Technical Deployment Lead, Semiconductors - Texas

Details

OpenAI’s Forward Deployed Engineering team turns research breakthroughs into production-grade systems by embedding with customers to solve complex, large-scale problems and move solutions from prototype to production.

As a Technical Deployment Lead, you will define how OpenAI delivers complex AI systems to semiconductor customers. You will own the end-to-end delivery of solutions across engineering workflows such as RTL design, verification, EDA tooling, and physical implementation. This includes scoping solutions, building and shipping components, driving adoption, managing dependencies, and leading 0→1 prototypes through MVP and scale.

The role is based remotely in Austin, Texas, with 25–50% travel required and frequent onsite customer engagement.

Responsibilities

• Own technical delivery plans for multiple interdependent workstreams, translating customer objectives into roadmaps with milestones, dependencies, and acceptance criteria.
• Lead day-to-day engineering execution across OpenAI Forward Deployed Engineering teams and customer teams.
• Track progress, remove blockers, sequence work, and make real-time scope and priority trade-offs to protect the critical path.
• Embed with semiconductor customer teams to map workflows, shape tools and integrations, translate requirements, land production deployments, and drive adoption.
• Shape production deployments integrating with customer infrastructure, data systems, engineering toolchains, and export-controlled environments.
• Partner with Product and Research to ensure platform components and research workstreams support deployment goals.
• Codify reusable solution patterns and evaluations, and package field insights to improve products and models.
• Define value cases, impact hypotheses, baselines, and KPIs; measure results before and after deployment and report to executive sponsors.
• Help define how OpenAI engages with semiconductor customers.
• Share customer and field insights with Product and Research to influence roadmaps and architectures.

Requirements

• 7+ years of customer-facing technical delivery leadership experience.
• Deep expertise in semiconductor workflows, including RTL design, verification, EDA tooling, and physical implementation.
• A track record of leading large, complex, high-stakes customer engagements requiring tight coordination and rapid decision-making, ideally involving AI.
• Ability to operate effectively in high-ambiguity environments and simplify complex, dynamic work.
• Ability to move between system-level understanding and execution-level detail, including analyzing customer workflows and data, mapping constraints, sketching architectures, and moving ambiguous problems into shipped systems.
• Strategic thinking and pattern-recognition skills, with the ability to connect customer needs to scalable, reusable solutions.
• Strong technical fluency and sequencing judgment, including the ability to discuss technical details, pressure-test architectures, and make trade-offs.
• Experience shipping AI/LLM systems, with an understanding of solution patterns, integration fundamentals, and production pitfalls.
• Strong communication and executive presence, with the ability to explain complex technical trade-offs to business leaders and translate strategy into technical execution.
• Willingness to work onsite with customers, often 25–50% of the time and sometimes more.

Benefits

• Base salary of $176,000–$224,000 per year, plus equity.
• Medical, dental, and vision insurance, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts.
• Pre-tax flexible spending and commuter accounts.
• 401(k) retirement plan with employer match.
• Paid parental, medical, and caregiver leave.
• Paid time off, company holidays, and paid sick or safe time.
• Mental health and wellness support.
• Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage.
• Annual learning and development stipend.
• Office meals and eligible meal delivery credits.
• Relocation support for eligible employees.
• Potential additional benefits including charitable donation matching and wellness stipends.