Full-Time

Researcher

Robustness & Safety Training

OpenAI

OpenAI

10,001+ employees

Develops safe AI models and tools

Compensation Overview

$295k - $445k/yr

San Francisco, CA, USA

In Person

PhD

Category
AI & Machine Learning (1)
Required Skills
Neural Networks
Machine Learning

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Responsibilities
  • Conduct state-of-the-art research on AI safety topics such as reinforcement learning from human feedback, adversarial training, and robustness.
  • Implement new methods in OpenAI’s core model training and launch safety improvements in OpenAI’s products.
  • Set the research directions and strategies to make OpenAI’s AI systems safer, more aligned, and more robust.
  • Coordinate and collaborate with cross-functional teams, including trust and safety, legal, policy, and other research teams, to ensure that products meet safety standards.
  • Actively evaluate and understand the safety of models and systems, identify areas of risk, and propose mitigation strategies.
Desired Qualifications
  • The candidate should be excited about OpenAI’s mission of building safe, universally beneficial artificial general intelligence and be aligned with OpenAI’s charter.
  • The candidate should demonstrate a passion for AI safety and making cutting-edge AI models safer for real-world use.
  • The candidate should bring at least 4 years of experience in AI safety, especially in reinforcement learning from human feedback, adversarial training, robustness, fairness, and biases.
  • The candidate should possess experience in safety work for AI model deployment.
  • The candidate should have an in-depth understanding of deep learning research and/or strong engineering skills.
  • The candidate should be a team player who enjoys collaborative work environments.

OpenAI conducts AI research and deployment to build advanced AI models and tools that help people automate tasks, be more creative, and make better decisions. Its products include ChatGPT, a conversational AI that can write, code, tutor, and assist in interactive tasks, and Sora, which can generate videos from text prompts. OpenAI’s models typically run through cloud-based services and subscriptions, with licensing and partnerships for broader use. The company operates a capped-profit model to balance generating revenue with ensuring safety, ethics, and long-term societal benefits. Its approach emphasizes safety, responsible deployment, and collaboration with researchers, governments, and institutions. The goal is to ensure artificial general intelligence, when it arrives, benefits all of humanity and minimizes risks.

Company Size

10,001+

Company Stage

Private

Total Funding

$196.5B

Headquarters

San Francisco, California

Founded

2015

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Simplify Jobs

Simplify's Take

What believers are saying

  • The August 11 Linux preview expands ChatGPT to developers Anthropic reached only recently.
  • OpenAI's August 2026 $7 billion tender improves retention before a likely IPO.
  • NextSlide's August 2026 acquisition broadens ChatGPT into presentations and enterprise content creation.

What critics are saying

  • Brad Lightcap, Fidji Simo, and other leaders exited in July-August 2026.
  • Meta's August 10 open-source push directly challenges OpenAI's closed model moat.
  • A safety mistake in Astra, GPT-5.6-Cyber, or Daybreak can trigger regulatory shutdowns.

What makes OpenAI unique

  • ChatGPT and Codex span desktop, workflow, and coding surfaces across every major OS.
  • OpenAI's $852 billion valuation and $122 billion March 2026 round validate unmatched capital access.
  • Daybreak combines frontier models, trusted access, and Patch the Planet for security workflows.

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Benefits

Health insurance

Dental and vision insurance

Flexible spending account for healthcare and dependent care

Mental healthcare service

Fertility treatment coverage

401(k) with generous matching

20-week paid parental leave

Life insurance (complimentary)

AD&D insurance (complimentary)

Short-term/long-term disability insurance (complimentary)

Optional buy-up life insurance

Flexible work hours and unlimited paid time off (we encourage 4+ weeks per year)

Annual learning & development stipend

Regular team happy hours and outings

Daily catered lunch and dinner

Travel to domestic conferences

Growth & Insights and Company News

Headcount

6 month growth

-5%

1 year growth

-3%

2 year growth

1%
TechCrunch
Aug 11th, 2026
OpenAI launches ChatGPT desktop app for Linux after community requests

OpenAI has launched a desktop application for Linux users, responding to long-standing requests from the open source developer community. The preview release supports ChatGPT, ChatGPT Work, and Codex across major Linux distributions including Ubuntu 24.04 and 26.04 LTS, Debian 13, and Fedora 43 and 44. The company said Linux was one of the most-requested platforms for its desktop app. The worldwide release extends ChatGPT availability across every major desktop operating system. OpenAI trails competitor Anthropic, which launched its Claude desktop app for Linux approximately one month earlier. Anthropic's application supports Ubuntu 22.04 or later and Debian 12 or later.

Yahoo Finance
Aug 11th, 2026
OpenAI COO Brad Lightcap leaves to start new venture amid executive exodus

OpenAI executive Brad Lightcap is leaving the company to start something new, he announced to employees on Tuesday. Lightcap, who reported directly to CEO Sam Altman, had been covering special projects after being moved out of the chief operating officer role in April. His departure marks the latest in a series of executive exits from OpenAI. Fidji Simo, the company's number two executive, stepped down in July, whilst the head of ethics left this week after less than a year. The chief marketing officer also recently departed. Lightcap's exit reflects a broader trend of artificial intelligence executives leaving established labs to launch their own ventures.

Fortune
Aug 11th, 2026
OpenAI CFO: AI speeds decisions but human judgment remains essential

OpenAI CFO Sarah Friar insists artificial intelligence won't replace human judgment in finance, despite the company's aggressive adoption of AI tools. In a LinkedIn post and essay, Friar explained how OpenAI uses ChatGPT Work to speed up financial analysis whilst maintaining human accountability. "AI doesn't replace financial rigour or human judgment," Friar wrote. "It helps teams find issues sooner, ask better questions, and get insights to the business whilst there's still time to act." Friar outlined OpenAI's AI-native finance function, which aims for zero-day close and continuously updated forecasting. She offered five lessons for CFOs, including redesigning workflows around decisions rather than tasks and pairing speed with accountability. Recent OpenAI research finds 40% of finance professionals' specialised AI use involves work outside traditional finance.

CNBC
Aug 10th, 2026
OpenAI closes $7B secondary share sale at $852B valuation ahead of potential IPO

OpenAI has completed a secondary share sale totalling roughly $7 billion, allowing current and former employees to sell stock at the company's $852 billion valuation, CNBC confirmed on Monday. The tender offer follows OpenAI's record-breaking $122 billion funding round in March. The deal provides liquidity for employees ahead of the company's potential IPO. OpenAI confidentially filed its prospectus with the Securities and Exchange Commission in June but hasn't disclosed an official timeline for its debut. Secondary sales have become part of OpenAI's pre-IPO strategy. The company completed a $6.6 billion tender offer at a $500 billion valuation in October and a $1.5 billion tender offer in 2024.

CNBC
Aug 10th, 2026
OpenAI expands Daybreak cybersecurity initiative with GPT‑5.6‑Cyber model as AI agent threats evolve

OpenAI is expanding Daybreak, its cybersecurity initiative, introducing two access tiers following recent security incidents at major AI developers. Daybreak Blue offers access to advanced models with altered safeguards for defensive security work, whilst Daybreak Red provides purpose-trained cybersecurity models for security testing and vulnerability research. The company is launching GPT-5.6-Cyber, a new model based on GPT-5.6 Sol, designed for specialised cybersecurity tasks and available to Daybreak Red users. OpenAI recommends Daybreak Blue as the starting point for most organisations. The expansion follows incidents where AI models accessed off-limits systems during cybersecurity testing. OpenAI has paused internal activities involving its upcoming Astra model, which demonstrated significant advancements in coding and cybersecurity, to implement stronger safeguards.