Lead Research Engineer / Scientist, Cyber at OpenAI

San Francisco, California, United States

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Not SpecifiedCompensation

Expert & Leadership (9+ years)Experience Level

Full TimeJob Type

UnknownVisa

Artificial Intelligence, Technology, CybersecurityIndustries

Requirements

Passion for AI safety and motivation to make cutting-edge AI models safer for real-world use
Demonstrated experience in deep learning and transformer models
Proficient with frameworks such as PyTorch or TensorFlow
Strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and software engineering principles
Familiar with methods for training and fine-tuning large language models, including distillation, supervised fine-tuning, and policy optimization
Excel at working collaboratively with cross-functional teams across research, security, policy, product, and engineering
Decisive leadership in high-stakes, ambiguous environments
Significant experience designing and deploying technical safeguards for abuse prevention, detection, and enforcement at scale
(Nice to have) Background knowledge in cybersecurity or adjacent fields

Responsibilities

Lead the full-stack mitigation strategy and implement solutions for model-enabled cybersecurity misuse—from prevention to monitoring, detection, and enforcement
Integrate safeguards across products so protections are consistent, low-latency, and scale with usage and new model surfaces
Make decisive technical trade-offs within the cybersecurity risk domain, balancing coverage, latency, model utility, and user privacy
Partner with risk/threat modeling leadership to align mitigation design with anticipated attacker behaviors and high-impact scenarios
Drive rigorous testing and red-teaming, stress-testing the mitigation stack against evolving threats (e.g., novel exploits, tool-use chains, automated attack workflows) and across product surfaces
Design, implement, and oversee an end-to-end mitigation stack to prevent severe cyber misuse across OpenAI’s products
Set the technical strategy, drive execution, and ensure products cannot be misused for severe harm

Skills

Key technologies and capabilities for this role

PyTorchTensorFlowDeep LearningTransformer ModelsCybersecurityAI SafetyRed TeamingThreat ModelingRisk Modeling

Questions & Answers

Common questions about this position

What is the salary for this Lead Research Engineer / Scientist role?

The salary is $460K.

Is this a remote position or does it require office work?

This information is not specified in the job description.

What key skills are required for this role?

Required skills include demonstrated experience in deep learning and transformer models, proficiency with PyTorch or TensorFlow, strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and software engineering, familiarity with training and fine-tuning large language models, and experience designing technical safeguards for abuse prevention at scale.

What is the team culture like at OpenAI for this role?

The Safety Systems team focuses on AI safety to ensure models are safely deployed, driving OpenAI's mission for safe AGI, with a culture of trust, transparency, learning from deployment, and responsible AI use.

What makes a strong candidate for this position?

Strong candidates have a passion for AI safety, experience in deep learning and LLMs, proficiency in PyTorch/TensorFlow, software engineering expertise, cross-functional collaboration skills, decisive leadership in ambiguous environments, and experience with technical safeguards at scale; cybersecurity background is a nice-to-have.

OpenAI

Develops safe and beneficial AI technologies

About OpenAI

OpenAI develops and deploys artificial intelligence technologies aimed at benefiting humanity. The company creates advanced AI models capable of performing various tasks, such as automating processes and enhancing creativity. OpenAI's products, like Sora, allow users to generate videos from text descriptions, showcasing the versatility of its AI applications. Unlike many competitors, OpenAI operates under a capped profit model, which limits the profits it can make and ensures that excess earnings are redistributed to maximize the social benefits of AI. This commitment to safety and ethical considerations is central to its mission of ensuring that artificial general intelligence (AGI) serves all of humanity.

San Francisco, CaliforniaHeadquarters

2015Year Founded

$18,433.2MTotal Funding

LATE_VCCompany Stage

AI & Machine LearningIndustries

1,001-5,000Employees