Technical Program Manager, Core Network & WAN Infrastructure

Details

About the Team

The compute infrastructure team runs the GPU fleet and supercomputers that serve the models backing ChatGPT and API while also supporting training workloads for next-generation models. The team manages a large GPU fleet, exposing it as a singular platform for other OpenAI teams to run production Applied AI and Research training workloads. The team emphasizes responsible and safe deployment of AI.

About the Role

We are hiring a Technical Program Manager to own delivery of OpenAI's WAN infrastructure across Points of Presence (PoPs), long-haul fiber routes, cloud interconnects, colocation environments, and provider handoffs. This is a hands-on infrastructure execution role focused on PoP readiness end-to-end: equipment, cabling, optics, cross-connects, port maps, vendor dependencies, cloud connectivity, test plans, operational runbooks, and escalation paths. You will work with network engineers, datacenter operators, cloud providers, fiber vendors, finance, procurement, and business teams, maintaining ownership of what is live, blocked, at risk, and needed next.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA and uses a hybrid work model (3 days in the office per week). OpenAI offers relocation assistance to new employees.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end execution for PoP buildouts, expansions, and network capacity delivery across internal teams, vendors, colocation providers, fiber providers, and cloud providers.
• Drive physical and logical readiness across routers, line cards, optics, cabling, patch panels, cross-connects, provider handoffs, cloud interconnects, BGP sessions, routing policy, and production turn-up.
• Maintain clear ownership of timelines, dependencies, risks, blockers, escalation paths, and readiness milestones for active network deployments.
• Translate network capacity needs and deployment plans into concrete execution workstreams with owners, dates, test expectations, and acceptance criteria.
• Partner closely with network engineers to validate link state, optics health, FEC/BER signals, light levels, interface configuration, routing readiness, and handoff completeness.
• Ensure vendors and datacenter teams have required instructions: port maps, rack elevations, LOAs/CLOAs, diagrams, install windows, test plans, access details, and acceptance criteria.
• Build durable operational mechanisms, including PoP readiness checklists, deployment trackers, vendor instruction templates, escalation playbooks, and standard operating procedures.
• Identify recurring bottlenecks in PoP deployment and network capacity delivery, then drive fixes to make future builds faster, more predictable, and less dependent on tribal knowledge.
• Communicate clearly with technical and non-technical stakeholders, providing crisp status, impact, owner, next steps, and requested decisions for escalations.

Requirements

• Deep experience driving infrastructure, networking, datacenter, cloud connectivity, telecom, fiber, or technical operations programs.
• Strong technical intuition across physical networking, WAN/backbone infrastructure, colocation environments, cloud interconnects, cross-connects, optics, cabling, routing, and operational readiness.
• Track record of independently owning ambiguous, cross-functional infrastructure programs from planning through production handoff.
• Experience working directly with network engineers, datacenter operations, colocation providers, carriers, cloud providers, vendors, finance, procurement, and business stakeholders.
• Excellent written communication and operating discipline: clear trackers, clean handoffs, useful status updates, and escalation notes that drive decisions.
• Practical, self-driven approach focused on unblocking execution, improving mechanisms, and raising the operational bar.
• Comfort going deep into details when needed (reading port maps, questioning handoffs, chasing vendor blockers, defining test plans for new sites).

Preferred / Additional Familiarity

• Experience with large-scale WAN, backbone, edge, cloud, or AI/ML infrastructure.
• Familiarity with BGP, routing policy, optical transport, DWDM, dark fiber, cloud interconnects, peering, or high-capacity datacenter networking.
• Experience with Arista, Juniper, Cisco, or similar network platforms.
• Experience building operational dashboards, deployment tooling, automation, or structured reporting for infrastructure programs.
• Experience with global infrastructure expansion, network capacity planning, or vendor/commercial negotiations.

Compensation

Compensation Range: $207K - $335K USD

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. The company emphasizes safety and responsible deployment of AI systems.

Benefits

• Medical, dental, and vision insurance with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
• Pre-tax accounts (Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, commuter expenses)
• 401(k) with employer match
• Paid parental leave and paid medical/caregiver leave
• Paid time off (flexible PTO for exempt employees; up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees)
• 13+ paid company holidays and coordinated office closures
• 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
• Additional fringe benefits (charitable donation matching, wellness stipends)