Information Systems Security Engineer, Public Sector

About the Team

Governance, Risk, and Compliance (GRC) is foundational to Security delivering mission outcomes at OpenAI. We're excited about building creative solutions to ambiguous security requirements and delivering new technologies to mission critical customers. The GRC team provides security and engineering expertise to ensure our customers' most critical and stringent requirements are met. We are technical in what we build but are operational in how we do our work, and are committed to obtaining and maintaining Authorization to Operate (ATOs) for critical systems while fostering a collaborative and execution-driven culture.

About the Role

Our technologies support some of the most important and impactful work in the world, including our strategic and high-impact customers in the public sector. As an Information System Security Engineer (ISSE), you'll play a pivotal role in achieving ATOs for systems deployed in highly regulated and secure environments. You'll work closely with engineers, internal stakeholders, and external assessors to design, document, and implement security controls that meet stringent compliance requirements. Your creativity and execution-focused approach will be critical in navigating complex challenges while maintaining the trust of our stakeholders.

We're looking for people who bring:

• Proven experience in obtaining and maintaining ATOs in highly restricted environments, within government or regulated sectors.

• A deep understanding of USG security frameworks and policies (e.g., NIST, RMF, FedRAMP).

• Ability to communicate technical concepts to diverse audiences, including engineers and non-technical stakeholders.

• Exceptional technical program management skills, with the ability to multitask and deliver large complex programs under pressure.

This role is based in Washington, DC. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

In this role, you will:

• Drive the ATO process across multiple government and restricted environments with minimal oversight.

• Collaborate with engineering teams to interpret security requirements and implement controls that balance compliance with operational needs.

• Create clear, concise, and technically accurate documentation, including System Security Plans (SSPs), risk assessments, and architecture diagrams.

• Act as a subject matter expert during audits and assessments, representing the organization with credibility and expertise.

• Continuously refine processes to improve the efficiency and quality of compliance efforts.

You might thrive in this role if you have:

• An active US security clearance.

• 5+ years of compliance experience in positions involving information security, data security, or infrastructure or network security.

• Familiarity with deployment models, including to cloud platforms (Azure, AWS) and the underlying infrastructure primitives (Kubernetes, Terraform).

• Strong familiarity with core security concepts and technologies, such as authentication, encryption, vulnerability management, and audit logging.

• The ability to work collaboratively and effectively in a cross-functional team environment.

• The ability to thrive in dynamic environments and can navigate ambiguity with ease.

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 do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability or any other legally protected status.

OpenAI Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement

For US Based Candidates: Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

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At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.

Compensation Range: $243K - $306K