Founding Fullstack Software Engineer (AI)

Location: San Francisco, United States; hybrid

Salary: $347K–$445K base pay annually, plus equity and performance-related bonuses for eligible employees.

Company

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company building general-purpose AI products with a focus on safe and broadly beneficial applications.

What you will do

• Build and ship full-stack AI products that help mechanical and electrical engineers with design and simulation tasks.
• Own projects from customer discovery and prototyping through production deployment and iteration.
• Create intuitive interfaces for understanding, inspecting, and refining complex engineering outputs.
• Develop backend services, APIs, plugins, and integrations connecting OpenAI models with engineering software.
• Work directly with customers and partner with research, design, platform, and forward deployed engineering teams.
• Evaluate product quality and reliability through customer feedback and product evidence, while establishing technical foundations and engineering practices.

Requirements

• Independently built and shipped substantial software products with ownership across frontend and backend systems.
• Strong product instincts and UI judgment for tools that make complex work easier to understand and use.
• Ability to work directly with users and translate their needs into product and technical decisions.
• Ability to turn ambiguous opportunities into clear starting points and working products.
• Ability to move quickly, make pragmatic tradeoffs, and remain accountable for quality after launch.
• Ability to learn unfamiliar tools and domains quickly and communicate clearly across disciplines.
• Interest in applying frontier AI to the design and development of physical products.

Nice to have

• Experience building CAD, CAE, simulation, electrical design, or related professional software.
• Experience developing interactive tools for visual, spatial, or technically complex workflows.
• Experience connecting engineering tools through APIs, plugins, or extensions.
• Experience building AI-powered applications and evaluating their usefulness and reliability.
• Experience taking a product from concept to production as a founder or early engineer.

Culture & Benefits

• Work as part of a small founding team within OpenAI, closely collaborating with customers and cross-functional engineering and research teams.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match, paid parental and medical leave, paid time off, holidays, office closures, and sick or safe time.
• Mental health and wellness support, employer-paid basic life and disability coverage, and an annual learning and development stipend.
• Daily office meals, eligible meal delivery credits, relocation support for eligible employees, and additional taxable fringe benefits.

Hiring process

• Additional benefits details are provided to candidates during the hiring process.
• Background checks are administered in accordance with applicable law for US-based candidates.