OpenAI hires Power Trading Lead to manage energy trading as data center appetite grows

OpenAI is looking for someone who can trade electricity the way its models trade tokens. The company has posted a job listing for a Power Trading Lead, a senior role responsible for managing hedging strategies across electricity and natural gas markets as OpenAI races to build out the data center infrastructure its AI ambitions demand. The position sits within OpenAI’s Power & Land team and comes with a salary range of $181K to $285K plus equity. What the role actually involves The Power Trading Lead will own OpenAI’s hedging strategy for electricity and natural gas exposure. That means building out positions using forwards, swaps, options, and basis-risk mitigation tools, the same instruments that energy traders at utilities and hedge funds use daily. Candidates need more than a decade of experience in power trading or energy markets. OpenAI wants someone who deeply understands US wholesale power markets, utility tariffs, and natural gas pricing dynamics. The scale of OpenAI’s energy problem The company’s upcoming facilities are projected to require around 3,200 megawatts of power. For context, that’s roughly enough electricity to power a mid-sized American city. OpenAI has al...