T&E Events Lead

OpenAI, Inc.

Job Overview

Location

San Francisco

Job Type

Full-time

Full Job Description

📋 Description

• Own and scale OpenAI’s global Events strategy and operations as the primary driver of Travel & Expense (T&E) events processes, aligning with Procurement, Finance, Accounting, Compliance, Legal, and Privacy teams.
• Design, standardize, and enforce company-wide T&E policies for events including room blocks, venue sourcing, group meals, payments, reconciliation, and supplier management across all organizational units.
• Lead end-to-end lifecycle management of event technology platforms (e.g., Planned, Cvent), defining roadmap requirements, overseeing integrations, and driving adoption of AI-enhanced workflows for event operations.
• Serve as the primary DRI for process optimization, ensuring scalable, compliant, and efficient event operations that reduce cycle times for hotel bookings, venue contracts, and group spend.
• Develop and implement global supplier sourcing strategies for events, including RFPs, RFQs, negotiations, contracting support, and vendor selection in partnership with internal sourcing teams.
• Integrate T&E event programs with travel, card, budgeting, forecasting, ERP, tax, and payroll systems to create a unified, data-driven workflow for holistic event management.
• Ensure strict SOX compliance across all event-related spending, controls, and documentation; drive audit readiness and collaborate with Accounting, Legal, and Compliance teams on controls alignment.
• Map current-state event operations, redesign workflows, define KPIs, and implement automated controls using ERP/AP automation, OCR, approval routing, and AI tools to improve accuracy and efficiency.
• Act as the central point of contact for Events teams, Executive Business Partners (EBPs), and department leaders to align event programs with business needs and regulatory requirements.
• Lead continuous process improvement initiatives by deploying new policies, platforms, and training to standardize global event operations and enhance user experience.
• Maintain and evolve event-related governance frameworks, including SOP documentation, control frameworks, risk assessments, and reporting dashboards for T&E event spend and compliance.
• Manage relationships with key vendors and internal stakeholders to ensure seamless execution of event programs while optimizing cost, quality, and compliance.
• Ensure high data accuracy across downstream systems by overseeing integrations between event platforms, ERP (e.g., Oracle Fusion), analytics tools, payroll, and tax systems.
• Advocate for and lead the adoption of emerging AI technologies within the event operations workflow to automate manual tasks, improve forecasting, and enhance decision-making.
• Balance 50% strategic leadership with 50% hands-on execution, adapting focus based on project roadmap and operational volume across global event initiatives.
• Own internal event technology products and systems, defining feature requirements, prioritizing enhancements, and coordinating with engineering and product teams for platform development.

🎯 Requirements

• 8+ years of experience in Strategic Meeting Management Programs (SMMP), corporate travel and expense management, procurement, or finance operations
• Proven hands-on expertise in designing, standardizing, and automating T&E/Events workflows using ERP, AP automation, OCR, approval routing, and AI tools
• Deep experience with global event sourcing, venue/room block management, and event platforms such as Planned or Cvent
• Strong controls mindset with direct experience ensuring SOX compliance, audit readiness, and cross-functional partnership with Accounting, Legal, and Compliance
• Technical proficiency with enterprise systems such as Oracle Fusion, Navan, VNDLY, Jira, or similar integrated platforms
• Experience operating in high-growth, scaling environments while balancing long-term process design with hands-on execution

🏖️ Benefits

• Hybrid work model requiring 3 days per week in the San Francisco office
• Relocation assistance available for new employees
• Competitive compensation range of $216K - $240K USD
• Opportunity to shape the future of AI through meaningful impact at OpenAI

Skills & Technologies

Senior

Hybrid

$216k-240k

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OpenAI, Inc.

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About OpenAI, Inc.

OpenAI is a San Francisco-based artificial intelligence research and deployment company founded in 2015. It develops large-scale AI models such as GPT, DALL-E, and Codex, providing cloud APIs and consumer applications like ChatGPT. Originally established as a non-profit, it later created a capped-profit subsidiary to attract capital while maintaining its mission to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity.

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