# Operating Systems Engineer, Connectivity & Networking | Consumer Devices
**Company:** [OpenAI](https://scaleengineer.com/companies/openai)
As an Operating Systems Engineer focused on connectivity and networking at OpenAI Consumer Devices, you'll design and maintain OS capabilities enabling reliable, secure, and efficient communication across consumer AI products. This role demands expertise in Wi-Fi and Bluetooth frameworks, IP networking (IPv4/IPv6, TCP/UDP, DNS, DHCP), and advanced network services, with strong C++ systems programming skills and hands-on experience in shipping production connectivity features. You'll investigate complex stack issues, optimize performance and power efficiency through profiling and measurement, and collaborate cross-functionally to translate hardware and platform requirements into maintainable OS interfaces.
**Role:** Systems Engineer
**Seniority:** Senior
**Locations:** San Francisco
**Salary:** 230000–385000 USD
[Apply](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/openai/c5f39beb-dc8a-4f43-a156-28754d306f64)
Canonical: https://scaleengineer.com/jobs/openai/operating-systems-engineer-connectivity-networking-consumer-devices
---
## Responsibilities

- Design and Implement OS Connectivity Services: Build and maintain operating system services, frameworks, and APIs for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and IP networking capabilities. Create abstraction layers that enable reliable communication across diverse network environments and consumer device platforms.
- Develop Reusable Network Capabilities: Engineer connection management systems, network configuration and selection logic, service discovery mechanisms, and routing capabilities that can be leveraged across multiple OpenAI consumer products and systems.
- Implement Secure Communication Protocols: Design and deploy network services and policies for secure communication, including traffic management, network isolation, and protection mechanisms across varied network environments and threat models.
- Diagnose and Resolve Complex Stack Issues: Investigate correctness, concurrency, interoperability, and reliability issues across OS components, protocol stacks, and application interfaces using traces, protocol captures, and structured debugging techniques.
- Optimize Performance and Power Efficiency: Apply tracing, profiling, and repeatable measurement techniques to improve latency, throughput, resource utilization, and power efficiency. Document performance characteristics and establish baseline measurements for regression tracking.
- Build Testing and Validation Infrastructure: Develop diagnostic tools, create representative workloads, and implement automated test suites to validate interoperability and failure recovery across changing network and operating conditions.
- Cross-Functional Integration and Collaboration: Partner with hardware engineers, firmware developers, security specialists, platform engineers, and application teams to translate system requirements into shipped capabilities and maintain clear interfaces for integration and troubleshooting.

## Requirements

### education

- {"name":"Computer Science or Related Field","description":"Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent professional experience demonstrating mastery of systems-level concepts."}

### technical

- {"name":"Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Systems Development","description":"Substantial hands-on experience developing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality in operating-system frameworks, system services, or connectivity middleware stacks. Deep understanding of IEEE 802.11 standards, Bluetooth Core Specification, and protocol state machines."}
- {"name":"IP Networking Fundamentals","description":"Strong understanding of IPv4 and IPv6 protocols, TCP and UDP transport protocols, DNS resolution, DHCP configuration, routing algorithms, and socket behavior. Practical experience implementing and debugging networked systems at layer 3 and layer 4."}
- {"name":"Advanced Networking Capabilities","description":"Experience implementing advanced networking features in one or more of these areas: policy-based routing, VPN and tunneling protocols, traffic management and Quality of Service (QoS), network segmentation, and layer 2/3 isolation mechanisms."}
- {"name":"Platform API Design and Service Architecture","description":"Experience designing and maintaining platform APIs and the services behind them, including connection lifecycle management, state machines, and integration patterns with other operating system components."}
- {"name":"C++ Systems Programming","description":"Proficiency in C++ for systems development, including concurrent programming patterns, memory ownership models, resource lifetime management, RAII principles, and performance optimization for resource-constrained environments."}
- {"name":"Asynchronous Systems and IPC","description":"Strong understanding of asynchronous programming models, interprocess communication mechanisms, event handling, and failure recovery patterns in distributed systems."}
- {"name":"Debugging and Diagnostics","description":"Experience diagnosing complex connectivity issues using system traces, protocol captures, structured logging, packet analysis tools, and kernel-level debugging techniques."}

### experience

- {"name":"Production Connectivity Systems","description":"5+ years of hands-on experience delivering connectivity capabilities in shipped consumer or infrastructure products, with exposure to real-world interoperability challenges and multi-vendor ecosystems."}
- {"name":"Protocol Implementation and Testing","description":"Proven track record of implementing network protocols, debugging interoperability issues across software stacks and third-party implementations, and validating correctness across diverse network conditions."}
- {"name":"Performance Optimization","description":"Experience improving connectivity performance, power consumption, or resource utilization in systems software, supported by repeatable measurements and comprehensive regression test coverage."}
- {"name":"Cross-Disciplinary Collaboration","description":"Demonstrated ability to work across disciplines including hardware engineering, firmware development, security, and application teams, making sound technical tradeoffs and carrying solutions from investigation through production deployment."}

## Skills

### required

- {"name":"C++","description":"Production-grade C++ systems programming with deep expertise in concurrent programming, memory management, and resource lifetime management."}
- {"name":"Wi-Fi Protocol Stack Implementation","description":"Hands-on experience with 802.11 standards, Wi-Fi framework development, and Wi-Fi stack integration in operating systems."}
- {"name":"Bluetooth Protocol Stack Implementation","description":"Practical experience with Bluetooth Core Specification, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), and Bluetooth stack development or integration."}
- {"name":"TCP/IP Networking","description":"Deep understanding of IPv4/IPv6, TCP/UDP protocols, socket programming, DNS, DHCP, and IP routing concepts with practical debugging experience."}
- {"name":"Operating System Architecture","description":"Understanding of OS kernel concepts, system calls, user-space/kernel-space boundaries, and OS service architecture patterns."}
- {"name":"Network Debugging and Analysis","description":"Proficiency with protocol analyzers, packet capture tools, system tracing frameworks, and structured debugging methodologies for connectivity issues."}
- {"name":"API Design for Systems Software","description":"Experience designing clean, maintainable APIs for platform services with attention to versioning, backward compatibility, and clear error handling semantics."}

### preferred

- {"name":"Rust Systems Programming","description":"Proficiency in Rust for systems-level development, bringing memory safety benefits and modern concurrency patterns to systems programming challenges."}
- {"name":"Advanced Transport Protocols","description":"Expertise in modern transport protocols such as QUIC, multi-path networking (MPTCP), congestion control algorithms, or operation across heterogeneous network interfaces."}
- {"name":"Network Virtualization and Policy Enforcement","description":"Experience with network virtualization technologies, proxies, NAT traversal, firewall implementation, or policy enforcement mechanisms within operating systems."}
- {"name":"Power Management and Efficiency","description":"Demonstrated experience optimizing power consumption in networking stacks, including Wi-Fi and Bluetooth power states, wake-lock management, and efficiency metrics."}
- {"name":"Security and Privacy in Connectivity","description":"Understanding of authentication mechanisms, permission models, credential handling, privacy considerations, and secure communication patterns in connectivity services."}
- {"name":"Consumer Device Ecosystem","description":"Familiarity with consumer device platforms, third-party hardware integration, interoperability testing across device manufacturers, and consumer-grade reliability requirements."}
- {"name":"Measurement and Experimentation","description":"Experience using data-driven approaches with experiments, performance measurements, and controlled testing to validate assumptions and guide architectural decisions."}

## Tech stack

### tools

- {"name":"Wireshark","description":"Network protocol analyzer for capturing and examining packet traces to diagnose connectivity issues."}
- {"name":"tcpdump","description":"Command-line packet capture tool for collecting network traffic data from live or recorded network sessions."}
- {"name":"Xcode and LLDB Debugger","description":"IDE and debugger for development and debugging on Apple platforms if applicable to consumer device targets."}
- {"name":"System Profilers and Tracers","description":"Performance analysis tools for profiling CPU usage, memory allocation, I/O patterns, and identifying performance bottlenecks in networking stacks."}
- {"name":"Git and Version Control","description":"Distributed version control for managing source code, collaboration, and code review workflows."}
- {"name":"Testing Frameworks","description":"Unit testing, integration testing, and automated test infrastructure for validating connectivity functionality and preventing regressions."}
- {"name":"CI/CD Pipelines","description":"Continuous integration and deployment systems for automated testing, build verification, and release management."}

### others

- {"name":"802.11 (Wi-Fi) Standards","description":"IEEE standards defining Wi-Fi specifications, security protocols (WPA3), and authentication mechanisms."}
- {"name":"Bluetooth Core Specification","description":"Bluetooth SIG standards defining Bluetooth Classic and Low Energy protocols, profiles, and interoperability requirements."}
- {"name":"IPv4 and IPv6 Standards","description":"IETF internet protocol standards including addressing, routing, fragmentation, and transition mechanisms."}
- {"name":"SSL/TLS Protocols","description":"Cryptographic protocols for securing network communications, including certificate validation and secure key exchange."}
- {"name":"VPN and Tunneling Protocols","description":"Technologies for creating secure virtual network connections, including IPSec, WireGuard, and TLS-based VPNs."}
- {"name":"Network Security and Isolation","description":"Concepts including firewalls, network segmentation, access control lists, and policy enforcement mechanisms."}
- {"name":"Protocol State Machines","description":"Design and implementation of deterministic state machines for managing connection lifecycle, negotiation, and error recovery."}

### databases

- {"name":"Network Configuration Storage","description":"Persistent storage systems for network credentials, connection profiles, and networking policy rules."}

### languages

- {"name":"C++","description":"Primary systems programming language for OS services, networking frameworks, and performance-critical connectivity components."}
- {"name":"Rust","description":"Modern systems programming language with memory safety guarantees, increasingly adopted for new connectivity infrastructure and safety-critical networking code."}
- {"name":"C","description":"Low-level programming for kernel interfaces, device drivers, and legacy systems integration."}
- {"name":"Python","description":"Used for testing infrastructure, diagnostic tools, protocol simulation, and automation scripts."}

### frameworks

- {"name":"Wi-Fi Framework (802.11 Stack)","description":"Operating system Wi-Fi networking framework for managing 802.11 protocol, security negotiation, roaming, and power management."}
- {"name":"Bluetooth Framework","description":"OS-level Bluetooth connectivity framework supporting Bluetooth Classic and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocols."}
- {"name":"TCP/IP Stack","description":"Internet protocol stack implementation including IPv4/IPv6, TCP, UDP, and supporting protocols like ICMP, DNS, and DHCP."}
- {"name":"Event-Driven Networking","description":"Asynchronous I/O frameworks and event loop patterns for handling concurrent network connections and I/O operations."}
- {"name":"Service Discovery Frameworks","description":"Mechanisms for dynamic service discovery, including mDNS, DNS-SD, and application-specific discovery protocols."}

## Benefits

### benefits

- {"name":"Equity Compensation","description":"Stock options providing ownership stake in OpenAI's growth and long-term value creation."}
- {"name":"Comprehensive Health Coverage","description":"Medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and eligible dependents."}
- {"name":"Retirement Planning","description":"401(k) retirement savings plans with employer matching contributions."}
- {"name":"Professional Development","description":"Access to training, conferences, and learning opportunities to stay current with evolving systems programming and networking technologies."}
- {"name":"Flexible Work Environment","description":"Work arrangements that support work-life balance and personal productivity preferences."}
- {"name":"Collaborative Culture","description":"Environment fostering innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration among world-class researchers, engineers, and product teams."}

## Compensation

- **max:** 280000
- **min:** 180000
- **currency:** USD
- **stockOptions:** true

## Interview process

### steps

- {"name":"Initial Screening","description":"Recruiter phone screen to assess background, experience with connectivity systems, and alignment with role requirements."}
- {"name":"Technical Phone Interview","description":"Discussion of specific projects involving Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, IP networking, or protocol implementation. Expect questions about debugging methodologies and complex connectivity issues you've resolved."}
- {"name":"Systems Design Interview","description":"Deep dive into designing connectivity components such as connection management systems, network policy engines, or service discovery mechanisms. Assessment of architectural thinking and tradeoff analysis."}
- {"name":"Code Review and Implementation","description":"Technical interview involving discussion of production code samples or a practical coding exercise focused on systems programming, concurrent code, and networking challenges."}
- {"name":"Cross-Functional Collaboration Interview","description":"Conversation with hardware engineers, firmware developers, or platform team members to assess collaboration skills and ability to work across disciplines."}
- {"name":"Leadership and Culture Interview","description":"Discussion with senior engineers or team leads about problem-solving approach, ownership mentality, and fit with OpenAI's mission-driven culture and values."}
- {"name":"Offer and Negotiation","description":"Comprehensive offer including base salary, equity, and benefits package. Opportunity to discuss role expectations and professional growth opportunities at OpenAI."}

## Full description
## **About the Team**

OpenAI Consumer Devices is building the next generation of products that bring powerful AI into people’s everyday lives. Guided by OpenAI’s mission to ensure AGI benefits all of humanity, our team combines world-class researchers, engineers, designers, and operators who care deeply about creating useful, intuitive, and responsible technology. You’ll have the opportunity to work alongside exceptional people on ambitious, zero-to-one challenges at the intersection of hardware, software, and AI. This is a chance to help define an entirely new category of products—and shape how people experience AI in the future.

Our team works across systems software and product engineering to build reliable consumer devices and the platforms behind them. We develop the connectivity and networking foundations that support communication across OpenAI products and systems.

## **About the Role**

As an Operating Systems Engineer focused on connectivity and networking, you will design, develop, and maintain the OS capabilities that enable reliable, secure, and efficient communication across OpenAI products and systems.

Your work will span Wi-Fi and Bluetooth frameworks, IP networking, and advanced network services and policy. You’ll develop OS services, libraries, and interfaces for a broad range of connectivity needs, make design decisions across software boundaries, and carry solutions through development, integration, and production.

### **In this role, you will:**

* **Build connectivity foundations:** Design, implement, and maintain OS services, frameworks, and APIs for Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and IP networking.
* **Develop reusable network capabilities:** Build connection management, network configuration and selection, service discovery, and routing capabilities.
* **Enable secure communication:** Develop network services and policies for secure communication, traffic management, and isolation across varied network environments.
* **Resolve issues across the stack:** Investigate correctness, concurrency, interoperability, and reliability issues across OS components, protocol stacks, and application interfaces.
* **Improve performance and efficiency:** Use tracing, profiling, and repeatable measurements to improve latency, throughput, resource use, and power efficiency.
* **Validate real-world reliability:** Build diagnostic tools, representative workloads, and automated tests to validate interoperability and failure recovery across changing network and operating conditions, measure reliability improvements, and protect gains with regression coverage.
* **Deliver maintainable product capabilities:** Partner with hardware, firmware, security, platform, and application engineers to translate system requirements into shipped capabilities and clear, maintainable interfaces for integration and troubleshooting.

## **Minimum Qualifications**

* Substantial hands-on experience developing Wi-Fi and Bluetooth functionality in operating-system frameworks, system services, or connectivity middleware.
* Strong understanding of IP networking, including IPv4/IPv6, TCP/UDP, DNS, DHCP, routing, and socket behavior, with practical experience implementing and debugging networked systems.
* Experience implementing advanced networking capabilities in one or more areas such as routing and network policy, VPNs and tunneling, traffic management, or network isolation.
* Experience designing and maintaining platform APIs and the services behind them, including connection lifecycle management and integration with other OS components.
* Proficiency in C++ for systems development, including concurrent programming, memory ownership, and resource lifetime management.
* Strong understanding of asynchronous systems, interprocess communication, and failure handling.
* Experience diagnosing complex connectivity issues using system traces, protocol captures, logs, and structured debugging.
* Ability to work across disciplines, make sound technical tradeoffs, and carry solutions from investigation through implementation and validation.

## **You might thrive in this role if you:**

* Have delivered connectivity capabilities in shipped products and resolved interoperability issues across software stacks and third-party implementations.
* Bring depth in transport protocols and performance, including QUIC, congestion control, multi-path networking, or operation across multiple network interfaces.
* Have experience with network virtualization, proxies, NAT, firewalls, or policy enforcement within an operating system.
* Have improved connectivity performance or power consumption, supported by repeatable measurements and regression coverage.
* Understand security and privacy considerations in connectivity services, including authentication, permissions, and credential handling.
* Are proficient in Rust for systems programming.
* Take ownership of complete solutions and follow problems across framework, service, and underlying stack boundaries.
* Use experiments and measurements to challenge assumptions and guide technical decisions.
* Work constructively across disciplines and make careful tradeoffs among functionality, security, reliability, performance, power, and maintainability.

**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](https://cdn.openai.com/policies/eeo-policy-statement.pdf).

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.

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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.