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
As Editor, Research, you will help define the editorial voice of OpenAI’s research films. You will personally edit films that introduce new models, demonstrate emerging capabilities, and tell the stories behind our research. You will lead the editorial approach across assigned projects, guide collaborators, and set a high standard for cinematic storytelling and craft.
Your influence will begin well before footage reaches the edit. Working alongside researchers, filmmakers, and production, design, and product partners, you will shape concepts, develop narratives, test ideas through prototypes, and help plan shoots and demonstrations with the finished film in mind. You will bring clarity, humanity, and emotional depth to complex, evolving subjects, finding compelling ways to show the research while preserving its meaning and technical accuracy.
This is a hands-on leadership role for an exceptional editor who makes the work—and the people around them—better. You will take responsibility for editorial execution from concept through delivery, provide clear creative direction and actionable feedback, mentor editors, and lead external collaborators. You will also strengthen shared workflows and practices that help the studio deliver ambitious work across formats, platforms, markets, and timelines.
IN THIS ROLE, YOU WILL:
- Lead editorial work from concept through final delivery, personally editing research launch films, cinematic demonstrations, and stories about the people behind the work while directing the contributions of other editors on assigned projects. Take responsibility for narrative quality and continuity across development, production support, editing, finishing, and delivery.
- Set editorial direction across assigned projects, translating creative goals into a clear approach and helping internal editors and external partners deliver cohesive, distinctive work. Bring exceptional judgment to story, structure, pacing, performance, music, sound, and the relationship between picture and graphics.
- Shape stories from the beginning, partnering with filmmakers and researchers on concepts, treatments, scripts, interview questions, and demonstration coverage. Use rough cuts, story assemblies, and rapid prototypes to find the strongest narrative and inform what needs to be captured.
- Lead editorial reviews, presenting work and explaining creative choices clearly. Synthesize feedback from researchers and creative partners into focused revisions that strengthen the film while preserving the accuracy of demonstrations and technical explanations.
- Lead editors and editorial collaborators on assigned projects, setting clear expectations, delegating work, supporting onboarding, and providing actionable creative feedback. Mentor editors and assistant editors to strengthen their storytelling, technical skills, and independent judgment.
- Partner with production to scope and deliver editorial work, assessing resource needs, estimating effort, setting realistic schedules, and recommending the right talent for each assignment. Brief and creatively lead external editorial partners, surface risks early, and help resolve competing priorities.
- Guide work through finishing, collaborating with motion designers, sound designers, composers, colorists, and VFX artists to preserve the creative intent through final delivery.
- Strengthen editorial workflows and uphold shared standards, including project setup, technical specifications, media organization, version control, review processes, secure asset handling, handoffs, archival, and delivery quality. Identify improvements through project experience and share effective practices with the team.
- Own the editorial approach to adaptations of assigned work, guiding cutdowns, platform variations, and localized versions. Review work for narrative clarity, cultural context, and consistency of meaning, tone, and emotional impact.
- Evaluate new tools and approaches, including AI-enabled creative tools, that expand the studio’s ability to explore, edit, and deliver work. Share findings and partner with editorial leadership on testing and adoption.
- Collaborate closely with researchers to translate complex capabilities into compelling stories, developing a working understanding of what a model can do and what a demonstration actually shows. Find inventive ways to make those capabilities clear on screen, and work with researchers to ensure edits preserve the context and meaning of the underlying work.
- Partner with editorial and post-production leadership to build and maintain a world-class team, helping identify exceptional talent, mentor collaborators, and create a culture of creative excellence, collaboration, and shared craft.
YOU MIGHT THRIVE IN THIS ROLE IF YOU:
- Have 8+ years of relevant editing experience and a portfolio demonstrating exceptional cinematic storytelling, with work that shows your ability to make complex ideas compelling and accessible. Experience with research, science, technology, documentary, or demonstration-driven films is especially relevant.
- Have experience leading editorial projects and guiding other editors or external partners, with clear examples of h