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Site Selection Lead

openai

Híbrido San Francisco
Advertising

Job Score

90 pts
Hybrid model (+80) Advertising (+10)

About the Team

OpenAI is building the world’s most advanced AI infrastructure ecosystem. The Site Readiness & Development team owns the upstream diligence and development work required to convert powered-land opportunities into executable infrastructure options.

About the Role

The Site Selection Lead sets the site-selection strategy for powered-land and greenfield/brownfield opportunities. This role defines, with cross-functional partners, what makes a site attractive, executable, and scalable, then turns that shared rubric into portfolio choices and deployment plans.

Key Responsibilities

  • Own the site-selection strategy across priority geographies, including market maps, pipeline segmentation, source refreshes, live-location tracking, and portfolio prioritization.

  • Convene Power, Land, Development, Engineering, Construction, Environmental, Community, Commercial, Legal, and Finance partners to define the shared rubric for a high-quality site.

  • Translate that rubric into clear screening criteria across power readiness, land control, timing, scale, cost, community risk, environmental constraints, AHJ path, budget, schedule, and counterparty credibility.

  • Orchestrate Commercial, Legal, Finance, Power, and Development teams to shape exclusivity, initial terms, site-control strategy, funding assumptions, and the path to deployment before deeper commitment.

  • Build a deployment plan for top candidates that identifies capacity, sequencing, capital implications, critical-path approvals, risks, owners, and stage-gate decisions.

  • Lead conceptual site planning and test-fit screening using boundaries, map layers, buildings, substations, roads, parking, laydown, stormwater, utility corridors, acreage, and estimated load.

  • Maintain a single decision-support view of pipeline stage, site health, power readiness, finance review, maps, project evidence, outstanding source data, owners, deadlines, and escalations.

  • Present executive-ready advance, defer, or stop recommendations with clear trade-offs, resource asks, and next steps; hand qualified sites to the Development Lead with a complete screening record.

Qualifications

  • 6+ years in site selection, infrastructure development, data center development, energy development, commercial real estate, or a related field.

  • Strong strategic judgment on market intelligence, portfolio construction, site viability, counterparty credibility, and prioritization.

  • Demonstrated ability to lead cross-functional organizations through ambiguous decisions and align technical, commercial, legal, and finance stakeholders.

  • Commercial and financial fluency sufficient to connect site quality, deal terms, capital implications, schedule, and deployment risk.

  • Experience building site funnels, screening frameworks, mapping or test-fit workflows, dashboards, and executive decision materials.

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 OpenAI’s 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 information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy

At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.

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About Advertising

The Advertising area is aimed at the planning, creation, and delivery of communication campaigns to promote brands, products, ideas, or services. Professionals in the sector work in advertising agencies or in-house marketing departments in creative fields (art direction, copywriting), strategic planning, account management, and media buying.

Discover Other Areas

Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.

About IT Governance

IT Governance is the area responsible for ensuring that information technology resources are used strategically, efficiently, and in compliance with standards and regulations. IT governance professionals ensure that technology supports business objectives in a secure and reliable manner.

Key skills include IT service management (ITIL), IT audit and compliance, risk management, business continuity, disaster recovery, metrics and indicators (SLAs, KPIs), and strategic alignment between IT and business. Frameworks like COBIT, ITIL, ISO 27001, and compliance standards are essential.

IT Governance professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master ITSM, IT audit, and risk management. The field offers opportunities from governance analyst to CIO/CTO, with a focus on efficiency, compliance, security, and business value.

About Graphic Designer

The Graphic Designer is the professional responsible for creating visual pieces for print and digital communication, from visual identity and logos to marketing materials and packaging. They combine creativity with technique to convey messages visually and impactfully.

Key skills include Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator, and InDesign, CorelDRAW, visual identity design, typography, color theory, packaging design, and motion graphics. Knowledge of vector illustration, offset/digital printing, and print production is a differentiator.

Graphic Designers in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master social media design, infographics, and can create materials that strengthen brand visual identity. The field offers opportunities from junior graphic designer to art director and design director.

About Social Media

The Social Media area is one of the most dynamic and constantly evolving fields in digital marketing. Social media professionals are responsible for creating, managing, and optimizing brand presence on digital platforms, building engagement and community with the target audience.

Key skills include social media management (Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook, YouTube), social media content creation, community management, paid social media (Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads), metrics analysis, and strategic planning. Tools like Hootsuite, Sprout Social, Buffer, Later, and analytics platforms are essential.

Social media professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master paid social, social media analytics, and content strategies for different platforms. The field offers opportunities from analyst to head of social media, with a focus on growth, engagement, and return on investment.

About Business Analysis

The Business Analyst (BA) is the professional responsible for identifying problems, opportunities, and solutions in organizational processes, acting as a bridge between business areas and the technology development team. They gather and specify requirements, map value streams, design future processes, and help ensure that software deliveries align with the company's strategic goals.

About QA and Testing

QA and Software Testing are fundamental to ensure the quality and reliability of applications. QA professionals ensure that the delivered product meets requirements and is free of critical defects.

Key skills include manual and automated testing, Selenium, Cypress, Playwright, Postman, JMeter, and CI/CD pipeline knowledge. Performance and security testing are differentiators.

With the adoption of DevOps and continuous deployment, the demand for automation QAs and SDETs continues to grow.

Career Guides

Technology Career Guide

Planning, skills, interviews, and professional growth in IT, Data Science, DevOps, and Product.

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Design Career Guide

UX/UI, Graphic Design, Product Design. Portfolio, tools, interviews, and growth in the Design field.

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Marketing Career Guide

SEO, Paid Media, Growth, Content Marketing. Certifications, tools, and strategies to grow in Digital Marketing.

Read full guide →

Finance Career Guide

Financial market, investments, corporate finance, certifications, and strategies to grow in the financial field.

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Communication Career Guide

Journalism, PR, Corporate Communication, Content Marketing, and Multimedia Production.

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Administration Career Guide

Business Management, HR, Logistics, Consulting, Project Management, and Entrepreneurship.

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Data Career Guide

Data Science, Data Engineering, BI, Machine Learning, and AI. From training to the job market.

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Product Career Guide

Product Management, Product Ownership, Agile, Scrum, and OKRs. From strategy to execution.

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Tech & Remote Glossary

Stop getting lost in interviews and job descriptions

The job market, especially within tech and global companies, has developed its own dialect. Not understanding these acronyms can make you lose valuable opportunities or poorly negotiate your contract. To end this problem, we created the Definitive Glossary for the Remote Professional.

🏢 Work Models & Routine

Async (Asynchronous Work)
A communication model where responses don't need to be immediate. Instead of back-to-back meetings, the team relies on well-structured documents, threads, and messages. It's the gold standard for global companies spanning multiple time zones.
Sync (Synchronous Work)
The opposite of Async. It requires the team to be online and available at the same time for meetings, live chats, and real-time collaboration.
Daily / Stand-up
A quick daily meeting (usually 15 minutes) common in Agile (Scrum) methodologies. The team answers three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any blockers?
All-Hands / Town Hall
A company-wide meeting involving all employees. Usually led by the founders (C-Levels) to present results, new goals, and answer team questions.
1:1 (One-on-One)
A recurring individual meeting between a professional and their direct manager. It is used for career alignment, feedback, and problem-solving, not just for project status updates.

💰 Contracts, Benefits & Compensation

PTO (Paid Time Off)
Instead of strict, categorized leave policies, modern US companies usually offer a flexible pool of days (e.g., 20 days of PTO, or even "Unlimited PTO") that you can use for vacations, sick days, or personal matters, while receiving your regular compensation.
Equity / Stock Options
Company ownership. The startup offers you the right to buy shares at a heavily discounted strike price in the future. If the company grows, goes public, or is acquired, these shares can be highly lucrative.
Vesting (Vesting Schedule)
The rule that controls your Equity. It usually lasts 4 years. You don't get all the shares on day one; you "earn" them gradually as you stay with the company. A "1-year Cliff" means you must stay for at least one year to receive your first batch of shares.
RSUs (Restricted Stock Units)
Unlike Stock Options (where you have the right to buy the stock), RSUs are actual shares the company grants you as a bonus or part of your compensation package, following a strict Vesting schedule.
Independent Contractor (1099 / B2B)
The most common international hiring model for global talent working for US companies. You act as a service provider (business-to-business), receiving the gross salary (often six-figure compensation) without standard local payroll tax deductions at the source.

🤖 Recruitment & Hiring Process

ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
The "robot" that reads your resume. Software like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday are used to filter candidates by keywords before a human even looks at the document. (Pro tip: this is why your resume must be clean, semantic, and have the right keywords).
JD (Job Description)
The document that lists the responsibilities, technical requirements, and benefits of the open position.
Cultural Fit
The interview stage that evaluates if your core values, communication style, and worldview align with the company's culture. This is the ultimate test of your Soft Skills.
Onboarding
The integration process. It's the period of your first few weeks at the company, where you get your access credentials, learn about the culture, study the internal documentation, and understand how the product works.

🚀 How to use this to your advantage?

The secret isn't just knowing what these acronyms mean, but using them actively. If during an interview for a premium tech role you ask, "How does your PTO policy and Vesting schedule work?", the recruiter will immediately perceive you as a high-level professional, familiar with the global market standards.

The remote job market requires preparation. And having the right vocabulary is the first big step to securing six-figure proposals and standing out among thousands of applicants.

Expert Tip

Landing Top-Tier Traffic Analyst and SEO Roles

The New Era of Performance Marketing

The digital marketing landscape has undergone a radical transformation in recent years. The era of the "button pusher" who merely launched Meta Ads campaigns or stuffed keywords into WordPress is officially over. Today, companies—especially top-tier US startups and global tech corporations offering six-figure compensations—are looking for analytical, Growth-focused, and highly Data-Driven professionals.

Whether managing multi-million dollar paid media budgets or optimizing site architecture for the new AI-driven search engines, the Traffic and SEO Analyst has become the engine of predictable revenue for tech companies worldwide.

1. Technical SEO and the AI Revolution (SGE)

With Google's introduction of the Search Generative Experience (SGE), SEO is no longer just about backlinks and search volume. It now requires a deep understanding of search intent and topical authority.

What Tech Recruiters are looking for:

  • Technical SEO Mastery: The ability to analyze Core Web Vitals, manage Crawl Budgets, and optimize JavaScript rendering (a critical factor for modern frameworks like React and Next.js).
  • Advanced Data Analysis: Fluency in enterprise tools such as Screaming Frog, Semrush, Ahrefs, and Google Search Console.
  • Focus on E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Understanding how to structure content so that Google's algorithm recognizes it as a reliable primary source.
"Modern SEO success requires you to stop optimizing for algorithms and start optimizing for the user journey, using technical data to remove any friction along the way." — Google Search Central Guidelines

2. Paid Traffic: From Operational to Strategic

In the realm of paid media (Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads), platform automation handles most of the bidding work (Smart Bidding). The modern candidate's competitive edge lies in acquisition strategy and financial viability analysis.

Metrics you must master for your interviews:

  1. CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): Moving beyond Cost Per Click (CPC). Understanding exactly how much it costs to acquire a paying user.
  2. LTV (Lifetime Value): Knowing how to cross-reference acquisition costs with the value a customer brings to the company over time (LTV:CAC ratio).
  3. ROAS vs. ROI: Grasping the crucial difference between the direct return on ad spend (ROAS) and the actual return on investment for the entire business (ROI).
  4. Server-Side Tracking: With the deprecation of third-party cookies, mastering the Conversions API and Google Tag Manager (GTM) Server-Side is a massive senior requirement.

3. Building an Unbeatable Portfolio

In the global remote market, degrees matter far less than proven results. Your portfolio shouldn't just be a resume; it should be a comprehensive document of Case Studies.

Structure your cases using the STAR method:

  • Situation: What was the baseline? E.g., "The e-commerce brand was burning $10k/month with a 1.2 ROAS."
  • Task: What was the goal? E.g., "Reduce CPA by 30% and increase non-branded organic traffic."
  • Action: What did YOU do technically? E.g., "Audited GTM, restructured PMax campaigns, and applied Schema markup in the HTML."
  • Result: The numerical impact. E.g., "Scaled ROAS to 3.8 and grew organic traffic by 45% in 3 months."

4. Certifications That Actually Open Doors

If you want to bypass strict Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like Greenhouse or Workday, ensure your LinkedIn and resume feature official certifications issued by the tech platforms themselves:

References and Must-Reads

To stay relevant in a market that changes weekly, we highly recommend following these official sources:

  1. Official Google Search Central Documentation.
  2. Annual State of Marketing Reports from HubSpot and Semrush.
  3. Technical articles focused on Data-Driven Marketing from the Harvard Business Review.

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