About this role.
This individual-contributor lead role sets clean-energy and emerging-technology strategy for OpenAI's expanding compute and data-center infrastructure. It evaluates solutions including clean firm power, advanced storage, grid flexibility, low-carbon backup power, heat reuse, and water-related energy efficiency. The leader will convert technical possibilities into practical pilot, procurement, regulatory, and deployment decisions while balancing reliability, cost, carbon, schedule, and operational constraints. Success requires deep energy-sector expertise and strong cross-functional influence across engineering, policy, legal, finance, procurement, and executive stakeholders. The position is US-remote eligible, with Seattle and San Francisco also listed as locations.
Role DNA
A quick view of the complexity, pace, ownership and collaboration implied by the job description.
Job Complexity
5/5Pace & Pressure
5/5Autonomy Level
5/5Communication Load
5/5Salary analysis
Estimated compensation compared with the broader US market for similar roles.
Core skills
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Cover letter sample
Dear Hiring Team,
I am excited to apply for the Clean Energy and New Technology Lead role. My experience evaluating power-system constraints, clean-energy solutions, and large-scale infrastructure investments would enable me to translate emerging technologies into credible pathways for resilient, low-carbon compute growth.
I bring a practical, cross-functional approach to balancing reliability, cost, schedule, carbon, policy, and operational requirements across complex stakeholder groups. I would welcome the opportunity to help OpenAI develop repeatable evaluation frameworks, structure high-impact pilots, and scale energy solutions aligned with its long-term infrastructure strategy.
Sincerely,
Your Name
Sample interview questions
I would begin with the operational need and define measurable criteria for reliability, cost, carbon impact, deployment timeline, regulatory feasibility, safety, and scalability. I would then assess technical maturity, vendor capability, interconnection or fuel requirements, commercial structure, and failure modes. A pilot should have a clear decision gate, accountable owners, baseline metrics, and a defined path to scale or discontinue.
I would treat reliability as a non-negotiable operating requirement and optimize the broader portfolio around it. I would compare options using scenario analysis that quantifies firm capacity, outage exposure, emissions, cost, and schedule under realistic grid conditions. This approach can support low-carbon progress while maintaining appropriate redundancy, backup capability, and operational contingencies.
I would use a common evaluation framework covering delivered reliability value, capacity and energy profile, lifecycle emissions, total cost, site applicability, interconnection complexity, permitting, construction timeline, technology maturity, and contractual risk. The framework should distinguish near-term deployable options from longer-term strategic bets. It should also identify where combinations of technologies create greater value than any individual solution.
I would engage them early, before a technology or site decision is finalized, to identify permitting, market rules, utility-program requirements, incentives, and potential policy risks. I would translate the technical and commercial implications into concise decision materials for leadership. Ongoing coordination would ensure the deployment plan remains viable as policy and utility conditions evolve.
I would establish alignment around shared decision criteria, make trade-offs transparent, and bring evidence tailored to each stakeholder's priorities. For example, engineering may focus on reliability and integration, finance on economics, and policy teams on feasibility and compliance. By creating a structured recommendation, clear ownership, and an escalation path for unresolved trade-offs, I can move complex initiatives forward without formal reporting authority.
About the Team
OpenAI, in close collaboration with our capital partners, 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 Clean Energy and New Technology Lead will own infrastructure clean energy and emerging energy technology strategy and execution, identifying and deploying scalable solutions that enable resilient, low-carbon compute and data center growth. The role will work closely with regulatory and policy teams to align infrastructure expansion with OpenAI’s long-term environmental and operational objectives.
This is an individual contributor lead role and does not have direct reports initially. The role will evaluate where emerging energy technologies can materially improve reliability, cost, carbon, speed, or resilience; translate those options into practical deployment pathways; and help ensure OpenAI’s infrastructure growth remains aligned with sustainability considerations.
Key Responsibilities
Evaluate emerging energy solutions such as clean firm power, advanced storage, grid flexibility, low-carbon backup power, heat reuse, water-related energy efficiency, and other scalable technologies where relevant.
Identify pilot opportunities and deployment pathways that can move promising energy technologies from concept to commercially and operationally credible execution.
Translate technical options into clear reliability, cost, schedule, carbon, regulatory, and operational implications for infrastructure decision-making.
Partner with energy regulatory, policy, procurement, engineering, deployment, finance, legal, and site-readiness teams to align technology and sustainability choices with project needs.
Track external market, policy, utility, and technology developments
Build repeatable evaluation frameworks, partner criteria, and execution playbooks for sustainability and emerging energy technology initiatives.
Qualifications
15+ years in energy technology, infrastructure sustainability, clean energy procurement, power markets, data center energy strategy, utility programs, or related roles.
Strong understanding of power systems, low-carbon energy, grid constraints, infrastructure reliability, and the practical requirements of large-scale deployment.
Experience evaluating emerging technologies, structuring pilots, or moving early-stage solutions toward commercial implementation.
Ability to balance sustainability objectives with reliability, cost, schedule, regulatory, and operational constraints.
Proven cross-functional leadership across technical, commercial, policy, and executive stakeholders.
Excellent analytical, written communication, and executive-summary skills.
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 extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.
We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.
For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.
Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.
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We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.
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