Hardware Procurement Operations Lead (Controls & Integrations)

Compensation

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

Procurement sits within Finance and partners closely with Hardware BUs and to enable rapid execution with Finance-grade visibility and audit-ready controls. The team operates as an enablement and operating-system layer across procurement operations, systems, data, and governance—working cross-functionally with Finance/Accounting, Legal, Security/TPRM, Trade, Logistics, and Enterprise Platform Technology.

About the Role

We are seeking a hands-on leader to co-design, build, and run the procurement operations backbone for OpenAI’s hardware programs. This is a design-and-do role: you will build the operating enablement model (systems flows, governance, processes, and RACI/DRIs) that enables product teams to move at prototyping and production speed—while ensuring Finance, Legal, Security, and Trade requirements are met and audit-ready.

You’ll be responsible for:

Strategy & operating model

• Co-design and maintain the operating model with BU and functional leaders—defining what is standardized vs. BU-specific, clarifying central vs. embedded responsibilities, and documenting RACI/DRIs and escalation paths.

• Build the operating system (policies, playbooks, tiered approval lanes, templates) so prototype speed and production-grade controls can coexist.

• Define and run escalation paths, exception handling, and operating cadences to keep launches moving while maintaining compliance and audit readiness.

Delivery & execution

• Stand up and run the launch operational readiness (back-office) cadence for hardware programs—defining required controls, SLAs/DRIs, and cross-functional handoffs across supplier onboarding, purchasing/receiving signals, landed cost, and CapEx/asset tagging.

• Operationalize supplier onboarding/vendor master controls, PO lifecycle governance, receiving/inspection signals, 3-way match readiness, and tooling/CapEx capture controls.

• Ensure Finance-grade visibility via required part/PO metadata and reconciliation routines so Finance can track materials, receipts, liabilities, and supplier payments.

• Define requirements and controls for logistics partner performance (with Logistics leadership), including landed-cost visibility, invoice reconciliation, and SLA measurement.

• Define and ensure controls/data handoffs for finished-goods flows with manufacturing partners (e.g., title transfer, reporting cadence, data ingestion).

• Run operational readiness forums and unblock paths across Procurement, Logistics, Finance/Accounting, Legal, Security/TPRM, and Trade; document DRIs and outcomes tied to launches/milestones.

• Serve as primary cross-functional escalation point for centrally owned procurement-ops issues that block launches; partner with BU leads on BU-owned execution topics.

Systems & data

• Define requirements, workflows, and controls for hardware procurement ops; partner with Enterprise Platform Technology and BU teams to design/deliver integrations across intake, onboarding/risk, and select ERP module rollouts.

• Partner with Finance Systems and Accounting to define metadata and reconciliation processes so the org can reconcile materials, spend, receipts, and payments; deliver interim controls where integrations are not yet in place.

• Define/recommend/govern procurement-required BOM/AVL attributes (with BU engineering/supply chain) and maintain interim reconciliation workbooks where systems are incomplete.

Governance, risk & compliance

• Convene cross-functional forums with Legal, Security/TPRM, Trade, and Finance to resolve time-sensitive sourcing/compliance questions, route exceptions, and document DRIs/outcomes for audit readiness.

• Maintain a direct procurement operations / supply chain enablement risk register and drive mitigations for supplier, trade, and regulatory risks.

• Establish audit-ready evidence practices for key controls (supplier onboarding, approvals, receipts/3-way match, landed cost, CapEx tagging, and exceptions).

People & change

• Hire and lead a small enablement team (e.g., Procurement Systems Admin, 3PL/4PL, supplier onboarding readiness/RM, embedded pod leads to support BUs).

• Translate execution pain points into structural fixes; champion change management through coaching, training, and pilots.

• Build strong operating rhythms and partnerships with BU teams, Finance/Accounting, Legal, Security, Trade, and Enterprise Platform Technology.

Automation & continuous improvement

• Embed automation and AI into intake, onboarding, PO-to-fulfillment, inventory visibility, and dashboards to reduce manual work, improve cycle times, and strengthen compliance.

• Define and track Procure-to-Pay operational KPIs; continuously improve workflows and controls based on data and user feedback.

We’re looking for someone with:

• Experience running direct procurement operations and supply chain operations in fast-moving hardware organizations (NPI → production).

• Practical experience with ERP and PLM/MRP integrations, plus asset accounting concepts (tooling/capitalization).

• Strong bias for action; delivers pilots that are production-useful within 60–180 days.

• Collaborative operating style; partners with BUs to co-design responsibilities while owning the operating system and delivery.

• Working knowledge of trade, compliance, and supplier quality.

• 10+ years