaire design, sampling, weighting, panel and vendor quality, experimentation, statistical analysis, longitudinal research, and clear treatment of uncertainty.
- Design and conduct or oversee strong qualitative research, including recruitment, interviewing or moderation, synthesis, and integration with quantitative findings.
- Have experience designing research across varied populations and judging whether a sample can support the conclusions being drawn.
- Translate research into clear communications, policy, and product recommendations, and influence senior cross-functional partners when evidence challenges a preferred direction.
- Communicate complex methods and findings clearly; manage research vendors, budgets, timelines, privacy, and research ethics; and build durable systems that let organizational learning compound.