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Abstract Peak Neogene warmth and minimal polar ice volumes occurred during the Miocene Climatic Optimum (MCO, ca. 16.95–13.95 Ma) followed by cooling and ice sheet expansion during the Middle Miocene Climate Transition (MMCT, ca. 13.95–12.8 Ma). Previous records of northern high-latitude sea surface temperatures (SSTs) during these global climatic transitions are limited to Atlantic sites, and none resolve orbital-scale variability. Here, we present an orbital-resolution alkenone SST proxy record from the subpolar North Pacific that establishes a local maximum of SSTs during the MCO as much as 16 °C warmer than modern with rapid warming initiating the MCO, cooling synchronous with Antarctic ice sheet expansion during the MMCT, and high variability on orbital time scales. Persistently cooler North Pacific SST anomalies than in the Atlantic at equivalent latitudes throughout the Miocene suggest enhanced Atlantic northward heat transport under a globally warm climate. We conclude that a global forcing mechanism, likely elevated greenhouse gas concentrations, is the most parsimonious explanation for synchronous global high-latitude warmth during the Miocene.