Technical Sourcer, Research

OpenAI, Inc.

Job Overview

Location

San Francisco

Job Type

Full-time

Full Job Description

📋 Description

• As a Technical Sourcer, Research at OpenAI, you will play a pivotal role in advancing the mission to build safe artificial general intelligence by identifying and engaging world-class AI researchers and scientists who are pushing the boundaries of machine learning and artificial intelligence. Your work directly supports OpenAI’s goal of bringing exceptional talent together to solve some of humanity’s most complex challenges through cutting-edge research.
• You will drive top-of-funnel sourcing efforts for highly specialized research roles, building strategic pipelines of passive and active candidates across academia and industry, partnering with recruiters, hiring managers, and research leaders to surface talent that aligns with OpenAI’s evolving scientific priorities and long-term vision.
• Day to day, you will build highly targeted Boolean and semantic searches using advanced tools and techniques to surface niche talent profiles with precision, ensuring high signal-to-noise ratios in candidate outreach.
• You will craft personalized, thoughtful outreach sequences that resonate with deeply technical and often passive candidates, leveraging your understanding of AI research trends to initiate meaningful conversations and nurture long-term relationships with high-priority targets.
• You will develop and execute creative sourcing strategies to uncover non-traditional, research-adjacent, and emerging talent—such as recent PhD graduates, open-source contributors, or researchers from interdisciplinary fields—expanding OpenAI’s access to diverse and innovative minds.
• You will partner closely with hiring managers and research leads to understand evolving team needs, map talent landscapes in emerging AI subfields, and advise on market-competitive sourcing approaches, acting as a strategic advisor on talent availability and engagement tactics.
• You will maintain a rigorous, data-driven approach to sourcing, tracking key metrics such as response rates, conversion rates, and time-to-hire, using insights to continuously refine strategies and improve funnel efficiency across multiple parallel searches.
• You will represent OpenAI at industry conferences, workshops, and academic events—such as NeurIPS, ICML, and CVPR—engaging directly with research communities to build brand affinity and source talent in authentic, high-touch environments.
• You will collaborate with the broader Research Recruiting team to share insights, refine sourcing playbooks, and contribute to a culture of excellence in technical talent acquisition that supports OpenAI’s rapid yet responsible growth.
• OpenAI’s Research Recruiting team is deeply embedded within the research organization, working side-by-side with scientists and engineers to understand technical priorities, build trust, and shape talent strategy in real time—giving you unique visibility into cutting-edge AI projects and the opportunity to influence hiring at the forefront of innovation.
• The company fosters a mission-driven, intellectually vibrant culture where curiosity, rigor, and collaboration are valued, and where your contributions directly impact the pace and quality of AI research breakthroughs.
• In this role, you will develop deep expertise in technical sourcing for niche AI domains, becoming a trusted advisor on talent markets in areas like large language models, reinforcement learning, robotics, and AI safety—skills that are highly transferable and in demand across top tech and research institutions.
• You will gain experience partnering with world-class researchers and research leaders, refining your ability to speak the language of AI science and build credibility with highly specialized technical audiences—a rare and valuable skill set in technical recruiting.

🎯 Requirements

• Significant experience sourcing specialized Engineering and/or AI talent across highly technical domains, preferably at a premier tech company, research institution, or high-growth startup.
• Demonstrated success in identifying, engaging, and hiring top-tier technical talent, including passive candidates in competitive markets such as AI research and advanced engineering.
• Ability to manage multiple complex, parallel searches while maintaining a high quality bar, strong stakeholder alignment, and exceptional candidate experience throughout the hiring funnel.
• Deep interest in AI research and a genuine desire to engage with global research communities, including familiarity with key conferences, publications, and emerging trends in machine learning.
• Proficiency in using advanced sourcing tools, Boolean logic, and data-driven techniques to build targeted talent pipelines and track funnel metrics effectively.
• Excellent communication and relationship-building skills, with the ability to craft personalized outreach that resonates with highly technical and often passive audiences.

🏖️ Benefits

• Competitive compensation package including base salary, performance bonuses, and equity participation in OpenAI’s mission-driven success.
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance plans, along with mental health resources and wellness programs designed to support holistic well-being.
• Generous relocation support for candidates moving to San Francisco, New York, or Seattle offices, plus hybrid work flexibility (three days in office, option to work from home Thursdays and Fridays).
• Access to OpenAI’s exceptional office amenities: height-adjustable desks, well-stocked kitchens with snacks and drinks, three in-house prepared meals daily, outdoor work and social spaces, wellness rooms, private bike storage, and more.
• Opportunity to work on mission-critical projects that advance safe artificial general intelligence, surrounded by some of the world’s most talented researchers and engineers.
• Professional development support, including access to learning resources, conference attendance, and opportunities to grow expertise in technical sourcing and AI talent markets.

Skills & Technologies

Remote

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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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