OpenAI

Full Stack Software Engineer, API Experience

OpenAI4 days ago
Location

New York City

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 293,000 – 385,000

Level

Mid

Role

Full Stack Engineer

Posted

Jun 25, 2026

Full TimeMid

The role

Summary

Join OpenAI's API Experience team to build the next generation of developer-facing products that serve millions of developers worldwide. As a Full Stack Software Engineer, you'll own end-to-end projects spanning frontend product surfaces, backend systems, SDK pipelines, and API workflows while collaborating with product, design, and research teams to make complex AI capabilities simple and safe to deploy. This role requires 5+ years of production engineering experience with strong TypeScript and React expertise, backend proficiency, and demonstrated ability to turn ambiguous developer problems into elegant product solutions.

What you'll do

Build and Scale Developer Products: Build and scale production-ready developer-facing products including the OpenAI API Playground, interactive documentation experiences, onboarding flows, code examples, and API workflow tools that serve millions of developers globally.
Full Stack Project Ownership: Own complete full stack projects end-to-end, from initial product definition and UX collaboration through backend implementation, API integration, product launch, metrics collection, and continuous iteration based on user feedback.
SDK and Documentation Infrastructure: Improve and maintain systems that generate, publish, and manage SDKs across multiple programming languages, API references, technical guides, developer examples, and documentation pipelines to ensure consistency and accuracy.
Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner closely with API engineering, research, design, and infrastructure teams to translate new model capabilities and API primitives into clear, accessible, and usable interfaces for developers of varying skill levels.
Developer Experience Optimization: Analyze developer feedback, product analytics, and direct customer insights to identify friction points, accessibility gaps, and reliability issues in the API experience, then drive improvements through data-informed decisions.
Technical Leadership: Help set technical and product direction for a new NYC-based team with broad ownership over OpenAI's developer experience platform, contributing to architecture decisions and engineering best practices.

What we look for

Technical

TypeScript and ReactStrong, hands-on experience with TypeScript and modern React development patterns, including state management, component architecture, hooks, and building scalable frontend applications.
Backend Language ProficiencyProficiency in one or more backend languages such as Python, Go, Rust, Node.js/TypeScript, or similar, with demonstrated ability to design and implement production backend services.
Production API Design and ImplementationProven experience designing, building, and operating production-grade APIs, microservices, databases, and developer tooling with focus on reliability, performance, and scalability.
Full Stack DevelopmentDemonstrated ability to work across the full technology stack, from frontend user interfaces to backend systems, database design, API architecture, and infrastructure considerations.
Developer Tools and Platform ExperienceExperience building developer tools, documentation systems, SDKs, API design frameworks, or technical content pipelines is highly valuable.

Education

Computer Science or Related FieldBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related field, or equivalent professional experience demonstrating mastery of computer science fundamentals.

Experience

5+ Years Production EngineeringMinimum 5 years of professional software engineering experience (excluding internships) in product-driven engineering teams, with demonstrated impact on shipping features and services to production.
Product Judgment and Problem SolvingTrack record of strong product judgment with ability to transform loosely defined or ambiguous developer problems into simple, elegant, and high-quality product experiences that users love.
Cross-functional CollaborationComfort and experience working across multiple disciplines including product management, design, engineering, research, and external developer communities to gather feedback and iterate.
Production System OwnershipExperience owning or co-owning production systems with responsibility for reliability, performance, accessibility, and maintainability, including monitoring, debugging, and iterative improvements.
Fast-Paced EnvironmentAbility to thrive in rapidly moving environments with loosely defined problems, evolving priorities, and the need to make decisions with incomplete information.

Skills

Required skills

TypeScriptStrong proficiency in TypeScript with production experience building scalable web applications and understanding of advanced type system features.
ReactDeep experience building modern React applications with understanding of component lifecycle, hooks, state management libraries, and performance optimization techniques.
Backend DevelopmentProduction-level experience with at least one backend language (Python, Go, Rust, Node.js) and ability to architect and implement backend systems.
API Design and DevelopmentExperience designing RESTful or GraphQL APIs, implementing API endpoints, and understanding API security, versioning, and backward compatibility concerns.
Database DesignUnderstanding of database design principles, SQL query optimization, schema design, and experience with both relational and non-relational databases.
Full Stack ArchitectureAbility to architect end-to-end systems connecting frontend applications to backend services, APIs, and data layers.

Nice to have

Documentation SystemsExperience building, maintaining, or working with documentation platforms, documentation-as-code tools, or API documentation generators.
SDK DevelopmentExperience designing or maintaining software development kits (SDKs) across multiple programming languages or platforms.
Developer Tools and PlatformsBackground building tools, IDEs, playgrounds, or platforms specifically designed for developer productivity and experience.
Machine Learning and AIInterest in and familiarity with AI/ML concepts, even without direct ML engineering experience. Understanding of how AI models work and their capabilities is valuable.
Analytics and MetricsExperience using product analytics tools, defining meaningful metrics, and making data-driven product decisions.
Frontend PerformanceKnowledge of web performance optimization, loading strategies, and creating fast, responsive user interfaces.
AccessibilityCommitment to accessible web development practices (WCAG compliance, semantic HTML, keyboard navigation) and building inclusive products.

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 293,000 – 385,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity and Stock Options

Competitive equity packages as part of OpenAI's mission-driven organization, enabling engineers to participate in the company's growth and success.

Comprehensive Health Coverage

Medical, dental, and vision insurance plans with employer contributions to support your and your family's wellbeing.

401(k) Retirement Plan

Employer-matched 401(k) retirement savings plan with competitive matching contribution to help you plan for your financial future.

Professional Development

Learning budgets, conference attendance support, and internal training programs to develop new skills and stay current with technology trends.

Flexible Work Environment

Collaborative office environment with flexibility to support your working preferences and life circumstances in a modern, well-equipped workspace.

Paid Time Off

Generous vacation, sick leave, and personal time policies to maintain work-life balance and support your wellbeing.

Mental Health Support

Employee assistance programs and mental health resources to support your psychological wellbeing and resilience.

Parental Benefits

Parental leave and family support benefits to help you navigate major life transitions and new family responsibilities.

Interview process

  1. 1
    Initial Screening — Brief conversation with a recruiter to discuss your background, experience, interest in the API Experience team, and overall fit with OpenAI's mission and culture.
  2. 2
    Technical Phone Screen — Focused discussion with an engineer covering your technical experience, specific projects you've owned, system design approach, and problem-solving methodology relevant to full stack development.
  3. 3
    Product and Design Collaboration Round — Conversation with a product manager or designer to assess your product judgment, ability to understand developer needs, collaboration style, and examples of how you've influenced product decisions.
  4. 4
    Take-Home Technical Project — A hands-on coding project that simulates real work challenges on the API Experience team, typically involving frontend components, backend logic, and full stack integration across multiple layers.
  5. 5
    Technical Interview - Architecture — Deep dive with engineers into your system design approach, discussing how you'd architect the API Playground, documentation systems, or similar large-scale developer-facing products.
  6. 6
    Behavioral and Values Alignment — Discussion with team members about working in cross-functional environments, handling ambiguous requirements, thriving in fast-paced settings, and alignment with OpenAI's mission and values.
  7. 7
    Final Team Meeting — Meeting with the API Experience team leadership and potential direct managers to discuss the role, team dynamics, your career growth opportunities, and long-term vision for the developer platform.
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OpenAI

OpenAI

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OpenAI is an American artificial intelligence research organization developing advanced AI models like GPT. Focused on ensuring AI benefits humanity, it creates tools for natural language processing and generative AI applications.

San Francisco, California, United StatesFounded 2015openai.com

Tech Stack

Languages
TypeScriptPythonGoRustJavaScript/Node.js
Frameworks
ReactNext.jsFastAPI
Databases
PostgreSQLRedis
Tools
GitDockerKubernetesCI/CD Systems
Other
REST API DesignGraphQLSDK Generation and MaintenanceAPI DocumentationDeveloper Experience (DX)

Interview Guides

5 guides available for OpenAI

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