Senior Counsel, Commercial

About the Role

We are seeking an experienced commercial attorney to join our commercial legal team. Based in the US, you will help lead commercial legal support for OpenAI’s rapidly growing business, working with teams such as GTM, Partnerships, Procurement, Finance, Product, Infrastructure, and Engineering.

This is a great opportunity to join OpenAI’s commercial legal team, negotiating high-impact agreements and helping to build scalable frameworks for responsible growth.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week.

In this role, you will

• Serve as the legal partner for OpenAI’s business transactions, partnerships, and operations.
• Provide practical, business-oriented legal advice to teams including Sales, Partnerships, Finance, Procurement, and Operations.
• Identify and address commercial, product, regulatory, privacy, and other legal issues arising from commercial transactions.
• Develop strategies and processes for handling legal issues in creative and scalable ways that support growth.
• Monitor and advise on regulatory and compliance matters affecting AI and technology.
• Collaborate with colleagues across OpenAI’s global legal team to ensure alignment across jurisdictions.

You might thrive in this role if you

• Have 10+ years of experience across in-house and technology-focused law firm roles.
• Bring a strong background in drafting and negotiating complex commercial contracts.
• Are comfortable operating in an entrepreneurial environment, and are proactive and independent.
• Communicate with clarity and business judgment, tailoring advice to enable responsible growth.
• Build cross-functional relationships and adapt communication styles to diverse audiences.
• Have a strong sense of ownership, intellectual curiosity, and enthusiasm for technology.
• Can demonstrate sound judgment in ambiguous or fast-changing situations.