Total Rewards Business Partner, APAC

About the Team OpenAI’s Total Rewards team plays a critical role in attracting, rewarding, and retaining world-class talent in support of our mission to ensure artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. The team designs and delivers compensation and benefits programs that are competitive, equitable, innovative, and scalable, while balancing global strategy, local market dynamics, employee experience, and long-term sustainability. About the Role OpenAI is seeking an APAC Total Rewards Business Partner to lead and support compensation initiatives and provide regional benefits execution and operational support across the region as we continue to expand our global footprint. This role will serve as a key regional partner, helping translate OpenAI’s global Total Rewards strategy into programs and practices that reflect local market needs, regulatory requirements, and the evolving needs of our employees. In this role, you will partner closely with regional leadership, HR Business Partners, Recruiting, People Operations, Finance, Payroll, Legal, and external partners to design, implement, and manage compensation and benefits programs across APAC. You will operate as both a strategic advisor and hands-on practitioner, balancing global consistency with regional flexibility while maintaining a high bar for employee experience and operational excellence. This role is based in Singapore and we use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the Singapore office per week. In this role, you will: Regional Total Rewards Partnership: Serve as a trusted Total Rewards advisor across APAC, providing strategic and practical guidance on compensation, benefits, market practices, and complex employee matters as the region scales. Compensation Strategy & Design: Support the development and evolution of base pay structures, incentive programs, equity frameworks, and other compensation programs to ensure competitiveness, internal consistency, and alignment with OpenAI’s global compensation philosophy. Benefits Execution & Operations: Partner with the International Benefits Lead to support the implementation and ongoing operation of APAC benefits programmes, aligned with agreed priorities and programme designs. Provide regional support for benefits rollouts, vendor coordination, employee communications and operational issue resolution, and surface local insights to inform programme decisions. Market Benchmarking & Insights: Lead compensation and benefits benchmarking and market analysis across APAC, translating external market developments, regulatory changes, and regional practices into thoughtful recommendations. Offer Strategy & Pay Decisions: Partner with Recruiting and HRBPs on offer design, compensation decisions, and approvals, balancing market competitiveness, internal equity, global philosophy, and local market considerations. Program Management & Governance: Support the effective administration and governance of regional Total Rewards programs, ensuring strong controls, data integrity, regulatory compliance, and consistent application of policies and practices. Employee Experience & Communication: Develop clear, thoughtful communications that help employees and leaders understand and navigate Total Rewards programs, including compensation processes, benefits enrollment, and program changes. Operational Excellence & Automation: Identify opportunities to simplify, automate, and scale Total Rewards processes and tools while strengthening data integrity, controls, and the overall operating model. You might thrive in this role if you have: Total Rewards Expertise: 10+ years of experience in compensation, benefits, or broader Total Rewards, with meaningful experience supporting programs across multiple APAC markets. Regional Knowledge: Strong understanding of APAC compensation and benefits practices, market dynamics, and regulatory considerations, with the ability to navigate differences across countries and cultures. Strategic & Analytical Thinking: Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to translate complex data, market information, and business needs into clear recommendations. Communication & Influence: Excellent communication and presentation skills, with demonstrated ability to advise senior leaders and navigate nuanced Total Rewards discussions across different audiences and markets. Project Management & Execution: Strong organizational and project management capabilities, with the ability to independently manage multiple complex initiatives in a fast-moving environment. Cross-Functional Collaboration: Proven ability to work effectively across HR, Recruiting, Finance, Legal, Payroll, Operations, and business leadership. Operational Mindset: A strong orientation toward scalable processes, automation, data integrity, and continuous improvement, with a willingness to work hands-on through complex problems. Adaptability: Comfort operating in ambiguity and buil