About this role
The Industrial Security team at OpenAI builds secure, compliant programs that support government customers and protect sensitive information for national security work. Operating within this group, the Personnel Security Specialist manages daily operations to ensure employees hold the necessary clearances, access, briefings, and government approvals. Responsibilities include handling clearance requests, maintaining records in government systems, coordinating visits, and guiding staff through compliance requirements with discretion.
This role exists to keep high-volume security operations accurate, timely, and organized while supporting important national security initiatives. Candidates who thrive in this position are hands-on security professionals with experience managing operational queues in cleared defense contractor or intelligence community environments. An ideal applicant brings strong organizational skills, familiarity with government security systems, and the ability to refine processes while handling sensitive information carefully.
What you will do
- Manage daily personnel security operations from intake to completion, including clearance verification, access nominations, visit requests, onboarding, and offboarding.
- Process and track personnel eligibility, classified access, indoctrinations, debriefings, and customer approvals.
- Maintain audit-ready records in platforms such as DISS, NBIS/eApp, and NISS.
- Guide employees through security forms, clearance requirements, and briefings while protecting sensitive personal information.
- Coordinate security actions with government representatives, customer security offices, and internal departments.
- Identify documentation discrepancies, aging cases, and potential security concerns, escalating complex issues appropriately.
- Develop and improve checklists, standard operating procedures, metrics, and workflows to reduce backlog and manual effort.
What you need
- Hands-on personnel security experience supporting a cleared defense contractor, Intelligence Community organization, federal customer, or comparable classified environment.
- Direct experience managing clearance verification, access processing, indoctrinations, debriefings, visit requests, and security briefings for cleared personnel.
- Working experience with DISS and NBIS/eApp.
- Understanding of the NISPOM, Security Executive Agent Directives, and government personnel security requirements.
- Ability to manage competing priorities, sensitive records, recurring deadlines, and a high-volume case queue with high accuracy.
- Demonstrated discretion with personal information and sound judgment regarding when to involve security leadership or government officials.
- Active Top Secret eligibility and current SCI access, with the ability to obtain and maintain customer-required polygraph or additional access approvals.
Nice to have
- Familiarity with NISS, SWFT, Scattered Castles, or customer-specific security systems
- Experience supporting SCI or SAP access, customer-specific nominations, visit authorization requests, or related access packages
Benefits
- Offers Equity
- Relocation assistance
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
Where is this job located and what is the remote policy?
This role is based in San Francisco, CA, or Washington, DC. The team uses a hybrid work model of three days in the office per week, and additional onsite presence or occasional travel may be required based on classified program needs.
What is the salary and compensation structure?
The salary range is $126K to $175K, and the position includes offers of equity.
What security systems and clearances are required?
Applicants need working experience with DISS and NBIS/eApp, as well as active Top Secret eligibility and current SCI access.