Hardware Procurement Operations Lead (Controls & Integrations)

About the Team

Procurement sits within Finance and partners closely with Hardware BUs and to enable rapid execution with Finance-grade visibility and audit-ready controls. The team operates as an enablement and operating-system layer across procurement operations systems data and governanceworking cross-functionally with Finance/Accounting Legal Security/TPRM Trade Logistics and Enterprise Platform Technology.

About the Role

We are seeking a hands-on leader to co-design build and run the procurement operations backbone for OpenAIs hardware programs. This is a design-and-do role: you will build the operating enablement model (systems flows governance processes and RACI/DRIs) that enables product teams to move at prototyping and production speedwhile ensuring Finance Legal Security and Trade requirements are met and audit-ready.

You will lead a small team convene cross-functional forums to align on standard vs. BU-specific operating choices and serve as the primary escalation point for centrally owned operational blockers. You will partner closely with Finance and Accounting to ensure direct-materials flows are visible and auditable end-to-end.

This role does not own product readiness or BU execution (e.g. planning manufacturing operations day-to-day logistics). The role reports in Finance and is dotted-line into BU leadership.

Youll be responsible for:

Strategy & operating model

• Co-design and maintain the operating model with BU and functional leadersdefining what is standardized vs. BU-specific clarifying central vs. embedded responsibilities and documenting RACI/DRIs and escalation paths.
  

• Build the operating system (policies playbooks tiered approval lanes templates) so prototype speed and production-grade controls can coexist.
  

• Define and run escalation paths exception handling and operating cadences to keep launches moving while maintaining compliance and audit readiness.

Delivery & execution

• Stand up and run the launch operational readiness (back-office) cadence for hardware programsdefining required controls SLAs/DRIs and cross-functional handoffs across supplier onboarding purchasing/receiving signals landed cost and CapEx/asset tagging.
  

• Operationalize supplier onboarding/vendor master controls PO lifecycle governance receiving/inspection signals 3-way match readiness and tooling/CapEx capture controls.
  

• Ensure Finance-grade visibility via required part/PO metadata and reconciliation routines so Finance can track materials receipts liabilities and supplier payments.
  

• Define requirements and controls for logistics partner performance (with Logistics leadership) including landed-cost visibility invoice reconciliation and SLA measurement.
  

• Define and ensure controls/data handoffs for finished-goods flows with manufacturing partners (e.g. title transfer reporting cadence data ingestion).
  

• Run operational readiness forums and unblock paths across Procurement Logistics Finance/Accounting Legal Security/TPRM and Trade; document DRIs and outcomes tied to launches/milestones.
  

• Serve as primary cross-functional escalation point for centrally owned procurement-ops issues that block launches; partner with BU leads on BU-owned execution topics.
  

Systems & data

• Define requirements workflows and controls for hardware procurement ops; partner with Enterprise Platform Technology and BU teams to design/deliver integrations across intake onboarding/risk and select ERP module rollouts.
  

• Partner with Finance Systems and Accounting to define metadata and reconciliation processes so the org can reconcile materials spend receipts and payments; deliver interim controls where integrations are not yet in place.
  

• Define/recommend/govern procurement-required BOM/AVL attributes (with BU engineering/supply chain) and maintain interim reconciliation workbooks where systems are incomplete.

Governance risk & compliance

• Convene cross-functional forums with Legal Security/TPRM Trade and Finance to resolve time-sensitive sourcing/compliance questions route exceptions and document DRIs/outcomes for audit readiness.
  

• Maintain a direct procurement operations / supply chain enablement risk register and drive mitigations for supplier trade and regulatory risks.
  

• Establish audit-ready evidence practices for key controls (supplier onboarding approvals receipts/3-way match landed cost CapEx tagging and exceptions).
  

People & change

• Hire and lead a small enablement team (e.g. Procurement Systems Admin 3PL/4PL supplier onboarding readiness/RM embedded pod leads to support BUs).
  

• Translate execution pain points into structural fixes; champion change management through coaching training and pilots.
  

• Build strong operating rhythms and partnerships with BU teams Finance/Accounting Legal Security Trade and Enterprise Platform Technology.

Automation & continuous improvement

• Embed automation and AI into intake onboarding PO-to-fulfillment inventory visibility and dashboards to reduce manual work improve cycle times and strengthen compliance.
  

• Define and track Procure-to-Pay operational KPIs; continuously improve workflows and controls based on data and user feedback.
  

Were looking for someone with:

• Experience running direct procurement operations and supply chain operations in fast-moving hardware organizations (NPI production).
  

• Practical experience with ERP and PLM/MRP integrations plus asset accounting concepts (tooling/capitalization).
  

• Strong bias for action; delivers pilots that are production-useful within 60180 days.
  

• Collaborative operating style; partners with BUs to co-design responsibilities while owning the operating system and delivery.
  

• Working knowledge of trade compliance and supplier quality.

• 10 years in procurement ops supply chain ops or hardware manufacturing environments with NPI and BOM experience.
  

• Proven experience delivering ERP direct-materials configurations and at least one PLM/MRP implementation or pilot.
  

• Experience supporting contract manufacturing and logistics motions.
  

• Strong people leadership and track record of building/scaling enablement teams.

About OpenAI

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.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we do not discriminate on the basis of race religion color national origin sex sexual orientation age veteran status disability genetic information or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

For additional information please see OpenAIs Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary confidential and non-public addition job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

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