Head of National Security Policy - APAC

About the Team

OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We believe that achieving our goal requires effective engagement with public policy stakeholders and the broader community impacted by AI. Accordingly, our Global Affairs team builds authentic, collaborative relationships with public officials and the broader AI policymaking community to inform and support our shared work in these domains. We ensure that insights from policymakers inform our work and in collaboration with our colleagues and external stakeholders, seek to shape policy so that it aligns with and supports our mission.

About the Role

This position reports to OpenAI’s global Head of National Security Policy and will help advance OpenAI’s engagement with the Asia-Pacific national security community. This is a senior IC role leading OpenAI’s Asia-Pacific security and technology policy engagement in support of our regional strategy. You will be OpenAI’s primary policy representative on matters related to defense, security, and AI policy across the region, positioning OpenAI as a trusted partner for national security stakeholders across allied and partner governments, regional multilateral fora, and key security institutions.

Key responsibilities include:

• Build and sustain senior relationships across Asia-Pacific ministries of defense/foreign affairs, intelligence, and cybersecurity, including across key partner frameworks such as ASEAN, AUKUS, and the Quad, and in relevant national capitals.

• Represent OpenAI with senior officials, lawmakers, and multilateral bodies, including ASEAN-led mechanisms (ARF, ADMM-Plus), regional security dialogues, and Track 1/1.5 channels as appropriate.

• Lead external engagement with regional think tanks, research institutions, industry groups, and working bodies on AI, security, and resilience, anchored around convenings such as Shangri-La Dialogue and Raisina Dialogue.

• Coordinate closely with the APAC regional team, and act as a cross-functional connector across OpenAI’s global policy team to align between Asia-Pacific efforts and broader national security strategy.

• Track and shape policy developments affecting AI in defense, intelligence, dual-use tech, and export controls, especially those tied to Indo-Pacific security cooperation and defense innovation pathways.

• Draft crisp policy products (briefs, memos, and government responses) on national security and public safety implications of advanced AI, tailored to regional priorities and cooperation mechanisms.

• Advise internal teams on opportunities to strengthen regional resilience and scale beneficial uses of AI for democratic security, defense, disaster response, and critical infrastructure, aligned with priorities in ASEAN, the Pacific Islands Forum, and key partner initiatives.

This role can be based in Singapore, Tokyo or Sydney and will require regular travel throughout the region and occasional trips to the United States.

You should thrive in this role if you:

• Are politically astute, with a deep understanding of the Indo-Pacific security environment, including the defense and intelligence apparatus of key Asia-Pacific democracies and partners, and the regional dynamics shaping security cooperation.

• Are an experienced relationship builder with an established network of senior government officials, multilateral institutions, and/or civil society stakeholders in a national security or technology policy context across the Asia-Pacific region.

• Possess outstanding communication and diplomatic skills, with the ability to represent OpenAI externally and work effectively across cultures and political systems.

We're looking for a blend of:

• 10+ years of experience in Asia-Pacific or Indo-Pacific security, including within relevant national ministries (defense, foreign affairs, intelligence, internal security), regional security organizations, or closely related multilateral and alliance contexts. Candidates with prior industry and government relations experience will have an advantage.

• Demonstrated credibility with senior stakeholders across the Asia-Pacific national security ecosystem.

• Regional language capability (English plus at least one major regional language) a significant plus.

• Familiarity with emerging technology issues, particularly dual-use AI capabilities, including CBRN and cybersecurity.

• Strong strategic instincts and the ability to deliver results in a fast-paced, evolving environment.

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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