Backend Engineer Job at OpenAI (San Francisco)

Backend Engineer

OpenAI

Location:
United States , San Francisco

Category:
IT - Software Development

Contract Type:
Not provided

Salary:

293000.00 - 325000.00 USD / Year

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Job Description:

The Software Engineering team is responsible for designing and building the scalable, performant, and secure backend systems that power our products—from early prototypes to large-scale deployments. We collaborate closely with product, hardware, and full-stack teams to ensure our infrastructure enables fast iteration while setting a strong foundation for long-term growth. As a Backend Engineer, you will design and build services, APIs, and infrastructure that support evolving product needs. You’ll apply a deep understanding of backend systems and maintain enough end-to-end context—from hardware to cloud—to guide technical decisions that best serve the product and team. We’re looking for engineers who thrive in fast-paced, collaborative environments and care deeply about building robust systems that scale.

Job Responsibility:

Architect, build, and maintain high-performance, secure backend systems
Design APIs, data models, and infrastructure to support evolving product needs
Balance near-term development velocity with long-term maintainability and scalability
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to ensure cohesive, end-to-end solutions

Requirements:

7+ years of professional software engineering experience, with a focus on backend systems
Proven track record of building and scaling systems from early stage to large scale
Proficient with Python and Go, and familiar with a range of server-side technologies
Strong grasp of system design, performance optimization, and security best practices
Can reason about full-stack tradeoffs from hardware through cloud infrastructure

Nice to have:

Experience with distributed systems and cloud architectures
Background in instrumentation, analytics, and performance tuning
Familiar with hardware-cloud integrations or applied AI services

What we offer:

Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)
401(k) retirement plan with employer match
Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)
Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees
13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law)
Mental health and wellness support
Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth
Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible
Relocation support for eligible employees
Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided
Offers Equity
Performance-related bonus(es) for eligible employees

Additional Information:

Job Posted:
February 21, 2026

Employment Type:

Fulltime

Work Type:

Hybrid work

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