Technical Program Manager, Core Network – WAN Infrastructure

OpenAI

. Own end-to-end execution for PoP buildouts, expansions, and network capacity delivery across internal teams, vendors, colocation providers, fiber providers, and cloud providers.

Posted 5/20/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $207,000 - $335,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Cloud

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Own end-to-end execution for PoP buildouts, expansions, and network capacity delivery across internal teams, vendors, colocation providers, fiber providers, and cloud providers.
Drive physical and logical readiness across routers, line cards, optics, cabling, patch panels, cross-connects, provider handoffs, cloud interconnects, BGP sessions, routing policy, and production turn-up.
Maintain clear ownership of timelines, dependencies, risks, blockers, escalation paths, and readiness milestones for active network deployments.
Translate network capacity needs and deployment plans into concrete execution workstreams with owners, dates, test expectations, and acceptance criteria.
Partner closely with network engineers to validate link state, optics health, FEC/BER signals, light levels, interface configuration, routing readiness, and handoff completeness.
Ensure vendors and datacenter teams have the instructions they need: port maps, rack elevations, LOAs/CLOAs, diagrams, install windows, test plans, access details, and acceptance criteria.
Build durable operational mechanisms, including PoP readiness checklists, deployment trackers, vendor instruction templates, escalation playbooks, and standard operating procedures.
Identify recurring bottlenecks in PoP deployment and network capacity delivery, then drive fixes that make future builds faster, more predictable, and less dependent on tribal knowledge.
Communicate clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders, including crisp status, impact, owner, next step, and requested decision for escalations.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Deep experience driving infrastructure, networking, datacenter, cloud connectivity, telecom, fiber, or technical operations programs.
Strong technical intuition across physical networking, WAN/backbone infrastructure, colocation environments, cloud interconnects, cross-connects, optics, cabling, routing, and operational readiness.
A track record of independently owning ambiguous, cross-functional infrastructure programs from planning through production handoff.
Experience working directly with network engineers, datacenter operations, colocation providers, carriers, cloud providers, vendors, finance, procurement, and business stakeholders.
Excellent written communication and operating discipline: clear trackers, clean handoffs, useful status updates, and escalation notes that drive decisions.
A practical, self-driven approach focused on unblocking execution, improving mechanisms, and raising the operational bar.
Comfort going deep into details when needed, whether that means reading a port map, questioning a handoff, chasing a vendor blocker, or helping define the test plan for a new site.
Experience with large-scale WAN, backbone, edge, cloud, or AI/ML infrastructure.
Familiarity with BGP, routing policy, optical transport, DWDM, dark fiber, cloud interconnects, peering, or high-capacity datacenter networking.
Experience with Arista, Juniper, Cisco, or similar network platforms.
Experience building operational dashboards, deployment tooling, automation, or structured reporting for infrastructure programs.
Experience with global infrastructure expansion, network capacity planning, or vendor/commercial negotiations.

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

network capacity deliveryBGProuting policyopticscablingWANcloud connectivityinfrastructure programsoperational readinessdeployment tooling

Soft Skills

communicationoperating disciplineproblem-solvingself-drivencross-functional collaborationattention to detailstatus updatesescalation managementproject ownershipmechanism improvement