Strategic Delivery Lead, Federal Civilian & State and Local Government
About this role
Professionals who thrive in ambiguity, possess deep familiarity with federal science institutions, and relish bridging frontier AI research with practical scientific impact will excel in this position. The OpenAI for Government team brings advanced artificial intelligence to public institutions, helping leaders and researchers deploy these capabilities safely and reliably.
Within the Energy & Science pod, this individual contributor role focuses on shaping and delivering high-impact engagements across the Department of Energy, U.S. national laboratories, and the broader federal science community. Working alongside an Account Director and an Applied AI Architect, the successful candidate coordinates cross-functional resources to turn customer priorities into practical deployments for scientific research, engineering, and operational workflows.
What you will do
- Build trusted relationships with Department of Energy leadership, national lab directors, and research teams to turn senior alignment into actionable engagements.
- Own delivery plans for assigned science engagements, establishing clear milestones, accountable owners, and measurable scientific or operational outcomes.
- Translate research and mission needs into concrete requirements that engineers, researchers, and senior leaders can act upon.
- Coordinate the Applied AI Architect, specialist engineers, and customer technical teams on architecture, data access, evaluation, and deployment.
- Identify security, infrastructure, and resourcing risks early while working with accountable teams to resolve them promptly.
- Lead executive reviews and focused workshops in Washington and at customer sites to resolve issues and advance delivery.
What you need
- Bring 10+ years of experience leading complex technical programs, customer delivery, or transformation initiatives with the Department of Energy or comparable federal science institutions.
- Possess the ability to meet customer-specific access requirements, with an active Department of Energy Q and/or U.S. Government TS/SCI clearance preferred.
- Demonstrate a willingness to travel domestically for high-value customer engagements, workshops, and delivery milestones.
- Understand the national lab ecosystem and how government sponsors, researchers, and technical teams make decisions.
- Have led complex AI/ML, enterprise software, API, cloud, scientific computing, or digital transformation engagements through sustained adoption.
- Bring executive presence and enough technical fluency to evaluate AI use cases and work credibly with architects and researchers.
Nice to have
- Existing relationships across the Department of Energy and the national labs
- Experience with the National Nuclear Security Administration
- Familiarity with NASA or the National Science Foundation
Benefits
- Offers Equity
Skills and tech stack
Questions candidates ask
Where is this role located?
This role is based in Washington, DC, with domestic travel for high-value customer engagements, workshops, and delivery milestones.
What is the compensation for this position?
The salary range is $266K – $370K, and the position also offers equity.
Does this position carry a sales quota?
This is an individual contributor role where you own delivery coordination, adoption, and customer outcomes without an individual sales quota.
What security clearance is required?
An active DOE Q and/or U.S. Government TS/SCI clearance is preferred for engagements involving national security missions.