Research Engineer, Applied AI Engineering

Details

OpenAI's Applied Group is looking for Research Engineers who will transform cutting-edge research into production systems and real-world applications. The role focuses on deploying state-of-the-art models, optimizing them for performance and accuracy, and collaborating with researchers, engineers, and product teams to deliver impactful AI solutions.

About the Team

OpenAI is at the forefront of artificial intelligence research and deployment, with a mission to ensure AI's benefits reach everyone. The Applied Group focuses on turning research breakthroughs into tangible products and solutions that address real-world problems.

About the Role

As a Research Engineer in the Applied Group you will deploy advanced machine learning models in production environments, contribute to scalable data pipelines, optimize models for performance and accuracy, and help turn research concepts into implemented solutions.

Responsibilities

• Design and deploy advanced machine learning models that solve real-world problems.
• Collaborate closely with researchers, software engineers, and product managers to understand business challenges and deliver AI-powered solutions.
• Implement scalable data pipelines and optimize models for performance and accuracy to make them production-ready.
• Participate in code reviews, share knowledge, and uphold high-quality engineering practices.
• Monitor and maintain deployed models to ensure continued value delivery.

Requirements

• Master's or PhD degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Data Science, or a related field.
• Demonstrated experience in deep learning and transformer models.
• Proficiency in frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.
• Strong foundation in data structures, algorithms, and software engineering principles.
• Experience or familiarity with search relevance, ads ranking, or large language models (LLMs) is a plus.
• Familiarity with methods for training and fine-tuning large language models (distillation, supervised fine-tuning, policy optimization).
• Excellent problem-solving and analytical skills, and the ability to work collaboratively across cross-functional teams.
• Ability to move quickly in environments with evolving priorities and to own problems end-to-end.

Benefits & Other Details

• Base salary range listed: $250,000 - $555,000 (total compensation also includes equity and may include performance-related bonuses).
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with employer contributions to HSA; pre-tax accounts (FSA); 401(k) with employer match.
• Paid parental leave, paid medical and caregiver leave, flexible PTO, paid company holidays, and paid sick/safe time.
• Mental health and wellness support; employer-paid basic life and disability coverage.
• Annual learning and development stipend; daily meals in offices and meal delivery credits as eligible.
• Relocation support for eligible employees.
• Background checks will be administered in accordance with applicable law. OpenAI is an equal opportunity employer and provides reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.