Forward Deployed Software Engineer

OpenAI

. Embed deeply with strategic customers to understand their business challenges and technical requirements in detail.

Posted 3/27/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSeniorLead💰 $185,000 - $325,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

MySQLPostgres

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Embed deeply with strategic customers to understand their business challenges and technical requirements in detail.
Design, architect, and develop full-stack solutions using an experiment-driven, iterative approach.
Prepare detailed scopes of work and project plans for both proof-of-concept prototypes and full production deployments.
Work hands-on with customers' technical teams as a technical expert and trusted advisor, coding side-by-side to drive projects to completion on their infrastructure.
Collaborate with Product, Research and Applied teams to ensure seamless customer experiences, project success and actionable product feedback.
Contribute to internal knowledge bases, codifying best practices and sharing insights gained from customer engagements to scale the Forward Deployed Engineering function.

Requirements

What you’ll need

7+ years of professional full stack engineering experience (excluding internships) in relevant roles at tech and product-driven companies - customer-facing experience is highly desirable
Former founder, or early engineer at a startup who has built a product from scratch is a plus
Experience with relational databases like Postgres/MySQL
Have a bias for action and willingness to work iteratively with your customers to deliver the right solution that solves their problem.

Benefits

Comp & perks

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.

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills & Tools

full-stack engineeringrelational databasesPostgresMySQLcodingarchitecting solutionsiterative developmentproof-of-conceptproject planningcustomer engagement

Soft Skills

customer-facing experiencecollaborationtechnical expertiseproblem-solvingbias for actiontrustworthinesscommunicationknowledge sharingadaptabilityinsight generation