Tech Lead – Deployment & Operations, Custom Infrastructure

OpenAI

. Lead a team responsible for deployment and operations of OpenAI’s custom silicon and systems in data center environments .

Posted 5/16/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesSenior💰 $342,000 - $445,000 per yearWebsite

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Lead a team responsible for deployment and operations of OpenAI’s custom silicon and systems in data center environments
Own the path from hardware bring-up and validation through production deployment, operational readiness, and sustained fleet support
Partner closely with silicon, systems, software, infrastructure, networking, data center, supply chain, and external partner teams to ensure successful deployment at scale
Define deployment processes, operational playbooks, technical readiness criteria, escalation paths, and reliability practices for new hardware platforms
Drive cross-functional execution across lab bring-up, rack/system integration, data center deployment, fleet monitoring, debugging, and issue resolution
Stay hands-on technically through architecture reviews, deployment planning, failure analysis, operational debugging, and critical system-level decision-making
Identify gaps in tooling, observability, automation, validation coverage, and operational processes, and build plans to close them
Establish clear metrics for deployment readiness, reliability, performance, maintainability, and operational health
Build a strong engineering culture grounded in ownership, technical rigor, operational excellence, and high-velocity execution
Ensure OpenAI’s custom hardware platforms can be deployed and operated reliably, repeatably, and safely at scale
Be a contributor and technical driver for the architecture and design of future ML systems

Requirements

What you’ll need

8+ years of engineering experience in hardware systems, infrastructure, data center deployment, production operations, systems engineering, silicon bring-up, or related technical domains
Strong technical depth in one or more of: hardware deployment, data center operations, rack-scale systems, silicon bring-up, systems validation, fleet operations, reliability engineering, infrastructure automation, or hardware/software integration
Experience bringing complex hardware systems from development or validation into production environments
Experience working closely with silicon, systems, software, infrastructure, networking, or data center teams
Experience with deployment planning, operational readiness, incident response, debugging, and root-cause analysis for production systems
Experience building tooling, automation, observability, or operational processes that improve deployment quality and fleet reliability
Demonstrated ability to hire, develop, and lead senior technical talent
Ability to move fluidly between people leadership, technical strategy, and hands-on operational problem solving
Strong written and verbal communication skills, especially in high-urgency, cross-functional technical environments
Experience working in fast-moving environments.

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.

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Hard Skills & Tools

hardware systemsinfrastructuredata center deploymentproduction operationssystems engineeringsilicon bring-upreliability engineeringinfrastructure automationhardware/software integrationdeployment planning

Soft Skills

leadershiptechnical strategyproblem solvingcommunicationcross-functional collaborationteam developmentoperational excellenceownershiptechnical rigorhigh-velocity execution