Creative Director, Art job at OpenAI in San Francisco, CA

Title: Creative Director, Art Location: San Francisco United States Compensation $266K – $295K

• Offers Equity

Job Description: About the Team OpenAI didn't begin as a traditional company. It began as an idea: that artificial intelligence could be developed in a way that benefits everyone. As a creative team, our role is to help make sure the work behind that idea is understood, as it leaves the lab and meets the world. This company works at the frontier of intelligence. Like any frontier, it's unfinished, constantly shifting, and still being explored. Our job is to stay close to that uncertainty and help shape how this story gets told, in a way that feels grounded and human. We do this through campaigns, launches, films, brand systems, and work that doesn't fit neatly into any of those categories yet. This team is for people who want to help shape something from the beginning.

About the Role

We're looking for an experienced Creative Director, Art to join our in-house creative team. In this role, you'll lead the visual direction and creative expression of OpenAI's brand across campaigns, product launches, and cultural moments. You'll shape and direct high-impact creative work that communicates the capabilities, possibilities, and responsibilities of our technology. This role sits at the intersection of conceptual thinking and visual craft. You'll partner closely with writers, designers, marketers, product leaders, and external collaborators to develop big ideas and bring them to life across formats-from key visuals and digital experiences to films, product storytelling, and live brand moments. To us, creativity is a team sport. Ideas get better when you talk them through and build on each other's thinking. We value curiosity over certainty, kindness over ego, and the ability to balance craft with decisiveness. This role is based in San Francisco. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees. In this role you will: Lead the visual concepting and creative direction for brand campaigns, product launches, and key storytelling initiatives Develop and direct compelling visual ideas that translate OpenAI's products and technology into clear, inspiring, and culturally resonant creative work Partner closely with Creative Directors, writers, designers, motion artists, and producers to shape integrated campaign ideas Provide creative leadership from early concept through final execution across multiple channels and formats Guide the visual direction of campaign photography, illustration, motion, film, and digital experiences-sometimes hands-on, often through external collaborators Collaborate closely with Product, Research, Marketing, and Comms to translate complex technology into compelling visual storytelling Help evolve OpenAI's visual language and brand system in ways that are distinctive, scalable, and expressive Maintain a high bar for visual craft, conceptual thinking, and creative ambition across all work Lead multiple creative initiatives simultaneously with clarity, strong decision-making, and creative conviction You might thrive in this role if you: Have 10+ years of experience as an Art Director or Creative Director at a top-tier creative agency and/or in-house at a modern technology company, with experience in both strongly preferred Bring a strong background in visual design and art direction across channels-including digital, social, film, product storytelling, and experiential work Are a conceptual thinker who can develop big creative ideas and guide them from early strategy through execution Have experience leading integrated campaigns and large-scale brand initiatives Are comfortable operating in fast-moving environments with evolving priorities and complex creative challenges Have exceptional design taste and a deep commitment to visual craft and storytelling Are a strong cross-functional collaborator who works effectively with marketing, product, design, and production partners Have experience guiding work through internal teams, agencies, and external creative vendors Balance creative ambition with clarity, precision, and strategic thinking Nice to have: Experience working on technology, innovation, or emerging products Motion design or film art direction experience Experience leading visual storytelling for product launches or technical products Comfort giving creative direction in Figma, Google Slides, and production environments (shoots, post-production, etc.) Curiosity about AI, creativity, and the future of human expression 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. 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. Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit) 401(k) retirement plan with employer match Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks) Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees 13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law) Mental health and wellness support Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible Relocation support for eligible employees Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided. 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