Android Engineer, ChatGPT Mobile Infrastructure

Android Engineer · Staff · Full Time

San FranciscoUSD 185k – 385k5mo ago
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Role

What you'll do.

OpenAI is seeking a Staff+ Android Engineer to build the core Kotlin-based platform infrastructure powering ChatGPT, Sora, and other AI-driven Android applications. This role focuses on scaling Android development through performance optimization, framework development, and CI/CD improvements in the era of advanced AI tools.

Responsibilities

  • Core Framework Development: Build and evolve core Kotlin frameworks used across multiple apps including caching, state management, observability, navigation, and component systems
  • Performance Optimization: Enhance app performance across startup time, responsiveness, memory usage, and battery life through profiling, monitoring, and architectural improvements
  • Reliability Engineering: Increase application reliability by reducing crashes, improving error handling, and driving release process improvements
  • Cross-Team Collaboration: Work closely with product engineering teams to identify pain points and emerging infrastructure needs
  • Internal Tooling Development: Develop internal tools and automation including CI systems, testing frameworks, guardrails, and Codex agent skills to accelerate engineering velocity
  • API Design & Architecture: Transform real-world constraints into simple abstractions with intuitive APIs, enforceable contracts, and safe defaults

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Android Development Expertise

    Strong expertise in Android development with Kotlin, modern architecture patterns, and Jetpack components

  • Platform Engineering Experience

    Experience with platform challenges including frameworks, architecture, performance optimization, and developer tooling

  • Systems Thinking

    Ability to think in systems, fight entropy, and tackle ambiguous technical challenges

  • Performance Engineering

    Experience with profiling, monitoring, and optimizing Android application performance

Education

  • Computer Science Degree

    Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience

Experience

  • Staff-Level Experience

    Staff+ level engineering experience with demonstrated ability to drive large-scale technical initiatives

  • Platform Development

    Experience building platforms, frameworks, or infrastructure that other engineers use

  • Mobile Infrastructure

    Background in mobile platform development, CI/CD, or developer productivity tools

Skills

Required

  • Kotlin Programming

    Expert-level proficiency in Kotlin for Android development

  • Android Architecture

    Deep understanding of modern Android architecture patterns and best practices

  • Performance Optimization

    Experience with Android performance profiling, monitoring, and optimization techniques

  • System Design

    Ability to design scalable, maintainable mobile platform architecture

  • CI/CD Systems

    Experience building and maintaining continuous integration and deployment pipelines

  • Testing Frameworks

    Proficiency with automated testing, unit testing, and quality assurance practices

Preferred

  • AI/ML Integration

    Nice to have

    Experience integrating AI/ML capabilities into mobile applications

  • Cross-Platform Development

    Nice to have

    Understanding of multi-platform mobile development strategies

  • Developer Tooling

    Nice to have

    Experience creating tools and frameworks that improve developer productivity

  • Open Source Contribution

    Nice to have

    Active contribution to Android open source projects or libraries

  • Large-Scale Systems

    Nice to have

    Experience with high-scale mobile applications and infrastructure

Tech stack

Languages

KotlinJava

Frameworks

Android JetpackJetpack ComposeDagger/HiltRxJava/Coroutines

Databases

RoomSQLite

Tools

Android StudioGradleCI/CD PipelinesProfiling ToolsGit

Other

MVVM ArchitectureClean ArchitectureTesting FrameworksMonitoring & Observability

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·USD 185,000 – 385,000

Equity·Stock options

Benefits

  • Equity Compensation

    Stock options and equity participation in OpenAI's growth

  • Health Insurance

    Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage

  • Flexible Work Arrangements

    Remote work options available for qualified candidates

  • Professional Development

    Access to cutting-edge AI research and technology development

  • Innovation Environment

    Opportunity to work on world-changing AI technology and products

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Screening

    Phone or video screening with recruiter to discuss background and role fit

  2. 02

    Technical Assessment

    Coding assessment focusing on Android development, Kotlin, and system design

  3. 03

    Technical Interview

    Deep-dive technical interview covering Android architecture, performance optimization, and platform engineering

  4. 04

    System Design Interview

    Mobile platform system design discussion focusing on scalability and infrastructure

  5. 05

    Team Interviews

    Interviews with team members and cross-functional partners

  6. 06

    Final Interview

    Leadership interview focusing on technical leadership and cultural fit

Full posting

Original listing.

About the Team

We’re building the core Kotlin-based platform—from architecture to CI—that powers ChatGPT, Sora, and other fast-evolving Android apps. Android is a key platform for ChatGPT, and our focus is helping teams iterate quickly without sacrificing performance or reliability.

About the Role

We’re hiring Staff+ engineers with backgrounds across the Android platform, including specialists in performance, build/CI, or AI developer productivity. Whether you focus on UI frameworks or automated testing, your impact will be seen in reduced friction, lower complexity, fewer regressions, and improved performance.

If you're rethinking how to scale Android development in the era of advanced AI tools, this role is for you.

We are hiring in San Francisco, New York, and Seattle, and may consider remote candidates.

In this role, you may:

  • Build and evolve core Kotlin frameworks used across multiple apps and platforms (e.g., caching, state management, observability, navigation, component systems).

  • Enhance app performance (startup, responsiveness, memory, battery life) through profiling, monitoring, regression prevention, or architectural improvements.

  • Increase reliability by reducing crashes, improving error handling, and driving release process improvements.

  • Collaborate closely with product engineering teams to identify pain points and emerging infrastructure needs.

  • Develop internal tooling and automation (CI, testing, guardrails, Codex agent skills, and systems) to accelerate engineering velocity.

  • Turn real-world constraints into simple abstractions: intuitive APIs, enforceable contracts, safe defaults.

You might thrive in this role if you:

  • Bring strong expertise in Android development (Kotlin, modern architecture patterns, Jetpack).

  • Gravitate toward platform challenges: frameworks, architecture, performance, or creating tools that empower other engineers.

  • Take ownership by identifying key risks/opportunities, driving projects to completion, and adapting quickly.

  • Care about measurement: instrument thoroughly, define metrics, run experiments, and iterate based on data.

  • Communicate and collaborate effectively—aligning on interfaces, navigating tradeoffs, and driving cross-team execution.

  • Think in systems, fight entropy, and enjoy ambiguous challenges.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. 

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

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At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.

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