Why This Job is Featured on The SaaS Jobs
This role stands out in the SaaS landscape because it sits at the intersection of cloud-native product development and government-grade security expectations. OpenAI’s work with public sector partners implies operating alongside regulated environments where facility accreditation, personnel clearances, and controlled information flows become enabling infrastructure for product and R and D delivery, not just corporate overhead. For SaaS professionals, that is a distinct arena where security programs directly shape what can be built, tested, and deployed.
Long-term, the position builds a rare portfolio of experience that translates across enterprise SaaS, AI platforms, and any vendor selling into regulated customers. Owning programs tied to NISPOM, ICD 705, and related federal requirements develops fluency in compliance-driven operations, audit readiness, and cross-functional execution with facilities, GRC, and leadership. That combination tends to compound, since many SaaS companies increasingly face procurement and security gating as they move upmarket.
The role is best suited to someone who prefers structured, high-accountability work and can turn policy into repeatable operational practice. It will fit professionals who enjoy stakeholder-heavy coordination, documentation rigor, and being the point of continuity across multiple sites and external agencies, especially where timelines are constrained by government processes.
The section above is editorial commentary from The SaaS Jobs, provided to help SaaS professionals understand the role in a broader industry context.
Job Description
About the Team
The Corporate Security team is responsible for the security and protection of all OpenAI employees and executives. We are committed to creating and maintaining a secure environment that allows our team members to focus on their work without fear of harm or disruption.
About the Role
OpenAI is seeking an Industrial Security Lead to help develop and scale a world-class industrial security program across multiple locations, including Washington DC and San Francisco. In this role, you will be responsible for building and managing secure facilities that enable work with Government partners , overseeing government-required personnel security programs, and ensuring strict compliance with U.S. government regulations. You will collaborate closely with government partners, contractors, and internal teams to safeguard sensitive projects and R&D initiatives.
This role is ideal for someone who combines deep expertise in US Government industrial security programs with hands-on program execution and experience.
In this role, you will:
Support tactical operations of the OpenAI’s industrial security program, partnering closely with GRC, facilities, and leadership to ensure compliance with NISPOM, ICD 705, DoD/IC regulations, and other federal requirements to enable rapid execution on OpenAI for Government’s strategic programs.
Support multi-year security roadmaps to support OpenAI Public Sector projects, accredited facilities, and sensitive R&D initiatives, balancing the agile nature of our business with the timelines and requirements associated with US Government contracts.
Be on the team supporting classified facilities, SOPs, Fixed Facility Checklists, and related documents.
Participate in construction and accreditation efforts in partnership with government agencies, design engineers, and contractors.
Ensure facilities meet and exceed required standards, with ongoing audits and readiness checks.
Support all aspects of personnel security management associated with OpenAI Public Sector efforts, working directly with government partners to ensure compliance.
Expert knowledge of using government databases such as DISS, NBIS, and Scattered Castles.
Support implementation and operations of insider threat and continuous evaluation programs.
Manage security onboarding, required reporting and approvals, and personnel readiness efforts to ensure staff can support OpenAI Public Sector efforts.
Liaison with Government security representatives, ensuring smooth communication and compliance with clearances and facilities.
Support all federal inspections, audits, and incident investigations, maintaining a best-in-class compliance record.
Manage sensitive material control, secured communications COMSEC, and reporting requirements.
Conduct risk assessments of relevant operations and drive mitigation initiatives.
Develop advanced security training.
Manage related OPSEC programs and Program Protection Plans.
You’ll thrive in this role if you:
Have 5+ years of experience in industrial security.
Have an active TS/SCI security clearance Full Scope Polygraph.
Have expert knowledge of the 32 CFR Part 117, Intelligence Community Directives and Special Access Programs. This is relative to personnel security, facility accreditations and operations, and classified communications.
Have experience as an FSO, CSSO, or CPSO with DoD, IC and SAP customers.
Have exceptional communication skills and executive presence, with experience briefing leadership and government officials.
Preferred:
Background in fast-paced AI, R&D, or high-tech environments.
Advanced certifications such as ISP®, CPP®, or SPeD.
Bachelor’s degree in Security Management, Criminal Justice, or similar
Experience using Security Controls, Threat Switch, SIMS or similar software is preferred.
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 possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.
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