Software Engineer, Localization

Software Engineer · Senior · Full Time

San FranciscoUSD 185k – 300k5mo ago
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Role

What you'll do.

OpenAI's Internationalization team is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to build critical infrastructure that enables global product localization and international launches. The role focuses on developing AI-powered translation pipelines, internationalization libraries, and tools that support seamless multilingual user experiences across OpenAI's product ecosystem.

Responsibilities

  • Localization Platform Development: Build and scale OpenAI's localization platform, developing AI-powered translation pipelines with human-in-the-loop review workflows.
  • Content Delivery Systems: Design systems to reliably deliver localized product content across web and mobile applications, ensuring consistent global user experiences.
  • Internationalization Libraries: Develop and maintain internationalization libraries that handle complex linguistic requirements like number formatting, currency conversion, date localization, and multilingual interface support.
  • Cross-Team Collaboration: Partner with product teams to enhance the international readiness of new features and improve global product accessibility.

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Backend/Full-stack Development

    Strong experience in building complex backend or full-stack systems with scalable architecture.

  • Programming Languages

    Proficiency in Java and related web technologies with experience in React for frontend components.

  • Database Management

    Experience with MySQL and advanced database design for internationalization contexts.

Education

  • Computer Science

    Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred.

Experience

  • Internationalization

    Demonstrated experience in building internationalization infrastructure, translation workflows, or multilingual software systems.

  • Cloud Infrastructure

    Proven expertise with cloud infrastructure patterns including object storage, containerized services, and Kubernetes.

Skills

Required

  • Software Engineering

    Strong software development skills with focus on backend or full-stack system design

  • Platform Development

    Experience building internal tools and platforms used across multiple teams

  • Cloud Technologies

    Proficiency in cloud infrastructure, containerization, and distributed systems

Preferred

  • Multilingual Skills

    Nice to have

    Proficiency in multiple languages or deep appreciation for linguistic and cultural nuances

  • AI Integration

    Nice to have

    Experience combining AI systems with human workflow optimization

  • Open Source Contribution

    Nice to have

    Active involvement or appreciation for open-source software and developer tooling

Tech stack

Languages

JavaJavaScript

Frameworks

React

Databases

MySQL

Tools

Kubernetes

Other

Cloud Infrastructure

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·USD 185,000 – 300,000

Benefits

  • Equity Compensation

    Stock options providing opportunity for long-term financial growth

  • Healthcare Coverage

    Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance

  • Professional Development

    Opportunities for continuous learning, conference attendance, and skill enhancement in cutting-edge AI technologies

  • Mission-Driven Environment

    Work at the forefront of AI development with a focus on benefiting humanity

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Screening

    HR review of application and resume, assessing candidate's background in software engineering and internationalization

  2. 02

    Technical Phone Screen

    Detailed discussion of technical skills, experience with localization infrastructure, and problem-solving approach

  3. 03

    Technical Interview

    In-depth technical assessment focusing on system design, internationalization challenges, and coding capabilities

  4. 04

    Team Fit Interview

    Evaluation of candidate's alignment with OpenAI's mission, collaborative skills, and passion for global technology solutions

  5. 05

    Final Interview

    Meeting with senior leadership to discuss strategic vision and potential contributions to the Internationalization team

Full posting

Original listing.

About the Team

OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. A majority of our users interact with our products in languages other than English, and our products must work seamlessly across languages, regions, and cultures.

The Internationalization team builds the infrastructure that enables OpenAI products to ship globally by default. We develop the systems that power localization, international product launches, and high-quality global user experiences across all OpenAI products.

About the Role

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Internationalization team, you will build the systems that power localization and international product launches at OpenAI. You’ll work on the platform that manages product content, translation workflows, and localization infrastructure across our products.

This role sits at the intersection of AI systems, developer platforms, and product infrastructure.

In this role, you will

  • Build and scale OpenAI’s localization, content, and experimentation platform used across OpenAI product teams, including open-source components:

    • Develop AI-powered translation pipelines combined with human-in-the-loop review workflows.

    • Design systems that reliably deliver localized product content across web and mobile apps.

    • Build tools that enable linguists and localization teams to review and improve translations.

    • Develop developer tooling that simplifies localization and internationalization workflows.

  • Build and maintain internationalization libraries used across OpenAI products:

    • Design systems that correctly handle numbers, currencies, dates, and pluralization across locales.

    • Improve support for multilingual interfaces and right-to-left languages.

  • Partner with product teams to improve the international readiness of new features.

You might thrive in this role if you

  • Have strong software engineering experience building backend or full-stack systems.

  • Have familiarity with Java, React, MySQL, and cloud infrastructure patterns such as object storage, containerized services, and Kubernetes.

  • Enjoy building platforms and internal tools used by many teams.

  • Have experience with or appreciation for open-source software and developer tooling.

  • Are interested in combining AI systems with human workflows.

  • Care about product quality and global user experience.

  • Appreciate cultural and linguistic differences across regions; multilingual proficiency is a plus.

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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