iOS Engineer, ChatGPT Mobile Infrastructure
iOS Engineer · Staff · Full Time
Opens OpenAI's application page
Role
What you'll do.
OpenAI is seeking a Staff+ iOS Engineer to build and scale the core Swift platform infrastructure powering ChatGPT, Atlas, Sora, and other AI applications. This role focuses on developing foundational frameworks, improving app performance, and creating tools that enable hundreds of engineers to develop new AI capabilities rapidly and reliably.
Responsibilities
- Platform Architecture: Build and evolve foundational Swift frameworks used across multiple apps including caching, state management, observability, navigation, and component systems
- Performance Optimization: Improve app performance in startup time, responsiveness, memory usage, and battery efficiency through profiling, visibility tools, and regression prevention
- Reliability Engineering: Strengthen app reliability by systematically reducing crashes, improving error handling, and driving release process improvements
- Cross-Team Collaboration: Embed with product engineering teams to understand pain points and identify emerging infrastructure needs across the organization
- Developer Tooling: Develop internal tooling and automation including Bazel build systems, CI/CD pipelines, testing frameworks, and AI-powered development tools
- API Design: Translate complex real-world constraints into clean abstractions with simple APIs, enforceable contracts, and safe defaults
- Technical Leadership: Drive cross-team execution, align on technical interfaces, and navigate architectural tradeoffs across multiple product teams
- Quality Assurance: Implement automated testing strategies, code review processes, and quality gates to maintain high standards across the platform
Qualifications
What we look for.
Technical
iOS Development Expertise
Strong fundamentals in Swift, concurrency patterns, networking, and the complete Xcode ecosystem
UI Framework Proficiency
Deep knowledge of UIKit and SwiftUI for building scalable user interfaces
Platform Engineering Experience
Proven track record with frameworks, architecture design, performance optimization, and developer tools
System Design Skills
Ability to design and implement large-scale mobile infrastructure solutions
Performance Engineering
Experience with app profiling, memory management, and optimization techniques
Education
Computer Science Degree
Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or equivalent practical experience
Experience
Staff-Level Experience
8+ years of iOS development experience with demonstrated leadership in platform engineering
Large-Scale Mobile Development
Experience working on mobile applications with millions of users and complex technical requirements
Cross-Team Leadership
Proven ability to drive technical initiatives across multiple engineering teams and stakeholders
AI/ML Integration
Experience integrating machine learning models and AI capabilities into mobile applications (preferred)
Skills
Required
Swift Programming
Expert-level Swift development including modern language features and best practices
iOS SDK Mastery
Deep understanding of iOS frameworks, APIs, and platform capabilities
Concurrency Programming
Advanced knowledge of async/await, actors, and concurrent programming patterns
Performance Analysis
Proficiency with Instruments and other performance profiling tools
Build Systems
Experience with Bazel, Xcode build configurations, and CI/CD automation
System Architecture
Ability to design scalable, maintainable mobile platform architectures
Preferred
AI/ML Frameworks
Nice to haveExperience with Core ML, TensorFlow Lite, or other on-device machine learning frameworks
Cross-Platform Development
Nice to haveKnowledge of React Native, Flutter, or other cross-platform mobile technologies
Backend Integration
Nice to haveUnderstanding of RESTful APIs, GraphQL, and mobile-backend communication patterns
Security Best Practices
Nice to haveKnowledge of iOS security features, encryption, and secure coding practices
Accessibility Engineering
Nice to haveExperience implementing comprehensive accessibility features in iOS applications
Tech stack
Languages
Frameworks
Tools
Other
Compensation
Pay and benefits.
Base·USD 185,000 – 385,000
Equity·Stock options
Benefits
Equity Compensation
Significant equity participation in one of the world's leading AI companies
Comprehensive Health Insurance
Full medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents
Professional Development
Access to cutting-edge AI research, conferences, and continuous learning opportunities
Flexible Work Arrangements
Hybrid work options with offices in San Francisco, New York, and Seattle
Retirement Benefits
401(k) matching and comprehensive retirement planning support
Parental Leave
Generous parental leave policies supporting work-life balance
Wellness Programs
Mental health support, fitness benefits, and employee wellness initiatives
Process
Interview steps.
- 01
Initial Screening
Phone or video call with recruiting team to discuss background, experience, and role alignment
- 02
Technical Phone Screen
45-60 minute technical interview focusing on iOS development fundamentals, Swift programming, and system design
- 03
Take-Home Assignment
Practical coding exercise demonstrating iOS platform engineering skills and architectural thinking
- 04
Onsite Interview Loop
Full-day interview including technical deep-dives, system design, behavioral questions, and team fit assessment
- 05
Final Interview
Senior leadership interview focusing on technical vision, leadership potential, and cultural alignment with OpenAI's mission
Full posting
Original listing.
About the Team
We’re building up the core Swift platform, from architecture to CI, that enables hundreds of engineers (and their agents) to develop new capabilities in ChatGPT, Atlas, Sora, and other rapidly evolving apps. Our focus is helping teams move quickly while improving on performance or reliability.
About the Role
We’re hiring Staff+ engineers with a variety of iOS platform backgrounds, including people who may specialize in performance, build/CI, or AI developer productivity. Whether you focus on UI frameworks or automated testing, your work will show up as less friction, less complexity, fewer regressions, and better performance.
If you're rethinking how to scale Swift development in the context of increasingly capable AI tools, this is the role for you.
We are hiring in San Francisco, New York and Seattle.
In this role, you may:
Build and evolve foundational Swift frameworks used across multiple apps and platforms (caching, state management, observability, navigation, component systems).
Improve app performance (startup, responsiveness, memory, battery) through profiling, visibility, regression prevention, or architecture patterns.
Strengthen reliability: systemically reduce crashes, improve error handling, or drive release process improvements.
Embed with product engineering teams in order to understand pain points or emerging infrastructure needs.
Develop internal tooling and automation (Bazel, CI, testing, guardrails, Codex agent skills and systems) that increase engineering velocity.
Translate messy real-world constraints into clean abstractions: simple APIs, enforceable contracts, safe defaults.
You might thrive in this role if you:
Have strong iOS engineering fundamentals (Swift, concurrency, networking, Xcode ecosystem, some UIKit/SwiftUI) and are familiar with the latest features and practices.
Gravitate towards platform problems: frameworks, architecture, performance, or tools that empower and accelerate others.
Take ownership: continually identify the biggest risks/opportunities, drive projects to completion, and update quickly.
Care about measurement: instrument, define metrics, run experiments, and iterate based on data.
Have strong communication and collaboration skills—aligning on interfaces, navigating tradeoffs, and driving cross-team execution.
Tend to think in systems, fight entropy, and enjoy an ambiguous challenge.
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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