> Markdown version of [/jobs/ext/1701464-principal-software-engineer-agent-harness-bridge](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/jobs/ext/1701464-principal-software-engineer-agent-harness-bridge). Every page supports `.md` or `Accept: text/markdown`. Links point to the HTML versions so they work for humans too. Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Principal Software Engineer, Agent Harness Bridge - **Company:** OpenAI Inc. - **Location:** San Francisco, CA, United States - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $347,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Application Programming Interfaces (APIs), Programming Tools, Python (Programming Language), Technical Debt, Backend, Api Design - **Published:** July 10, 2026 - **Apply:** https://diversityjobs.com/main/sendform/8/8/28176/1/17541714?backUrl=%2Fcareer%2F17541714%2FPrincipal-Software-Engineer-Agent-Harness-Bridge-California-San-Francisco ## About the Role * Have significant experience building and scaling backend or infrastructure systems in fast-moving environments * Bring deep strength in API design, systems design, and engineering fundamentals * Are highly detail-oriented and care deeply about correctness, reliability, and operational quality * Can work directly with demanding technical users while maintaining strong engineering discipline * Have a track record of leading cross-functional technical efforts and creating clarity across organizational boundaries * Bring strong product sense and user empathy for internal platforms and developer tooling * Are motivated by enabling researchers and accelerating their work, rather than doing research yourself * Are proficient in Python and have experience with backend platform engineering; Rust experience is a plus ## Description OpenAI's research training infrastructure powers how our frontier models are trained and evaluated. The Agent Harness Bridge team sits at the boundary between the Codex harness, research infrastructure, and internal agent systems, ensuring the same agentic coding runtime used in product can also support large-scale training workloads. This team owns the integration layer that connects harness capabilities into the training stack. The work is highly cross-functional and high leverage: researchers depend on it to run reliably, platform teams depend on it to evolve cleanly, and failures in this surface can materially affect training velocity and correctness. About the Role We're looking for a Principal Software Engineer to lead the architecture and evolution of the Agent Harness Bridge. You'll own a critical interface between research and engineering, building the systems, APIs, and operational patterns that let researchers use agentic coding infrastructure safely and effectively in training environments. This role is ideal for a senior backend or infrastructure engineer with strong technical judgment, product sense for highly technical users, and the ability to drive execution across multiple teams. The highest-leverage work is not novel research; it is building robust infrastructure that accelerates research without compromising engineering quality. In this role, you will * Design, build, and evolve the bridge between the Codex harness and research training infrastructure * Own major integration surfaces end-to-end, from architecture and API design through rollout, operations, and long-term maintenance * Build reliable, containerized execution systems that can support demanding training workloads at scale * Partner closely with research, agent, infrastructure, and platform teams to support new training use cases and harness capabilities * Design clean, stable interfaces and workflows for highly technical internal users who move quickly and expect strong ergonomics * Prevent one-off workarounds from becoming long-term technical debt by establishing durable abstractions and clear ownership * Raise the bar for correctness, reliability, operational rigor, and engineering judgment across a critical research-facing system ## Related Videos - [API Design - Getting Started](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/33-api-design-getting-started) - [Developing the Backend with Stefan Lingler, CTO at Shpock](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100360-developing-the-backend-with-stefan-lingler-cto-at-shpock) - [Resolving technical debts in software architecture](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1680-resolving-technical-debts-in-software-architecture) - [Designing for Agents Will Make You Better at Designing for Humans](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100278-designing-for-agents-will-make-you-better-at-designing-for-humans) - [Rest API Antipatterns](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/100208-rest-api-antipatterns) - [Nest.js - TypeScript in the backend can also be clean](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1033-nest-js-typescript-in-the-backend-can-also-be-clean) ## Related Articles - [What is Agentic Programming and Why Should Developers Care?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/625-what-is-agentic-programming-and-why-should-developers-care) - [Never delegate the understanding](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/749-never-delegate-the-understanding) - [Navigating the AI Shift](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/629-navigating-the-ai-shift) - [A 5-Step Open-Source Setup for Agentic Engineering](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/738-a-5-step-open-source-setup-for-agentic-engineering) - [The Overflow: AI and Agentic Coding](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/721-the-overflow-ai-and-agentic-coding) - [What is Software Engineering in the Age of AI?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/640-what-is-software-engineering-in-the-age-of-ai)