Senior Employee Relations Investigator

About the team

OpenAI's People team aims to hire, engage, and retain world-class talent who will safely build and deploy universally beneficial Artificial General Intelligence (AGI). The Global Employee Relations and People Policy team is a Center of Excellence within the People team, providing subject-matter expertise in employee relations, workplace investigations, policy development, and strategic guidance and support for high-stakes, complex, and sensitive employee matters across OpenAI's global offices.

About the role

Our Global Employee Relations and People Policy team seeks a Senior Employee Relations Partner/Investigator. In this role, you'll lead complex investigations into potential legal and policy violations and provide subject-matter expertise on high-stakes employee relations issues. Leveraging your extensive employment law knowledge and investigative skills, you'll handle sensitive matters with care and empathy, shaping OpenAI's Global Employee Relations function and fostering a positive workplace culture.

You'll have several responsibilities, including:

• Lead and conduct thorough, objective, and timely investigations into employee concerns, including allegations of misconduct, harassment, discrimination, and other policy violations across OpenAI's global offices in the US, APAC, and EMEA.

• Execute investigations with rigor and adhere to gold standard practices, ensuring meticulous attention to detail and adherence to investigative best practices.

• Adhere to protocols for gathering and preserving information, documentation, and report writing.

• Provide deep employee relations expertise and guidance on a wide range of complex personnel issues, ensuring compliance with employment laws and company policies.

• Partner closely with Legal, HR, and other cross-functional teams to address and resolve high-stakes personnel matters, fostering a fair and consistent approach to resolving people issues.

• Develop and implement innovative employee relations strategies and initiatives that promote a positive work environment and align with OpenAI's values and goals.

• Analyze employee relations data to diagnose, design, and revise People programs, policies, and practices, ensuring a fair and respectful workplace.

• Stay current on global trends, best practices, and changes in employment law to ensure compliance and proactive management of employee relations issues.

• Contribute to the continuous improvement of employee relations processes and tools, with a focus on innovation, efficiency, and out-of-the-box thinking.

We'll look for these qualities, experience, and skills:

• A JD degree and 8+ years of experience as an employment or workplace investigations attorney, or in another in-house investigations role, or advising on complex employee relations issues. Equivalent experience as an employment attorney is also welcomed.

• Global employment law experience or AWI-CH designation is a plus.

• A proven track record of managing and advising on highly sensitive, nuanced employee relations issues, with expertise in managing and de-escalating highly charged matters.

• Exceptional analytical, written, and verbal communication skills, with the ability to clearly and effectively convey complex information and produce rigorous and legally defensible investigation reports.

• Outstanding interpersonal skills and emotional intelligence, enabling you to build trust, rapport, and influence with executives, senior leaders, management, and employees at all levels.

• A data-driven, proactive, and innovative mindset, with a dedication to continuous improvement and dynamic problem-solving.

• The capacity to thrive, adapt, and excel in a high-performance and rapidly changing work environment.

• Unwavering integrity and professionalism, with a commitment to maintaining confidentiality and handling sensitive information with the utmost discretion.

• Demonstrated empathy and the ability to think creatively and strategically in high-pressure situations.

Location and Workplace

This role is based either in our San Francisco, CA or New York City office, and we offer relocation assistance to new employees.

Our offices use a hybrid work model: three days in the office per week with optional work from home on Thursdays and Fridays.

Our open-plan offices have height-adjustable desks, conference rooms, phone booths, well-stocked kitchens full of snacks and drinks and more.

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 do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

OpenAI Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement

For US Based Candidates: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

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At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.

Compensation Range: $260K