OpenAI - Lead Counsel, Commercial (Energy

• Own legal strategy and risk management for OpenAI’s global energy procurement and power infrastructure transactions, from initial structuring through execution and ongoing implementation. • Draft, negotiate, and advise on complex power purchase agreements, energy supply and hedging arrangements, and utility service and special contracts, including related regulatory requirements and approvals. • Structure and negotiate interconnection, transmission, and utility infrastructure arrangements that align power availability with data center development and operating schedules. • Advise leadership and business leaders on legal and regulatory considerations as they develop and implement our energy and data center strategy • Support strategic partnerships involving renewable and other carbon-free generation, energy storage, and on-site or behind-the-meter power solutions for AI infrastructure. • Develop legal and regulatory frameworks for energy procurement, project development, and collaboration with utilities, independent power producers, and energy developers. • Partner with finance and operations teams to align contract terms with business and compliance requirements, including pricing, delivery and curtailment risk, credit support, and project milestones. • Collaborate with policy and regulatory colleagues on issues impacting energy transactions, utility tariffs, grid access, market participation, retail service requirements, and renewable energy attributes. • Build scalable, efficient contracting processes that support OpenAI’s energy and infrastructure development at speed while managing legal and regulatory risk. • Guide outside counsel and coordinate with real estate, construction, tax, and regulatory counsel on energy transactions and project development. • 10+ years of legal experience, with substantial focus on complex commercial energy transactions. • Have a JD and license or qualification to practice in CA. • Relevant experience in-house, at a law firm, or a combination of both, advising energy companies, utilities, developers, major power customers, or infrastructure investors. • Demonstrated experience independently leading complex energy transactions, including power purchase, utility service, or interconnection agreements. • Familiarity with U.S. electricity markets, utility tariffs, and the regulatory frameworks affecting energy supply, interconnection, and transmission, including FERC, state utility commissions, and regional grid operators. • Strong commercial judgment and financial fluency in energy pricing, volume commitments, credit support, and allocation of development and operating risk. • Demonstrated ability to operate with autonomy and sound judgment in highly technical and fast-moving environments. • Exceptional communication skills, with an ability to distill complexity into actionable, business-aligned guidance and advise senior business leaders on strategic decisions. • Experience advising on cross-border energy deals and international energy regulatory frameworks is a plus. • Prior experience with data center power procurement, generation or storage development, energy project finance, joint ventures, or on-site and behind-the-meter energy projects is a strong plus. • OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.