Head of Grant Operations

About The OpenAI Foundation

The OpenAI Foundation harnesses artificial intelligence to revolutionize how individuals work, learn, and receive care, aiming to unlock impressive benefits such as rapid medical discoveries, enhanced scientific breakthroughs, personalized healthcare and education services, innovative tools for creativity, increased productivity, economic growth, and improved public infrastructure like transportation.

Alongside harnessing AI's benefits, the Foundation confronts emerging challenges posed by advanced AI systems, working proactively to identify issues and create effective solutions.

The Foundation's mission includes empowering AI to solve humanity's toughest problems, expand human potential, and provide tangible positive impacts, all while collaborating with partners to ensure societal resilience in the evolving AI landscape.

As the Foundation accelerates growth, it plans to invest at least $1 billion in areas including life sciences, curing diseases, employment and economic impacts, AI resilience, and community programs—part of a broader $25 billion commitment toward disease cures and AI safeguards.

Role Overview

We seek an experienced Head of Grant Operations to establish and lead our grantmaking operations. Reporting directly to the CFO, this leadership role involves creating and overseeing the frameworks, policies, systems, and controls that support grantmaking from initial evaluation through completion.

The role requires close collaboration with program teams, legal, finance, compliance departments, and leadership to ensure grant structures are thoughtfully designed, executed effectively, and monitored diligently, facilitating swift yet responsible progress aligned with the Foundation's mission.

The ideal candidate will blend operational discipline, sound decision-making, strong relationship skills, and readiness to engage directly with detailed grant portfolio management as the Foundation expands.

Key Responsibilities

• Develop and build the Foundation’s grant operations infrastructure and capabilities.
• Create and uphold grantmaking policies, procedures, templates, and operational frameworks.
• Design scalable administrative processes to support an expanding and complex grant portfolio.
• Implement systems for grant tracking, compliance, reporting, and milestone oversight.
• Maintain comprehensive grant registers and related documentation.
• Establish controls ensuring consistent, responsible grant administration.
• Assist with selecting and deploying grant management technologies, integrating AI where possible.
• Support due diligence and grant structuring activities.
• Collaborate with program teams to assess potential grants and funding opportunities.
• Conduct multifaceted diligence covering operational, financial, legal, compliance, and reputational aspects of grantees.
• Evaluate grantees’ organizational strength, governance, finances, and execution capacity.
• Identify and propose mitigations for risks.
• Coordinate diligence efforts among legal, finance, and program teams.
• Manage grant agreement negotiations, preparation, and execution.
• Serve as liaison with grantees during grant establishment.
• Work closely with legal counsel to appropriately structure grant agreements.
• Ensure all necessary approvals and compliance requirements are met before funding disbursement.
• Oversee ongoing grant administration, monitoring payments, reporting obligations, milestones, and compliance.
• Review grantee submissions including reports, deliverables, and financial documentation.
• Follow up to ensure timely compliance with reporting and deliverables.
• Partner with program teams to evaluate grant progress, performance, and impact.
• Escalate concerns or compliance issues when needed.
• Manage grant amendments, renewals, extensions, and formal closures.
• Negotiate modifications to grant terms and reporting schedules as circumstances change.
• Maintain accurate and thorough records for all grants throughout their lifecycle.
• Capture and share lessons learned to continuously refine grantmaking processes.
• Collaborate broadly across the Foundation to serve as an expert on grant administration and compliance best practices.
• Balance operational rigor with a positive experience for both grantees and internal teams.
• Contribute to shaping the Foundation’s evolving grant infrastructure and operational model as it scales.

Required Qualifications

• 10 to 15+ years of relevant experience preferred.
• Extensive background in grants management, philanthropy, nonprofit operations, compliance, legal operations, or foundation administration.
• Proven ability to manage complex grant portfolios throughout their lifecycle.
• Experience performing organizational, financial, operational, compliance, and reputation-related diligence.
• Strong negotiation skills for grant and funding agreements.
• In-depth knowledge of charitable giving regulations, compliance standards, and philanthropic best practices.
• Excellent project management and organizational capabilities.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Outstanding communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Demonstrated ownership, sound judgment, discretion, and accountability.
• Capability to operate efficiently in a fast-paced, ambiguous environment.

Preferred Experience

• Background in large private foundations, public charities, donor-advised funds, family offices, universities, multilateral organizations, or other significant grantmaking bodies.
• Expertise managing international grants and cross-border funding initiatives.
• Knowledge of advanced grantmaking structures such as expenditure responsibility, equivalency determination, and fiscal sponsorship.
• Experience with grants management systems implementation or administration.
• Experience supporting large-scale philanthropic portfolios with substantial annual grantmaking volumes.