Software Engineer
Role details
Job location
Tech stack
Job description
Our work spans distributed systems, data infrastructure, platform services, and enterprise-grade capabilities like security, compliance, authentication, and reliability. We partner closely with product, research, design, infrastructure, and forward-deployed teams to turn cutting-edge AI capabilities into scalable, dependable products., We're looking for a Principal Software Engineer to design and scale the systems that power our developer and enterprise-facing products. You'll lead the architecture of backend services and platform capabilities that bring new AI functionality into production safely, reliably, and at global scale., * Design, build, and scale the backend services, APIs, and infrastructure that power OpenAI's developer and enterprise products
- Lead the architecture of distributed systems, databases, and data pipelines that support large-scale, high-reliability production workloads
- Own major platform capabilities end-to-end, from early technical strategy and design through implementation, launch, and long-term operation
- Shape the design of our APIs with care and intentionality, treating API interfaces as core product surfaces and driving a high-quality developer experience
- Build secure, reliable, and compliant systems that meet the needs of both enterprise and developer use cases
- Partner closely with product, research, design, infrastructure, and forward-deployed engineering teams to bring new capabilities into production
- Drive technical direction across complex problem spaces, making sound architectural tradeoffs that balance speed, quality, and long-term maintainability
- Improve engineering velocity by building internal tooling, platform abstractions, and systems that increase leverage across the broader organization
- Raise the bar for engineering quality, system design, operational excellence, and technical decision-making across teams
- Help identify and solve ambiguous, high-impact technical problems that cut across multiple systems and stakeholders
Requirements
- Have significant experience building, scaling, and evolving production backend systems in fast-moving environments
- Bring deep expertise in software engineering fundamentals, distributed systems, and API design
- Are proficient in one or more backend languages such as Python, Go, Rust, or TypeScript
- Have a track record of leading complex technical initiatives and driving architecture across teams or critical product areas
- Care deeply about reliability, safety, security, and performance in production environments
- Have strong product instincts and a high bar for developer experience and interface design
- Are comfortable working in ambiguous, fast-moving environments and can create clarity where little exists
- Own problems end-to-end and are eager to learn whatever is needed to solve them
- Build thoughtfully, move with urgency, and collaborate effectively across disciplines
- Influence technical direction through strong judgment, clear communication, and consistently high-quality execution
- Have experience as a founder or early engineer at a startup, or have built products and platforms from scratch