Fire Protection Engineer (AI Infrastructure)

Location: US - Remote; regular travel to project sites is required.

Salary: $177K–$285K annually, plus equity and potential performance-related bonuses.

Company

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company developing and safely deploying general-purpose artificial intelligence.

What you will do

• Develop and maintain fire protection and life-safety design criteria, technical standards, and review requirements for self-build data center campuses.
• Review drawings, specifications, code analyses, fire and life-safety narratives, hydraulic calculations, equipment submittals, testing procedures, and sequences of operation across project phases.
• Provide owner-side engineering direction for detection and alarm, suppression, fire pumps, water storage, smoke control, emergency communication, and related life-safety systems.
• Coordinate fire protection requirements with architectural, structural, electrical, mechanical, controls, security, hardware, and operational systems.
• Partner with authorities having jurisdiction, insurers, consultants, contractors, vendors, and internal stakeholders to resolve code, approval, construction, and design risks.
• Define commissioning, integrated-system testing, acceptance, turnover, operational-readiness, incident-response, risk-review, and documentation requirements.

Requirements

• Bachelor's degree in Fire Protection Engineering or a related engineering discipline, or equivalent practical experience delivering fire and life-safety systems.
• 8+ years of fire protection engineering experience supporting data centers, industrial facilities, advanced manufacturing, energy infrastructure, or other mission-critical environments.
• Strong knowledge of applicable building and fire codes and standards, including IBC, IFC, NFPA requirements, and local authority approval processes.
• Technical depth in fire alarm and detection, water-based and special-hazard suppression, fire pumps and water supply, smoke control, egress, and integrated life-safety systems.
• Experience reviewing fire protection designs, specifications, hydraulic calculations, equipment submittals, testing procedures, and commissioning results.
• Ability to work with authorities having jurisdiction, engineering consultants, contractors, insurers, vendors, and internal stakeholders.
• Experience resolving field issues and design changes while maintaining code compliance, safety, quality, schedule, and documentation.
• Strong written and verbal communication, sound engineering judgment, and ability to clarify ambiguous requirements or ownership.
• Professional Engineer licensure in Fire Protection Engineering, or ability to obtain licensure in relevant jurisdictions.

Nice to have

• Experience with hyperscale data centers, high-density compute environments, or global multi-site infrastructure programs.
• Experience with battery rooms, energy-storage systems, generator plants, fuel systems, high-voltage substations, or other campus utility infrastructure.
• Familiarity with performance-based design, fire and smoke modeling, quantitative risk assessment, or fire-hazard analysis.
• Experience leading integrated testing across fire alarm, suppression, controls, security, mechanical, and electrical interfaces.
• Experience developing reusable standards, design templates, commissioning requirements, and incident-prevention programs across multiple sites.

Culture & Benefits

• Remote work arrangement for a US-based role with regular project-site travel.
• 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, paid holidays, sick or safe time, and mental health support.
• Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage, annual learning and development stipend, office meals, and eligible meal delivery credits.
• Relocation support is available for eligible employees.

Hiring process

• More detailed benefits information is provided during the hiring process.
• Background checks are administered in accordance with applicable law.