Backend Software Engineer, Applied Foundations

OpenAI

Backend Software Engineer designing and implementing scalable backend systems and APIs for OpenAI. Collaborating with teams to enhance performance and reliability of core products at global scale.

Posted 6/17/2026full-timeSan Francisco • California • 🇺🇸 United StatesMid-LevelSenior💰 $185,000 - $385,000 per yearWebsite

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

Distributed SystemsGoPythonRust

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Architect, build, and improve scalable backend systems and APIs.
Drive performance, reliability, and safety across distributed services.
Implement data storage, retrieval, compute, and integration solutions.
Participate in long-term architectural planning and technical design reviews.
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to design solutions that protect against and mitigate adversarial attacks without compromising user experience.

Requirements

What you’ll need

Have strong experience with distributed systems, APIs, and backend languages (e.g., Go, Python, Rust, C++).
Have experience setting up and maintaining production backend services and data pipelines.
Have a humble attitude, an eagerness to help your colleagues, and a desire to do whatever it takes to make the team succeed.
Enjoy building resilient services that handle large scale and complexity.
Are self-directed and enjoy figuring out the best way to solve a particular problem
Own problems end-to-end, and are willing to pick up whatever knowledge you're missing to get the job done.

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

distributed systemsAPIsbackend languagesGoPythonRustC++data storagedata retrievaldata pipelines

Soft Skills

humble attitudeeagerness to helpteam successresilienceself-directedproblem-solvingownershipadaptability