# Senior Counsel, Sanctions and Trade Compliance

**Company:** [OpenAI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/openai)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, Washington, DC, New York, NY
**Role:** Legal
**Salary:** $297k – $330k/yr
**Experience:** 10+ years
**Skills:** Sanctions Compliance, Trade Compliance, U.S. Sanctions Law, International Sanctions, Compliance Program Management, Risk Assessments, Program Management, Cross-Functional Collaboration, AI Tools, Compliance Reporting
**Posted:** 2026-04-29

> Leads OpenAI's sanctions and trade compliance program, developing global strategies, embedding controls into workflows, and advising cross-functional teams on U.S./international regulations. Requires 10+ years trade compliance experience, JD, and active law license.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Advise cross-functional teams on compliance and legal requirements applicable to OpenAI’s products and services under U.S. and international sanctions regimes.
- Develop sanctions compliance strategies and processes at a global scale for a frontier AI company operating across jurisdictions and products.
- Partner closely with cross-functional teams across Finance, Integrity, GRC, and Engineering to implement sanctions screening and controls that are deeply embedded into business workflows.
- Own compliance documentation and reporting, including policies, standards, dashboards, metrics, and escalation frameworks to enable rapid monitoring, assessment, and improvement of compliance processes.
- Work with cross-functional teams to deeply understand and integrate compliance systems and tools, ensuring compliance checks are seamless, reliable, and adaptable as OpenAI evolves.
- Lead ongoing reviews and risk assessments to ensure the continued effectiveness of our compliance controls and processes.
- Manage and coordinate vendors and other third parties who support OpenAI’s compliance operations.
- Assist in the development of trade compliance training materials for our cross-functional partners and business teams.
- Explore and deploy AI tools to enhance and streamline OpenAI’s trade compliance efforts.

## Requirements
- 10+ years of experience in the trade compliance field, including developing and implementing trade compliance programs at a large, technology-focused company.
- J.D. from an accredited law school and active license to practice law, in good standing, in at least one U.S. jurisdiction.
- Sophisticated understanding of how US and international sanctions laws apply to multinational US companies.
- Successfully embedded comprehensive compliance programs and incorporated compliance processes into complex business workflows without slowing innovation.
- Highly skilled at program management, including organizing complex systems, tasks, processes, and documentation.
- Strong communication skills that build trust with cross-functional teams, from engineers to business leaders.
- Strong sense of ownership, inquisitive and enthusiastic about technology, sound judgment in ambiguous situations.

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