Senior Leasing & Strategy Manager, Real Estate & Workplace

ABOUT THE TEAM

At OpenAI, our Real Estate & Workplace (REW) team builds and manages the environments that power our innovation. We create spaces that are efficient, scalable, and aligned with our mission — from strategic leasing decisions to the systems that keep our workplaces running smoothly. Joining this team means helping shape the environments where world-changing technology is built.

ABOUT THE ROLE

We’re looking for a Senior Leasing & Strategy Manager to lead high-impact projects and shape the strategic direction of OpenAI’s global real estate portfolio. You’ll partner with the Leasing and Transactions team to own the full lifecycle of lease transactions, with a strong emphasis on detailed lease review, financial analysis, and portfolio strategy. You’ll also evaluate new opportunities, manage risks, and ensure all leasing decisions align with OpenAI’s long-term business objectives.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

You’ll thrive here if you’re excited to:

- Develop and execute real estate strategies that balance cost, flexibility, and growth needs.

- Perform detailed proposal and lease reviews of serviced office and direct leases to negotiate the best outcome for OpenAI.

- Shape portfolio decisions by creating models, scenarios, and recommendations for leadership.

- Balance strategy with day-to-day execution, ensuring outcomes align with company priorities.

- Partner with landlords to foster relationships.

- Introduce scalable processes that improve efficiency and decision-making.

IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL:

- Lead end-to-end execution of lease transactions, from strategy and RFPs through lease negotiation, review, approvals and signing.

- Conduct in-depth review of proposals and leases to ensure they benefit OpenAI.

- Develop portfolio strategies and and translate insights into clear, executive-level presentations and briefing materials.

- Build robust financial models and scenario plans.

- Track lease expirations, critical dates, and portfolio exposure to enable proactive decision-making.

- Collaborate cross-functionally (Strategic Finance, Legal, Design & Construction, Occupancy Planning, Accounting, and other teams) to align lease terms with strategic and operational needs.

- Partner on budgeting, variance reporting, and monthly financial reviews with Strategic Finance and Accounting teams.

- Maintain accurate reporting and portfolio analytics to inform future strategy and investments.

- Assist with Letter of Credits, Security Deposit and Certificates of Insurance and work with internal and external stakeholders on updates to LOC and Security Deposits.

- Team with Lease Administration to ensure a high level of accuracy on reporting.

- Track lease expirations and assist in coordination of restoration work and move-out oblig

- ations.

- Use AI-powered tools to accelerate analysis and scenario-planning and to streamline lease review, financial modeling, and portfolio reporting.

- Support sustainability initiatives by ensuring lease requirements align with OpenAI’s environmental goals.

YOU MIGHT THRIVE IN THIS ROLE IF YOU HAVE:

- 6–8+ years of corporate real estate transactions across commercial office, industrial, and warehouse environments; in-house experience strongly preferred.

- Advanced expertise in lease interpretation, real estate strategy, financial modeling, and risk assessment.

- A proven ability to create clear deliverables for executive decision-making.

- Strong communication skills with the ability to resolve ambiguity and independently solve complex issues.

- Balanced strategic planning with execution, moving seamlessly from big-picture portfolio strategy to detailed lease review.

- Proficiency in ChatGPT, Codex, Google/Microsoft Suites, and Lease Administration systems.

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.

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