Audio Engineer (AI)

Location: Onsite, 5 days a week in the San Francisco office; global travel and support outside standard hours may be required for critical productions.

Salary: $240K–$266K base pay, plus equity and potential performance-related bonuses.

Company

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company developing general-purpose artificial intelligence products with a focus on safe deployment and broad human benefit.

What you will do

• Own audio design and A1 execution for complex broadcasts, livestreams, live stage events, podcasts, studio recordings, and critical on-location productions.
• Build, operate, monitor, and recover redundant program, stream, multitrack, camera, backup-recorder, and archival audio paths.
• Design, commission, standardize, document, and improve audio signal flow for studios, control rooms, event spaces, and portable production systems.
• Mix full-duplex speech-to-speech audio between humans and AI models across different event formats.
• Lead preproduction, including technical designs, input lists, patch and frequency plans, rehearsals, testing, monitoring, redundancy, and fallback capture.
• Diagnose live production faults, lead audio crews and freelancers, manage recording and archival workflows, and communicate decisive technical options under pressure.

Requirements

• 8+ years of experience engineering complex live, broadcast, and studio productions, including high-profile livestreams, public venue events, physical audio infrastructure, and critical on-location filming or streaming.
• Proven A1 experience in high-consequence productions where failures are immediately visible and workarounds must be executed within seconds.
• Expert command of gain structure, routing, EQ, dynamics, automixing, feedback control, real-time noise suppression, mix-minus, IFB, intercom, playback, communications, and latency management.
• Deep experience designing and troubleshooting redundant program, stream, multitrack, camera, backup-recorder, and archival audio paths.
• Advanced proficiency with networked audio and DSP systems including Dante, AVB, SMPTE ST 2110, Q-SYS, Yamaha, and Shure.
• Strong IP-networking knowledge covering clocking, multicast, VLANs, QoS, and failures across audio, control, and enterprise IT environments.
• Expert wireless-microphone and RF coordination skills, including frequency planning, antenna distribution, and intermodulation management.
• Advanced microphone selection and placement skills, including lavalier concealment, boom technique, room treatment, noise control, and feedback prevention.
• Fluency with broadcast encoders, embedded audio, streaming protocols, conferencing platforms, external distribution endpoints, and full-duplex human-to-AI speech audio.
• Expert understanding of room acoustics and fundamental acoustic science, plus experience with signal-chain, DSP, synchronization, routing, RF, networking, and hardware fault repair.
• Strong multitrack recording, timecode, sync, metadata, editing, mixing, delivery, backup, archival, and professional loudness-specification judgment.
• Functional audio post-production skills covering dialogue cleanup, noise reduction, EQ, dynamics, mix revisions, and delivery preparation.
• Ability to lead audio crews, support technical freelancers, challenge flawed technical plans, and communicate decisive options under pressure.
• Willingness to work onsite, travel globally, and support rehearsals or productions outside standard hours when required.

Culture & Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts.
• 401(k) plan with employer match, flexible or annual paid time off depending on exemption status, paid holidays, sick or safe time, and paid parental, medical, and caregiver leave.
• Mental health and wellness support, employer-paid basic life and disability coverage, and commuter, meal, and eligible meal-delivery benefits.
• Annual learning and development stipend, charitable donation matching, wellness stipends, and relocation support for eligible employees.
• Onsite office work with global production travel and coordinated office closures for focus and recharge.

Hiring process

• Further benefits details are provided during the hiring process.
• Background checks are administered in accordance with applicable law.