Recruiting Coordinator Lead, Applied

About the Team OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. Hiring exceptional talent is one of the most important ways we pursue this mission, and our Recruiting Coordination team plays a critical role in ensuring a world-class candidate and stakeholder experience throughout the hiring process. We’re seeking a Recruiting Coordinator Lead to join our team and help scale and strengthen recruiting operations across OpenAI. This role will partner closely with recruiters, sourcers, interviewers, hiring managers, recruiting leadership, and cross-functional stakeholders to drive operational excellence, improve coordination processes, and support efficient, scalable hiring practices. This role goes beyond scheduling execution — we are looking for a highly experienced coordination leader who can design scalable coordination practices, identify systemic inefficiencies, influence process changes across teams, and help raise the operational bar across the coordination organization. About the Role As a Recruiting Coordinator Lead, you will: Lead scalable recruiting coordination practices across multiple technical business functions and hiring pipelines, ensuring operations are efficient, consistent, and candidate-first. Act as a strategic partner on recruiting operations challenges, helping identify scalable solutions through data, tools, process improvements, and cross-functional collaboration. Partner closely with recruiters, hiring managers, recruiting leadership, and Executive Operations teams to support hiring goals and drive operational excellence. Act as a trusted operational lead within the coordination organization by both managing and mentoring coordinators, driving consistency, and helping establish scalable best practices. Support interviewer enablement efforts including interviewer training logistics, onboarding coordination, interviewer pool management, and load balancing support. Use tools such as Ashby, Guide, ChatGPT, Google Workspace, Slack, Navan, Reimbi and Notion to support a timely, efficient, and high-quality hiring experience. Manage professional, timely, and candidate-first communication with candidates and stakeholders across written and verbal channels. Coordinate onsite interview logistics, candidate travel, and reimbursement processes, including domestic and international travel support. Identify systemic operational gaps, conduct root-cause analysis, and recommend scalable improvements that support long-term recruiting growth. Navigate ambiguity, shifting priorities, and fast-moving hiring environments while influencing stakeholders to adopt consistent and scalable coordination practices. Qualifications: 5+ years of recruiting coordination, recruiting operations, or related experience in fast-paced or high-growth environments. 1.5+ years of experience managing or leading recruiting coordinators, contingent workforce teams, or recruiting operations in a high-volume environment. Significant experience supporting multiple technical business functions and hiring teams with varying operational needs and stakeholder styles. Proven expertise managing high-volume and complex technical scheduling. Experience supporting interviewer load balancing strategies or recruiting capacity planning efforts. Strong stakeholder management and communication skills with the ability to build trust and influence across recruiters, hiring managers, executives, and cross-functional partners. Demonstrated track record of improving coordination workflows, operational processes, or recruiting systems at scale. Expertise with tools such as Google Calendar, Guide, Ashby, Slack, Notion, Navan, Reimbi and Google Workspace, with demonstrated ability to handle high-volume tasks efficiently. Highly organized with strong prioritization skills and the ability to adapt quickly in fast-paced, ambiguous environments. Detail-oriented, proactive, and solutions-oriented when addressing operational challenges. Collaborative mindset with a passion for improving processes, documentation, and team operations. High level of professionalism and discretion when supporting senior leadership and executive-level candidates. Preferred Qualifications: Experience supporting hypergrowth or rapidly scaling recruiting organizations. Advanced technical knowledge of tools used for process automation, reporting, or operational optimization in recruiting. Broader knowledge of AI or technology trends and enthusiasm for OpenAI’s mission. Strong process improvement mindset with experience contributing to scalable systems, operational consistency, or improved team workflows. Location & Workplace This role is based in our San Francisco office and we aren’t considering remote applications at this time. We offer relocation support to new employees, and we use a hybrid work model: three days in the office per week with optional work from home on Thursdays and Fridays. Our open-plan offices have height-adjustabl