iOS Engineer, Applied Foundations

iOS Engineer · Senior · Full Time

San FranciscoUSD 230k – 385k6mo ago
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Role

What you'll do.

OpenAI is seeking a Senior iOS Engineer to join their Applied Foundations team, building core mobile experiences for millions of users across identity, payments, and safety systems. The role involves architecting reusable iOS frameworks, optimizing performance at global scale, and collaborating with cross-functional teams to deliver AI-powered mobile experiences with the highest standards for security and reliability.

Responsibilities

  • AI-Powered iOS Development: Build and ship innovative iOS experiences that showcase OpenAI's artificial intelligence capabilities to millions of users worldwide
  • Performance Optimization: Optimize app performance, reliability, and responsiveness at global scale to ensure seamless user experiences across diverse network conditions
  • Shared Framework Architecture: Design and maintain shared iOS frameworks and primitives for account management, trust systems, and commerce flows used across multiple OpenAI mobile applications
  • Testing Infrastructure: Establish robust testing frameworks including unit tests, integration tests, and UI automation to ensure code quality and maintainability
  • Cross-Functional Collaboration: Collaborate closely with product managers, designers, researchers, and backend engineers to deliver high-impact features that align with business objectives
  • Technical Leadership: Provide technical guidance and mentorship while shaping the future architecture and direction of OpenAI's iOS platform ecosystem
  • Security Implementation: Implement and maintain security best practices for sensitive user data, payment processing, and AI model interactions on mobile devices
  • App Store Management: Manage app releases, version control, and App Store compliance ensuring smooth deployment processes and regulatory adherence

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • iOS Development Expertise

    4+ years of professional software engineering experience with proven track record of building production iOS applications

  • Swift Proficiency

    Expert-level fluency in Swift programming language and modern iOS development patterns

  • Apple Ecosystem Knowledge

    Deep familiarity with Xcode, UIKit, SwiftUI, and broader Apple development ecosystem

  • System Architecture

    Experience making complex architectural tradeoffs and designing scalable iOS applications

  • Business-Critical Systems

    Track record of owning complex, business-critical mobile systems end-to-end from conception to deployment

Education

  • Computer Science Background

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

  • Continuous Learning

    Commitment to staying current with iOS development trends, Apple platform updates, and mobile engineering best practices

Experience

  • Production Scale Applications

    Experience building iOS applications that operate reliably at global scale with high availability requirements

  • Cross-Functional Collaboration

    Proven ability to work effectively with product, design, and backend teams in fast-paced environments

  • Performance Optimization

    Experience optimizing mobile applications for performance, battery life, and memory efficiency

Skills

Required

  • Swift Programming

    Expert-level proficiency in Swift for iOS development

  • iOS Frameworks

    Deep knowledge of UIKit, SwiftUI, and Core iOS frameworks

  • Xcode IDE

    Advanced proficiency with Xcode development environment

  • App Architecture

    Experience with MVC, MVVM, and other iOS architectural patterns

  • API Integration

    Skills in integrating RESTful APIs and handling network communications

  • Version Control

    Proficiency with Git for collaborative development

  • Performance Optimization

    Experience optimizing iOS apps for speed, memory, and battery efficiency

Preferred

  • Combine Framework

    Nice to have

    Experience with reactive programming using Combine framework

  • Core Data

    Nice to have

    Knowledge of Core Data for local data persistence

  • Payment Integration

    Nice to have

    Experience with In-App Purchases and Apple Pay integration

  • CI/CD Pipelines

    Nice to have

    Familiarity with automated testing and deployment processes

  • Machine Learning

    Nice to have

    Interest in Core ML and on-device AI capabilities

  • App Store Optimization

    Nice to have

    Understanding of App Store guidelines and submission processes

Tech stack

Languages

SwiftObjective-C

Frameworks

UIKitSwiftUICore DataCombineCore AnimationAVFoundation

Databases

SQLiteRealm

Tools

XcodeInstrumentsTestFlightGitFastlaneCocoaPods/SPM

Other

REST APIsGraphQLPush NotificationsIn-App PurchasesApp Store ConnectApple Pay

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·USD 230,000 – 385,000

Equity·Stock options

Benefits

  • Equity Compensation

    Significant equity stake in one of the world's leading AI companies with high growth potential

  • Comprehensive Health Insurance

    Premium medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their families

  • Mental Health Support

    Access to mental health resources and counseling services

  • Professional Development

    Generous budget for conferences, courses, and technical training to advance your iOS engineering skills

  • Flexible Work Environment

    Hybrid work options with modern office space in San Francisco

  • Cutting-Edge Technology

    Work with the latest iOS technologies and contribute to AI-powered mobile applications

  • Parental Leave

    Generous parental leave policy for new parents

  • Retirement Planning

    401(k) retirement savings plan with company matching contributions

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Screening

    Phone or video call with recruiting team to discuss background and interest in OpenAI

  2. 02

    Technical Phone Screen

    45-minute technical interview covering iOS development concepts, Swift programming, and system design

  3. 03

    Take-Home Project

    iOS coding assignment focusing on app architecture, API integration, and user interface implementation

  4. 04

    Onsite Technical Rounds

    Multiple technical interviews covering iOS architecture, code review, debugging, and problem-solving scenarios

  5. 05

    System Design Interview

    Discussion of mobile architecture decisions, scalability considerations, and technical tradeoffs

  6. 06

    Behavioral Interview

    Cultural fit assessment with focus on collaboration, leadership, and alignment with OpenAI's mission

  7. 07

    Final Interview

    Meeting with senior engineering leadership to discuss career goals and technical vision

Full posting

Original listing.

About the Team

OpenAI’s Applications Engineering organization builds and operates the products that bring our cutting-edge research to millions of users and developers worldwide. The Applied Foundations team owns the core product and platform layers that make those experiences possible — from identity & access, to safety to payments & commerce across all of our apps. Our teams span product engineering, infrastructure, and safety, working together to deliver technology that is reliable, secure, and trusted at global scale.

About the Role

You will be a Senior iOS engineer on OpenAI’s Applied Foundations team, building the core mobile experiences that power how users sign up, manage their account, family features, pay for services, stay safe, and interact with OpenAI’s products with confidence. This role is about creating high-quality products as well as reusable iOS foundations that product teams across different OpenAI apps depend on to ship quickly while meeting the highest standards for security, reliability, and user trust. You’ll own complex client-side systems spanning UI, networking, local state, payment integrations and Apple platform integrations, and work closely with backend, product, and safety partners to shape the architecture that supports OpenAI’s mobile ecosystem at global scale.

In this role, you will:

  • Build and ship new experiences on iOS that showcase the power of AI.

  • Optimize app performance, reliability, and responsiveness at global scale.

  • Design and maintain shared iOS frameworks and primitives for account, trust, and commerce flows that are used across OpenAI’s mobile apps.

  • Establish robust testing frameworks and refine app architecture for long-term maintainability.

  • Collaborate with product, design, research, and backend teams to deliver high-impact features.

  • Provide technical leadership to shape the future of OpenAI’s iOS platform.

You might thrive in this role if you:

  • Have 4+ years of professional software engineering experience.

  • Have a proven track record of building high-quality iOS applications in production, especially for systems that need to be reliable and resilient at scale.

  • Have owned complex, business-critical mobile systems end-to-end.

  • Have experience making deep architectural tradeoffs on iOS.

  • Are fluent in Swift and familiar with the Apple development ecosystem (Xcode, UIKit, SwiftUI).

  • Care deeply about performance, security, and user experience.

  • Enjoy working cross-functionally to bring ambitious product ideas to life.

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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