OpenAI

Senior Data Engineer, Core Experimentation

OpenAIYesterday
Location

Seattle

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 293,000 – 325,000

Level

Senior

Role

Data Engineer

Posted

May 14, 2026

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

OpenAI is seeking a Senior Data Engineer for its Core Experimentation team to design and manage critical data pipelines that power product development, analytics, and decision-making across the organization. The ideal candidate will build robust data infrastructure, collaborate with cross-functional teams, and contribute to OpenAI's mission of developing responsible AI technologies.

What you'll do

Data Pipeline Design: Design, build, and manage comprehensive data pipelines to seamlessly integrate user event data into the company's data warehouse.
Metrics Development: Develop canonical datasets to track critical product metrics including user growth, engagement, and revenue generation.
Cross-Functional Collaboration: Work closely with Infrastructure, Data Science, Product, Marketing, Finance, and Research teams to understand and address their data requirements.
System Reliability: Implement robust, fault-tolerant systems for data ingestion and processing to ensure high-performance data infrastructure.
Data Governance: Ensure data security, integrity, and compliance with industry and company standards throughout the data ecosystem.
Architectural Leadership: Participate in strategic data architecture and engineering decisions, bringing extensive experience and technical expertise.

What we look for

Technical

Programming LanguagesProficiency in at least one data engineering programming language (Python, Scala, or Java)
Distributed ProcessingExpertise with distributed processing technologies like Hadoop, Flink, and distributed storage systems (HDFS, S3)
ETL FrameworksExperience with ETL schedulers such as Airflow, Dagster, Prefect, or similar workflow management tools
Apache SparkSolid understanding of Spark with ability to write, debug, and optimize Spark code

Education

Academic BackgroundBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Data Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred

Experience

Professional Experience3+ years of dedicated data engineering experience and 8+ years of overall software engineering experience
Complex Data InfrastructureProven track record of designing and managing scalable, reliable data pipelines in high-growth technology environments

Skills

Required skills

Distributed ComputingStrong skills in distributed system design and large-scale data processing
Data Pipeline ArchitectureExpert-level understanding of end-to-end data pipeline development and management
System ReliabilityAbility to design fault-tolerant and scalable data infrastructure

Nice to have

Machine Learning InfrastructureExperience with data pipelines supporting machine learning and AI model development
Cloud PlatformsFamiliarity with cloud data services and infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure)

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 293,000 – 325,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity Compensation

Stock options providing potential additional financial upside

Hybrid Work Model

Flexible work arrangement with in-person collaboration opportunities in Bellevue

Cutting-Edge Technology

Work on advanced AI technologies at the forefront of machine learning and artificial intelligence

Interview process

  1. 1
    Initial Screening — Preliminary review of application and resume by hiring team
  2. 2
    Technical Phone Screen — Detailed discussion of technical skills, experience, and data engineering expertise
  3. 3
    Technical Assessment — Hands-on coding challenge and system design evaluation focused on data pipeline architecture
  4. 4
    Onsite Interviews — Multiple rounds of in-depth technical and collaborative interviews with team members
  5. 5
    Final Panel — Comprehensive review with senior leadership to assess overall fit and potential impact
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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
PythonScalaJava
Frameworks
Apache SparkAirflowDagster
Databases
HDFSAmazon S3
Tools
HadoopPrefect
Other
ETL Processes

Interview Guides

5 guides available for OpenAI

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