About the RoleWe're looking for backend software engineers to help build the data and systems infrastructure behind OpenAI's B2B flywheel. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working across backend systems, data pipelines, and applied ML/DS-adjacent problems - especially in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where the path is not always predefined.
You'll help design and build real-time engineering systems that operate across high-scale API and B2B surfaces, while partnering closely with data science, research, product, and engineering teams. Strong candidates will bring deep backend engineering ability, comfort with data-heavy systems, and the versatility to work across multiple technical domains.
In this role, you will:- Design, build, and operate backend systems that capture and process critical product, usage, and customer signals across B2B and API surfaces
- Build reliable data pipelines and infrastructure that help translate raw signals into actionable insights, model evaluations, training datasets, and product improvements
- Work on high-traffic, low-latency services in constrained environments, including systems with strict privacy and data-handling requirements
- Collaborate closely with data science, research, product, and infrastructure partners to identify user pain points, measure system behavior, and improve product quality
- Help develop the system needed to support model and product feedback loops, including signal capture, evaluation datasets, classifiers, and analytical tooling
- Operate with high ownership in a small team where priorities may shift quickly and the work spans multiple engineering domains
Your background might look something like:- 7+ years of professional backend engineering experience, ideally in high-scale, product-driven, or infrastructure-heavy environments
- Strong backend engineering fundamentals, including distributed systems, API services, data modeling, reliability, performance, and production operations
- Experience building or maintaining data pipelines, event systems, logging/telemetry infrastructure, or large-scale data processing systems
- Comfort working near data science, statistics, ML, or research engineering workflows; direct experience is strongly preferred, but not required
- Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments where problems are loosely defined and ownership boundaries are broad
- High agency, strong execution velocity, and a willingness to wear multiple hats across backend engineering, data infrastructure, and applied research-adjacent work
- Experience in fast-paced startups, early teams, or similarly high-ownership environments is a plus
- Interest in AI systems, enterprise products, and building the infrastructure that helps improve products and models through real-world usage signals
Title note: At OpenAI, research and engineering hires share the internal title
Member of Technical Staff. We use Staff / Senior Staff externally to signal the depth of experience, ownership, and technical leadership expected for this role.
Compensation Range: $293K - $385K USD
