Community Engagement Lead - Industrial Compute

About the Team: OpenAI’s mission is to build safe artificial general intelligence (AGI) which benefits all of humanity. This long-term undertaking brings the world’s best scientists, engineers, and business professionals into one lab together to accomplish this. In pursuit of this mission, and in close collaboration with our capital partners, OpenAI is embarking on a journey to build the world’s most advanced AI infrastructure ecosystem. The Industrial Compute team is central to this mission, setting the core infra strategy and implementing this vision. From site selection to the buildout process, this team sits at the intersection of commercial, technical, strategy, and operations, interacting with teams and executives inside and outside of OpenAI. About the Role The Community Engagement Lead will be the primary bridge between OpenAI and the communities where we develop data centers. This role ensures that OpenAI builds strong, trust-based relationships with local stakeholders, communicates proactively about our projects, and integrates community priorities into our development approach. The role spans engagement, communications, and reputation management. As OpenAI scales the physical backbone of advanced AI, community acceptance and partnership are not optional; they are mission-critical. This role ensures that communities understand what we are building, why it matters, and how they can meaningfully benefit from it. The Community Engagement Lead will proactively shape dialogue, surface concerns before they escalate, and embed community priorities into how projects are planned, communicated, and delivered. Operating at the intersection of development, communications, government affairs, and operations, this role owns community relationships end-to-end: from first introduction through construction and long-term operations. Success means reduced friction, stronger partnerships, and communities that see OpenAI not as a distant technology company, but as a responsible, long-term neighbor. Note: This role requires being based in or willing to relocate to the communities where OpenAI is developing data center sites, as regular in-person engagement with local stakeholders is essential. *must be open to at least 3-5 days per week onsite at one of our data centers. Key Responsibilities Build and maintain relationships with local leaders, community organizations, NGOs, and residents. Develop and execute community engagement strategies for new and existing sites. Translate community feedback into actionable guidance to inform project decisions. Represent OpenAI in public forums, hearings, and community events. Support economic development on incentive compliance and community benefits. Partner with the Environmental Lead on communicating environmental stewardship and sustainability efforts. Develop proactive communications to address concerns, highlight benefits, and reduce risk of opposition, including during site selection and pre-development phases. Monitor community sentiment and advise executives on risks and opportunities. Create a community engagement playbook that can scale across geographies. Qualifications 6+ years in community affairs, public engagement, or corporate communications. Proven track record engaging diverse community stakeholders for large infrastructure or technology projects. Strong public speaking and facilitation skills in high-stakes environments. Ability to manage sensitive political and reputational issues. Experience integrating community benefits (workforce, education, infrastructure support) into development strategies. Collaborative and adaptable, with experience working across government, community, and corporate teams. About OpenAI OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an