Application Guide

How to Apply for Biosafety Red Teaming Specialist

at OpenAI

🏢 About OpenAI

OpenAI is a frontier AI research and product company dedicated to ensuring that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. Their work on alignment, policy, and security is at the cutting edge of AI safety, making this a unique environment for those who want to directly shape the responsible development of powerful AI systems.

About This Role

As a Biosafety Red Teaming Specialist, you will lead the design and execution of red teaming exercises focused on biological misuse pathways, pressure-testing AI models for potential risks. This role is impactful because your work will directly inform OpenAI's risk assessments and safety decisions, helping to prevent catastrophic misuse of AI in biosecurity contexts.

💡 A Day in the Life

A typical day might involve reviewing recent red teaming reports to assess the quality of biological misuse scenarios, then collaborating with external virologists to design new evaluation questions. You could also present findings to the safety team, translating complex technical risks into clear action items for model improvement.

🚀 Application Tools

Generate Cover Letter

AI-powered, tailored for OpenAI

Interview Prep

Practice questions for this role

🎯 Who OpenAI Is Looking For

  • An expert in biosafety or biosecurity with a deep understanding of biological threats and dual-use research of concern.
  • Experienced in red teaming, threat modeling, or risk assessment, ideally within AI or cybersecurity contexts.
  • Able to translate complex technical findings into clear, actionable risk recommendations for non-specialist stakeholders.
  • A collaborative professional comfortable engaging with external experts (e.g., virologists, biodefense researchers) to expand red teaming scope.

📝 Tips for Applying to OpenAI

1

Tailor your resume to highlight specific bio red teaming or biosecurity risk assessment projects, quantifying impact where possible.

2

In your cover letter, explicitly connect your domain expertise to AI misuse scenarios—e.g., how you would evaluate an LLM for enabling pathogen design.

3

Showcase any experience with adversarial testing or penetration testing, even if outside biology, to demonstrate red teaming mindset.

4

Mention familiarity with OpenAI's existing safety work (e.g., Preparedness Framework, GPT-4 system card) to show you've done your homework.

5

Prepare a brief portfolio or case study of a past red teaming exercise you led, including methodology and outcomes.

✉️ What to Emphasize in Your Cover Letter

['Your specific expertise in biosafety/biosecurity and how it applies to AI risk assessment.', 'Concrete examples of past red teaming or threat modeling work, especially involving biological threats.', 'Your ability to communicate risks to diverse audiences, from technical teams to policy makers.', "Why you are drawn to OpenAI's mission and how this role fits into your career goals in AI safety."]

Generate Cover Letter →

🔍 Research Before Applying

To stand out, make sure you've researched:

  • → Read OpenAI's Preparedness Framework and GPT-4 system card to understand their approach to risk assessment.
  • → Review recent publications on AI and biosecurity from organizations like CSET, RAND, or the Nuclear Threat Initiative.
  • → Study the IARPA FOCUS and DARPA programs related to AI-driven biological threat detection.
  • → Familiarize yourself with the concept of 'dual-use AI' and existing literature on LLMs and biosecurity risks.
Visit OpenAI's Website →

💬 Prepare for These Interview Topics

Based on this role, you may be asked about:

1 Walk us through how you would design a red teaming exercise to test an AI model's ability to assist in synthesizing a novel pathogen.
2 How do you stay current with emerging biosecurity threats and dual-use research concerns?
3 Describe a time you identified a critical risk that others overlooked. How did you communicate it?
4 How would you handle a disagreement with an external expert about the severity of a misuse pathway?
5 What are the key limitations of current AI red teaming approaches in the biological domain?
Practice Interview Questions →

⚠️ Common Mistakes to Avoid

  • Focusing only on general biosafety without connecting it to AI or adversarial misuse.
  • Overlooking the importance of translating technical findings into risk recommendations—demonstrate this skill.
  • Applying without showing specific knowledge of OpenAI's mission and current safety initiatives.

📅 Application Timeline

This position is open until filled. However, we recommend applying as soon as possible as roles at mission-driven organizations tend to fill quickly.

Typical hiring timeline:

1

Application Review

1-2 weeks

2

Initial Screening

Phone call or written assessment

3

Interviews

1-2 rounds, usually virtual

✓

Offer

Congratulations!

Ready to Apply?

Good luck with your application to OpenAI!

← Back to Job Listing Apply Now →