How to apply for Land Development & Due Diligence Lead

About OpenAI

OpenAI is a frontier AI research and product company with teams working on alignment, policy, and security. It posts specific opportunities it considers high impact. The company also notes concerns about doing harm by working at a frontier AI company, so candidates should read that material before applying.

About the role

This role sits in the Site Readiness & Development team, which owns upstream diligence and development work to turn powered-land opportunities into executable infrastructure options. You will validate that proposed sites are buildable, compliant, and cost-effective by leading civil, geotechnical, environmental, and entitlement diligence. You will deliver go/no-go recommendations with risk and mitigation options and build playbooks to scale future site reviews.

A typical day

A typical day likely involves reviewing consultant reports, chasing permit status with agencies, and updating internal stakeholders on site readiness, risks, and milestones. You would also spend time turning findings into go/no-go recommendations and refining diligence templates. Exact routines are not described in the posting, so ask the hiring team how the team operates day to day.

Who OpenAI is looking for

• 8+ years in land development, civil or environmental engineering, or data center diligence.
• Direct experience with permitting, entitlements, and AHJ engagement, including schedule governance with agencies.
• Has led technical diligence across geotech, soils, title/ALTA surveys, mineral rights, and access.
• Has managed consultants performing feasibility studies and environmental assessments, and can interpret complex studies for executive stakeholders.

Tips for this application

• Map your resume to the six listed responsibilities: technical diligence, permitting/entitlement, environmental constraints, consultant management, go/no-go recommendations, and playbook building. Use those exact terms where true.
• Quantify site diligence outcomes: number of sites reviewed, acreage, MW or land value, permit timelines, and how many go/no-go calls you drove.
• Name the specific studies you have reviewed or commissioned: geotech, soils, ALTA surveys, wetlands delineations, floodplain analyses, stormwater, generator air permits, and mineral rights.
• Show AHJ engagement by listing the jurisdictions, agencies, and permit types you handled, plus any schedule governance you owned.
• Address the 80,000 Hours concern about working at a frontier AI company in your application or cover letter. State your reasoning directly rather than ignoring it.

What to cover in your cover letter

['Your track record leading technical diligence across civil, geotechnical, environmental, and entitlement dimensions on large land or data center projects.', 'A specific example of a go/no-go recommendation you delivered, including the risks identified and the mitigation options you proposed.', 'Your experience managing consultants and interpreting complex feasibility and environmental studies for executive audiences.', 'How you have built diligence templates or playbooks that scaled site review processes.']

Research before applying

• Read the 80,000 Hours career review on working at an AI lab and the concerns OpenAI links in its job post.
• Study OpenAI's public statements and posts about infrastructure, compute, and data center buildout to understand the scale and constraints of its site pipeline.
• Research the specific permitting and entitlement regimes in the US regions where large data centers and powered land are being developed.
• Check what is publicly known about OpenAI's Site Readiness & Development team and how it fits with the broader infrastructure ecosystem.

Likely interview topics

Based on the job description, expect questions about:

• Walk through a site you took from powered-land opportunity to a go/no-go decision. What diligence did you run and what risks did you find?
• How do you structure and govern the permitting and entitlement schedule with AHJs, and how do you handle delays?
• Describe how you evaluate generator air permits, wetlands, floodplain, and stormwater constraints on a candidate site.
• How do you manage consultants across geotech, ALTA surveys, and environmental assessments, and how do you check their work?
• How would you build a diligence template and playbook to scale site reviews for a growing infrastructure portfolio?

Common mistakes to avoid

• Submitting a generic land development resume that does not mention data centers, powered land, or the specific diligence dimensions listed in the job.
• Claiming AHJ or permitting experience without naming the agencies, permit types, or jurisdictions you actually worked with.
• Ignoring the ethical concerns OpenAI itself links in the job post, which suggests you have not read the posting carefully.