About this role
Evaluating proposed data center sites, building investment cases, and managing construction budgets form the core daily work for the Head of Finance for Data Centers at OpenAI. This finance leader partners with infrastructure, real estate, energy, construction, procurement, and finance teams to turn proposed sites into sound investment decisions and funded projects across the full development lifecycle. Responsibilities include forecasting capital needs, managing active build budgets, and helping determine optimal financing structures for large-scale data center capacity.
OpenAI created this role to give leadership a clear view of project economics, funding requirements, and financial risks as infrastructure expands. Candidates who thrive here bring extensive experience leading finance for major data center builds or electric generation projects, often complemented by investment banking or private equity backgrounds. The position requires strong project finance expertise, advanced modeling skills, and the ability to communicate complex tradeoffs clearly to senior business leaders.
What you will do
- Lead financial evaluation of proposed data center and related power infrastructure projects by assessing site economics, development costs, and key risks.
- Build and maintain project-level models and capital expenditure forecasts that connect construction schedules, power delivery, and funding needs.
- Establish capital budgets and financial controls for active builds while tracking spending, change orders, and forecasts to completion.
- Partner with development, engineering, energy, construction, and procurement leaders to guide decisions affecting cost, timing, and long-term performance.
- Collaborate with Treasury, Corporate Finance, Tax, and Legal to evaluate financing options such as project debt, leases, and joint ventures.
- Prepare investment recommendations and capital approval materials that translate complex project details into clear choices for senior leadership.
- Build a consistent portfolio view of project costs and cash requirements while working with Accounting through project handoff.
What you need
- Bring over 10 years of experience across strategic finance, infrastructure finance, project development, or related fields.
- Possess prior experience as the finance leader for large-scale data center builds or major electric generation projects, directly owning investment analysis and capital budgets.
- Demonstrate a strong command of project finance, capital project economics, cash flow forecasting, and budget management.
- Exhibit excellent financial modeling skills with the judgment to test assumptions and quantify uncertainty.
- Understand construction cost drivers and risks, including utility timelines, procurement, contracts, and change orders.
- Show a proven track record of hiring, leading, and developing high-performing finance teams.
Nice to have
- Prior experience in investment banking or private equity
Benefits
- Offers Equity
Questions candidates ask
What is the compensation for this role?
The salary range for this position is $347K to $385K and includes offers of equity.
What background is preferred for candidates?
Prior experience as the finance leader for large-scale data center builds or major electric generation projects is required. Additionally, prior experience in investment banking or private equity is a strong preferred part of the background for this role.
What teams will this person partner with?
This role partners with teams across infrastructure, real estate, energy, construction, procurement, and finance. The individual will also work closely with Treasury, Corporate Finance, Tax, and Legal.