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 governance—working cross-functionally with Finance/Accounting, Legal, Security/TPRM, Trade, Logistics, and Enterprise Platform Technology.

We are seeking a hands‑on leader to co‑design, build, and run the procurement operations backbone for OpenAI’s 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 speed—while 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.

You’ll be responsible for:

• Co‑design and maintain the operating model with BU and functional leaders—defining 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.

• Stand up and run the launch operational readiness (back‑office) cadence for hardware programs—defining required controls, SLAs/DRIs, and cross‑functional handoffs across supplier onboarding, purchasing/receiving signals, landed cost, and Cap Ex/asset tagging.

• Operationalize supplier onboarding/vendor master controls, PO lifecycle governance, receiving/inspection signals, 3‑way match readiness, and tooling/Cap Ex 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.

• 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.

• 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…