Software Engineer, Physical Engineering

Details

The Physical Engineering team is part of OpenAI's Enterprise Verticals organization. The team is exploring how frontier AI can help people design, simulate, and build better physical products by shortening development cycles, improving product performance, and expanding what engineering teams can accomplish.

The initial focus is on mechanical and electrical engineering. The team is building experiences within ChatGPT and integrations with engineering software to help engineers move from early concepts through design, simulation, and preparation for production.

This is a small founding team that works directly with customers and closely with research, design, and forward-deployed engineering teams. The team learns by building products, putting them in users' hands, and using feedback to guide future development.

Responsibilities

• Build and ship full-stack AI products that help mechanical and electrical engineers work through design and simulation tasks.
• Own projects from customer discovery and prototyping through production deployment and iteration.
• Create intuitive interfaces that help users understand, inspect, and refine complex engineering outputs.
• Develop backend services, APIs, plugins, and integrations that connect OpenAI models with engineering software.
• Work directly with customers to understand engineering constraints, identify valuable applications, and translate specific needs into broadly useful products.
• Partner with research, design, platform, and forward-deployed engineering teams to bring emerging AI capabilities into practical workflows.
• Evaluate quality and reliability using customer feedback and product evidence.
• Help establish the technical foundations and engineering practices of a growing team.

Requirements

• Experience independently building and shipping substantial software products with ownership across frontend and backend systems.
• Strong software engineering fundamentals, product instincts, and UI judgment, especially for tools that make complex work easier to understand and perform.
• Ability to work directly with users and translate their needs into product and technical decisions.
• Ability to turn ambiguous opportunities into clear starting points and working products.
• Ability to move quickly, make pragmatic tradeoffs, and remain accountable for quality after launch.
• Ability to learn unfamiliar tools and domains quickly and communicate clearly across disciplines.
• Interest in applying frontier AI to the design and development of physical products.

Particularly relevant experience includes:

• Building CAD, CAE, simulation, electrical design, or related professional software.
• Developing interactive tools for visual, spatial, or technically complex workflows.
• Connecting engineering tools through APIs, plugins, or extensions.
• Building AI-powered applications and evaluating their usefulness and reliability.
• Taking a product from concept to production as a founder or early engineer.

Compensation And Benefits

• Base salary: $347,000–$445,000 per year.
• Equity, performance-related bonuses for eligible employees, and benefits.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts.
• Pre-tax accounts for health and dependent care expenses and commuter expenses.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match.
• Paid parental, medical, and caregiver leave.
• Paid time off, paid company holidays, office closures, and paid sick or safe time as required by law.
• Mental health and wellness support.
• Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage.
• Annual learning and development stipend.
• Daily office meals and eligible meal delivery credits.
• Relocation support for eligible employees.
• Additional taxable fringe benefits may include charitable donation matching and wellness stipends.

OpenAI is an equal opportunity employer and is committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities.