OpenAI

Software Engineer, Database Systems

OpenAI7 months ago
Location

San Francisco

Type

Full Time

Salary

USD 230,000 – 385,000

Level

Senior

Role

Backend Engineer

Posted

Jul 29, 2025

Full TimeSenior

The role

Summary

OpenAI's Database Systems team is seeking a senior software engineer to work on Rockset, their high-performance real-time search, analytics, and vector database that powers vector search and RAG across all OpenAI products. The role involves building distributed systems, performance optimization in C++, and scaling database infrastructure for exponential growth.

What you'll do

Database Engine Development: Design, build, and optimize the core Rockset database engine written in C++
Distributed Systems Architecture: Design and implement high-performance distributed database systems at scale
Performance Optimization: Identify and resolve performance bottlenecks to scale infrastructure by orders of magnitude
Technical Leadership: Define long-term technical direction and guide system evolution for database infrastructure
Cross-functional Collaboration: Partner with product, engineering, and research teams to deliver scalable and reliable infrastructure
Production Issue Resolution: Debug and resolve complex production issues across the entire database stack
System Reliability: Contribute to incident response, postmortems, and establish best practices for system reliability
Query Engine Enhancement: Drive improvements across ingestion, query execution, indexing, and storage components
Infrastructure Scaling: Scale online database reliability and throughput as usage grows exponentially
Vector Search Implementation: Optimize vector search and retrieval augmented generation (RAG) capabilities

What we look for

Technical

Systems ProgrammingStrong proficiency in C++ for core database engine development
Distributed SystemsExtensive experience building and scaling distributed systems at enterprise scale
Cloud PlatformsFluency in AWS, GCP, or Azure cloud environments
Infrastructure as CodeExperience with Terraform or similar IaC tools
Container OrchestrationProduction experience with Kubernetes or other orchestration systems
Linux SystemsDeep understanding of Linux systems administration and optimization
Observability StackExperience with Prometheus, Grafana, and modern monitoring systems
CI/CD PipelineHands-on experience with continuous integration and deployment pipelines

Education

Bachelor's DegreeBachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or related technical field preferred
Advanced DegreeMaster's degree in Computer Science or equivalent experience in distributed systems

Experience

Industry Experience4+ years of relevant software engineering experience in systems programming
Technical Leadership2+ years leading large-scale, complex projects or teams as engineer or tech lead
Distributed SystemsProven track record building and scaling distributed systems with focus on performance and reliability
Database InternalsExperience with storage engines, indexing, query processing, or database systems preferred
Production OperationsExperience operating production clusters and handling high-throughput systems

Skills

Required skills

C++ ProgrammingExpert-level proficiency in C++ for systems programming and performance optimization
Distributed SystemsDeep understanding of distributed system design patterns, consistency models, and scalability
Performance OptimizationExperience identifying and resolving performance bottlenecks in high-throughput systems
System ArchitectureAbility to design scalable, reliable, and maintainable system architectures
Cloud InfrastructureHands-on experience with AWS, GCP, or Azure cloud platforms
Container OrchestrationProduction experience with Kubernetes and container management
Linux SystemsStrong Linux systems administration and troubleshooting skills

Nice to have

Database InternalsKnowledge of storage engines, indexing algorithms, and query optimization
Vector DatabasesExperience with vector search, embeddings, and similarity algorithms
Real-time SystemsUnderstanding of low-latency, real-time data processing requirements
Machine Learning InfrastructureExperience supporting ML workloads and model serving infrastructure
Go ProgrammingProficiency in Go for microservices and distributed system components
Rust ProgrammingKnowledge of Rust for memory-safe systems programming
Stream ProcessingExperience with Apache Kafka, Apache Flink, or similar streaming platforms

Compensation & benefits

Salary

USD 230,000 – 385,000 (annual)

Stock options

Available

Benefits

Equity Compensation

Significant equity stake in one of the world's leading AI companies

Health Insurance

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance coverage

Retirement Benefits

401(k) retirement savings plan with company matching contributions

Flexible Time Off

Unlimited PTO policy for work-life balance and personal well-being

Parental Leave

Generous paid parental leave for new parents

Professional Development

Learning and development budget for conferences, courses, and skill enhancement

Remote Work Support

Home office setup stipend and remote work flexibility

Cutting-edge Technology

Access to latest hardware, software, and AI research tools

Innovation Time

Dedicated time for exploration and innovation projects

Mental Health Support

Mental health resources and counseling services

Interview process

  1. 1
    Application Review — Initial screening of resume, portfolio, and technical background by recruitment team
  2. 2
    Recruiter Phone Screen — 30-minute conversation about background, interest in OpenAI, and role alignment
  3. 3
    Technical Phone Interview — 60-minute technical discussion covering systems design, C++ programming, and distributed systems concepts
  4. 4
    System Design Interview — 90-minute deep-dive into designing large-scale database systems, discussing architecture, scalability, and performance trade-offs
  5. 5
    Coding Interview — 60-minute hands-on coding session focusing on algorithms, data structures, and systems programming in C++
  6. 6
    Behavioral Interview — 45-minute discussion about leadership experience, collaboration, and cultural fit with OpenAI values
  7. 7
    Final Round - Onsite — Half-day onsite (or virtual) interviews including technical deep-dives, team interactions, and leadership discussions
  8. 8
    Reference Check — Verification of work history and technical capabilities with former colleagues and managers
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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
C++PythonGoRust
Frameworks
gRPCApache KafkaProtocol Buffers
Databases
RocksetVector DatabasesDistributed Storage Systems
Tools
KubernetesTerraformDockerPrometheusGrafanaCI/CD Pipelines
Other
AWSGCPAzureLinux Systems

Interview Guides

5 guides available for OpenAI

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