Backend Software Engineer, API Multicloud

Backend Software Engineer · Senior · Full Time

San FranciscoUSD 293k – 385k1mo ago
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Role

What you'll do.

OpenAI is seeking a highly skilled Backend Software Engineer for their API Multicloud team, focusing on extending the OpenAI API platform across cloud environments. The ideal candidate will build backend services, cloud infrastructure, and developer tools that enable AI capabilities across multiple cloud platforms, with a strong emphasis on innovation, scalability, and cross-team collaboration.

Responsibilities

  • Cloud API Extension: Build backend systems extending OpenAI's API platform into cloud-native environments like AWS
  • Cloud-Contained Products: Design and implement products allowing customers to use OpenAI capabilities within their cloud environments
  • Infrastructure Development: Create runtime abstractions and infrastructure for stateful, cloud-optimized agentic platforms
  • Cross-Team Collaboration: Partner with internal teams and external cloud partners to translate emerging capabilities into production-ready systems
  • Service Optimization: Improve reliability, scalability, observability, and operational maturity of core services

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Backend Development

    7+ years of professional engineering experience in backend and cloud services

  • Programming Proficiency

    Expertise in one or more backend languages (Python, Go, Rust, TypeScript)

  • Cloud Infrastructure

    Experience with cloud infrastructure primitives and production service ownership

Education

  • Computer Science

    Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred

Experience

  • Developer Tools

    Experience building AI-powered developer tools and shaping architectural designs

  • Complex Problem Solving

    Ability to transform ambiguous technical challenges into pragmatic, scalable systems

  • Cross-functional Collaboration

    Proven track record of working effectively across platform, research, and external partner teams

Skills

Required

  • Backend Development

    Proficiency in building scalable backend systems and services

  • Cloud Infrastructure

    Experience with cloud-native deployment and service architectures

  • Programming Languages

    Expertise in Python, Go, Rust, or TypeScript

  • Distributed Systems

    Strong understanding of distributed systems concepts and design

Preferred

  • AI Infrastructure

    Nice to have

    Experience with AI and machine learning platform development

  • Developer Tools

    Nice to have

    Background in creating tools for developers, especially AI-powered solutions

  • Cross-functional Collaboration

    Nice to have

    Ability to work effectively across multiple teams and external partners

Tech stack

Languages

PythonGoRustTypeScript

Frameworks

Cloud NativeAPI Development

Databases

Cloud Databases

Tools

AWSCloud Service Integrations

Other

AI PlatformsObservability

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·USD 293,000 – 385,000

Benefits

  • Competitive Compensation

    Comprehensive salary package with equity options

  • Cutting-Edge AI Work

    Opportunity to work on transformative AI technologies

  • Innovation Environment

    Work at the forefront of AI research and deployment

  • Equal Opportunity

    Diverse and inclusive workplace committed to fair employment practices

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Screening

    Resume and background review

  2. 02

    Technical Phone Screen

    Discussion of technical skills and experience

  3. 03

    Technical Interview

    In-depth coding and system design assessment

  4. 04

    Team Interviews

    Meetings with potential team members and cross-functional partners

  5. 05

    Final Executive Interview

    Discussion of long-term vision and fit

Full posting

Original listing.

About the Team
OpenAI’s API Multicloud team is responsible for extending OpenAI’s API platform into strategic cloud environments, starting with AWS. The team’s mission is to distribute OpenAI’s API broadly and safely by enabling key API technologies in cloud-native environments, in close partnership with Amazon and internal teams across Codex, Research, Safety Systems, and Applied.

The team is focused on bringing core developer and enterprise capabilities into cloud-native environments, including cloud-hosted Codex, model customization / post-training as a service, and new stateful runtime environments for agentic workloads. This work sits at the intersection of production ML systems, developer platforms, model behavior, and large-scale infrastructure.

About the Role

We’re looking for a backend engineer who can quickly understand OpenAI’s models, products, and systems, then adapt first-party deployments for other cloud platforms. You’ll build backend services, APIs, SDK integrations, authentication flows, and cloud service infrastructure that let developers use OpenAI capabilities in the cloud environments where they already build. This role involves working across teams, sometimes embedded with partner product groups, to ship products quickly and across multiple platforms at the same time. It’s a strong fit for engineers who have built developer tools, especially AI-powered tools, communicate clearly across technical boundaries, and can shape architectures that support different deployment models; experience building cloud services is a strong plus.

In this role, you will:

  • Build backend and infrastructure systems that extend OpenAI’s API platform into cloud-native environments, like AWS.

  • Design and ship cloud-contained products that allow customers to use OpenAI capabilities while keeping workloads and data within cloud environments.

  • Help stand up cloud-hosted Codex experiences powered by the OpenAI Responses API.

  • Build the infrastructure and runtime abstractions for a stateful, cloud-optimized agentic platform.

  • Partner closely with external cloud partners as well as internal teams across Codex, Research, and Safety Systems to translate emerging capabilities into production-ready systems.

  • Improve the reliability, scalability, observability, and operational maturity of the services underpinning these products.

  • Help shape the technical direction of a new and growing team as it scales from an early core group into a larger engineering organization.

Your background might look something like:

  • 7+ years of professional engineering experience (excluding internships) in relevant roles at tech and product-driven companies.

  • Proficient in one or more backend languages (e.g., Python, Go, Rust, Typescript or similar) and distributed systems concepts.

  • Experience building developer tools, especially AI-powered tools, excellent technical communication, and the ability to shape architectures that support different deployment models. Experience building cloud services is a strong plus.

  • Experience turning ambiguous, fast-moving technical problems into pragmatic, durable systems.

  • Experience working with cloud infrastructure primitives and production service ownership.

  • Experience collaborating cross-functionally with platform, research, safety, or external partner teams is a plus.

  • Interest in AI infrastructure, agentic systems, and developer platforms.

  • Interest in AI/ML (direct experience not required)

  • Proven ability to thrive in fast-growing, product-driven companies by effectively navigating loosely defined tasks and managing competing priorities or deadlines.

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.

OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy

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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