Inference Technical Lead in San Francisco

About the Team OpenAI’s Infrastructure organization builds the systems that power frontier AI workloads at global scale. As compute demand accelerates, our ability to rapidly convert infrastructure investments into usable production capacity has become mission critical. The CPU / Storage / PoP / WAN team is responsible for the end-to-end infrastructure layers required to bring compute online: server and cluster activation, storage platforms, Points of Presence (PoPs), backbone connectivity, and global network expansion. We operate across first-party facilities, colocation environments, and strategic cloud partners to ensure OpenAI can scale reliably and quickly. About the Role We are seeking a highly technical Program Manager to lead execution across CPU, Storage, PoP, and WAN infrastructure programs that directly unlock OpenAI’s next generation compute capacity. In this role, you will own complex cross-functional programs spanning compute cluster activation, storage deployment, PoP bring-up, and backbone expansion. You will coordinate hardware readiness, site readiness, network pathing, storage availability, vendor execution, and engineering dependencies required to turn contracted infrastructure into live training and inference capacity. This role requires strong technical fluency across hardware systems, network infrastructure, storage architecture, and deployment execution. You should be comfortable operating from rack-level implementation details through executive-level capacity planning discussions. This role is based in San Francisco, CA, with travel as needed. Key Responsibilities Lead end-to-end execution of CPU / GPU cluster activation programs across OpenAI’s global infrastructure footprint Drive readiness to convert contracted compute capacity into schedulable production clusters Own deployment programs for new PoPs, backbone nodes, WAN expansion, and interconnection initiatives Build integrated schedules spanning procurement, logistics, installation, st

About the Team OpenAI’s Hardware organization develops AI-native silicon and system-level solutions for the unique demands of advanced AI workloads. Building on efforts like Jalapeño, the team is developing future generations of AI-native silicon and tightly integrated systems to power the next generation of frontier models. By co-designing chips, systems, tools, and methodologies, the team helps deliver faster, more efficient, and production-ready hardware for OpenAI’s supercomputing platform. About the Role We are seeking an experienced SoC Architect to lead the definition and development of next-generation custom AI silicon for edge deployments. This role will be responsible for shaping the architecture of highly efficient, high-performance SoCs optimized for machine learning inference and on-device intelligence. You will work cross-functionally with internal engineering teams and external ecosystem partners to translate product requirements into scalable silicon solutions, driving execution from concept through delivery. In this role you will: Define the architecture and technical roadmap for custom SoCs targeted for edge applications. Drive system-level tradeoff analysis across compute, memory, interconnect, power, thermal, and cost constraints. Architect energy-efficient ML compute subsystems optimized for inference workloads and real-world deployment environments. Collaborate with internal hardware, software, systems, and product teams to align architecture with platform needs. Partner with external silicon vendors, IP providers, and manufacturing partners to execute development plans. Lead hardware/software co-design efforts to maximize performance per watt and end-to-end system efficiency. Guide implementation teams through microarchitecture, RTL development, validation, and bring-up phases. Operate effectively in agile development environments and help teams deliver against aggressive schedules and milestones. You might thrive in this role if: Proven exper

About Us: AI needs a new infrastructure layer. We're building it at Modal. Every era of computing brought new workloads that previous infrastructure couldn't support: mainframes, databases, and the cloud. Each time, the company that rebuilt the layer underneath defined the decade. AI is no different, except it touches everything instead of one slice, and the window to build the layer underneath it is open right now. Our customers include category-defining companies like Lovable , Ramp , Cognition, DoorDash, and Suno. They rely on Modal for instant GPU access, sub-second container starts, and native storage, so it's simple to serve low-latency inference, fine-tune models, and access production-ready sandboxes at scale. We recently raised a $355M Series C at a $4.65B valuation, led by General Catalyst and Redpoint Ventures. We've crossed $300M+ ARR and grown fivefold since September. Our team includes creators of popular open-source projects (e.g., Seaborn , Luig i ), academic researchers, international olympiad medalists, and experienced engineering and product leaders with decades of experience. The Role: Modal is hiring a high-impact Solutions Architect to drive technical strategy across our most strategic enterprise accounts. You will operate as the executive technical counterpart to Enterprise Account Executives, leading complex evaluations, shaping infrastructure modernization roadmaps, and driving multi-product adoption across AI/ML workloads. This role is not demo support. It is a strategic, consultative position requiring strong architectural depth, executive presence, and the ability to influence 7–8 figure infrastructure decisions. You will work directly with CTOs, VPs of Engineering, and ML platform leaders to help them rethink how AI infrastructure should be built and operated. If you thrive in high-velocity technical sales environments and want to shape the infrastructure layer powering modern AI companies, this role is for you. What You’ll Do: Own the t

About Us: AI needs a new infrastructure layer. We're building it at Modal. Every era of computing brought new workloads that previous infrastructure couldn't support: mainframes, databases, and the cloud. Each time, the company that rebuilt the layer underneath defined the decade. AI is no different, except it touches everything instead of one slice, and the window to build the layer underneath it is open right now. Our customers include category-defining companies like Lovable , Ramp , Cognition, DoorDash, and Suno. They rely on Modal for instant GPU access, sub-second container starts, and native storage, so it's simple to serve low-latency inference, fine-tune models, and access production-ready sandboxes at scale. We recently raised a $355M Series C at a $4.65B valuation, led by General Catalyst and Redpoint Ventures. We've crossed $300M+ ARR and grown fivefold since September. Our team includes creators of popular open-source projects (e.g., Seaborn , Luig i ), academic researchers, international olympiad medalists, and experienced engineering and product leaders with decades of experience. The Role: Modal builds AI infrastructure products that developers love. That's how we grew so quickly, and why word of mouth remains one of our most important channels today. In this role, you will primarily create and distribute technical content that is unique, educational, and practical. This content will be the first Modal touchpoint for many of our users. We want to not only showcase the power and developer experience of Modal, but also serve as a trusted resource for them when implementing new AI technologies. In this role, you will: Distill the latest advancements in AI technology and educate developers on how to incorporate them. Give demos/talks about Modal and adjacent tools at developer events. Engage with users in our community, both online (X, LinkedInReddit, Slack) and at in-person events. Build relationships, integrations, and joint marketing activities with o

About Us: AI needs a new infrastructure layer. We're building it at Modal. Every era of computing brought new workloads that previous infrastructure couldn't support: mainframes, databases, and the cloud. Each time, the company that rebuilt the layer underneath defined the decade. AI is no different, except it touches everything instead of one slice, and the window to build the layer underneath it is open right now. Our customers include category-defining companies like Lovable , Ramp , Cognition, DoorDash, and Suno. They rely on Modal for instant GPU access, sub-second container starts, and native storage, so it's simple to serve low-latency inference, fine-tune models, and access production-ready sandboxes at scale. We recently raised a $355M Series C at a $4.65B valuation, led by General Catalyst and Redpoint Ventures. We've crossed $300M+ ARR and grown fivefold since September. Our team includes creators of popular open-source projects (e.g., Seaborn , Luig i ), academic researchers, international olympiad medalists, and experienced engineering and product leaders with decades of experience. The Role: Modal is the cloud platform built for AI. We're used by the world's leading AI labs, startups, and researchers to run compute-intensive workloads: training runs, inference, sandboxed code execution, and more. We're hiring a Community Manager in SF to make Modal a fixture in the AI developer community. You'll bring developers together through meetups, hackathons, and events of our own, and build the kind of community that keeps showing up. You know how to rinse and repeat the process, but always with a creative bend. In this role, you will: Co-host developer meetups with partners in our ecosystem. Find the right speakers, build the relationships, and run the events together. Prior examples: High Performance Inference for Open LLMs , Voice AI Builders Night , RL with Modal and Prime Intellect , FDE Happy Hour . Sponsor hackathons that attract highly technical enginee

About the Team The ChatGPT Model Flywheel team unified goal is to transform model advancements into great ChatGPT user experiences through reliable serving, rapid experimentation, safe deployment, and continuous improvement. Team Focus Areas Model Experimentation: Enable rapid, safe model validation for ChatGPT and Codex products through experiment automation and lifecycle management. Model Deployment: Ensure safe, scalable deployment of model capabilities with robust rollout and operational tooling. Automate capacity management and incorporate platform-wide health monitors. Model Measurement: Build comprehensive evaluation and measurement systems for model quality, from user signals to launch scorecards. Improve end-to-end feedback loops for continual model improvement. Key Partnerships Collaborate cross-functionally with teams including Model Measurement DS, Research, Codex, Fleet, Inference, and API. In this role, you will: Elevate and consolidate ChatGPT’s harness, context management, and system prompt frameworks. Drive expansion and improvement of multi-tier model experiences. Support and scale self-serve experiment capabilities and automated guardrails. Lead model rollout automation, capacity management, and health monitoring. Shape end-to-end measurement systems (evals, grader signals, user feedback, etc.). You might thrive in this role if you have: Proven experience leading engineering teams in complex, cross-functional environments. Demonstrated success shipping production systems at scale (ideally for AI or large backend services). Deep understanding of model-driven product development, deployment lifecycle, and measurement tooling. Excellent communication and collaboration skills—experience interfacing directly with engineering, research, and product stakeholders. Prior involvement with large language models, distributed infrastructure, or experimentation platforms is a plus. Why Work With Us Tackle highly impactful technical challenges at the cutting edg

About the Team The ChatGPT Search Product Infrastructure team builds the foundational systems that power search experiences across ChatGPT. We develop the product infrastructure that connects models with search systems and other sources of real-time information, enabling ChatGPT to deliver timely, relevant, and trustworthy answers to users around the world. Our work sits at the intersection of product engineering, AI, and large-scale infrastructure. We build shared platforms and abstractions that enable product teams to independently develop, evaluate, and launch new search-powered experiences. These platforms provide the guardrails, testing capabilities, observability, and rollout controls needed to prevent reliability, scalability, quality, and latency regressions while supporting rapid product iteration. The team partners closely with: Post-Training on model launches, experimentation, and prompt optimization Search product verticals on new user experiences Inference on GPU efficiencies Indexing and Retrieval on the systems that identify and deliver relevant information Capacity/Fleet team to ensure optimal regionalized provisioning of GPUs and CPUs About the Role We are looking for an Engineering Manager to lead the team responsible for ChatGPT’s Search Product Infrastructure. You will set the technical and organizational direction for the systems that bring search capabilities into ChatGPT. You will guide architectural decisions across search orchestration, model and prompt integration, serving infrastructure, experimentation, observability, evaluation, and product integrations. You will balance immediate launch and product needs with the long-term reliability, scalability, latency, and maintainability of the platform. A central responsibility of this role is creating leverage for Search product verticals. You will lead the development of extensible platforms that allow those teams to independently build, test, and launch features without requiring ongoing invol

About the Team OpenAI’s mission is to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. A key part of achieving that mission is training models that deeply understand and reflect human preferences — the Human Data team is at the heart of that effort. The Human Data engineering team creates the systems that enable scalable, high-quality human feedback. These systems are essential to how OpenAI trains and improves its most advanced models. Engineers on this team collaborate closely with world-class researchers to bring alignment techniques to life — from experimental ideas to production-ready feedback loops. About the Role We’re looking for software engineers to join the Human Data team and build the platforms, prototypes, tools, and infrastructure that power how our AI models are trained, aligned, and evaluated. You’ll partner with researchers and cross-functional teams to bring alignment ideas to life, influence future model training, and shape how models interact with the real world. We’re looking for people who are excited by technical ownership, enjoy working across the stack, and are eager to solve ambiguous problems in a high-impact, fast-paced environment. This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees. In this role, you will: Build and maintain robust full-stack systems for feedback collection, data labeling, and evaluation pipelines, while maintaining high levels of security. Translate experimental alignment research into scalable production infrastructure, including inference and model training stacks. Design and iterate on user-facing tools and backend services to support high-quality data workflows Partner with researchers, engineers, and program leads to shape feedback loops and model interaction paradigms Drive infrastructure improvements that enable faster iteration and scaling across OpenAI’s frontier models, from internal r

About the Role We are seeking a Cloud Infrastructure Engineer to help design and evolve the platforms that power OpenAI’s products. In this role, you will be a hands-on technical leader, driving the architecture, scalability, reliability, and security of critical infrastructure systems. You will help define how we build and operate infrastructure at the next order of magnitude, while influencing technical direction across teams. This role is both deeply technical and highly strategic, requiring strong ownership, sound judgment, and the ability to partner effectively across engineering, product, and research organizations. In this role, you will: Design and build scalable, reliable, and secure infrastructure platforms that power OpenAI products Evolve cloud infrastructure abstractions that enable rapid product development across teams Architect systems to support significant growth, performance, and operational complexity Improve server orchestration, networking, distributed systems reliability, and infrastructure security posture Influence technical direction and infrastructure strategy across multiple teams Partner closely with product, research, and engineering teams to align infrastructure with evolving needs Own operational excellence, including participation in on-call rotations, incident response, and production readiness Mentor engineers and raise the overall technical bar of the organization Contribute to a culture of high ownership, low ego, and thoughtful collaboration You might thrive in this role if you: 8+ years of experience building and operating large-scale infrastructure systems Deep expertise in Kubernetes and container orchestration at scale Strong experience designing cloud abstractions and platform infrastructure (AWS, GCP, Azure, or similar) Proven track record of leading complex technical initiatives across teams Experience operating highly reliable, secure, and scalable distributed systems Security engineering experience or security backgroun

Who are we? Cohere is the leading security-first enterprise AI company. We build cutting-edge foundation AI models and end-to-end products that are designed to solve real-world business problems. We’re training and deploying frontier models for enterprises who are building AI systems. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI and we are looking for folks that want to be part of that. We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are all passionate about their craft. We are a global technology company headquartered in Toronto with key offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul. Join us! Why This Role Is Different This is not a typical “Applied Scientist” or “ML Engineer” role. As a Member of Technical Staff, Applied ML, you will: Work directly with enterprise customers on problems that push LLMs to their limits. You’ll rapidly understand customer domains, design custom LLM solutions, and deliver production-ready models that solve high-value, real-world problems. Train and customize frontier models — not just use APIs. You’ll leverage Cohere’s full stack: CPT, post-training, retrieval + agent integrations, model evaluations, and SOTA modeling techniques. Influence the capabilities of Cohere’s foundation models. Techniques, datasets, evaluations, and insights you develop for customers will directly shape the next generation of Cohere’s frontier models. Operate with an early-startup level of ownership inside a frontier-model company. This role combines the breadth of an early-stage CTO with the infrastructure and scale of a deep-learning lab. Wear multiple hats, set a high technical bar, and define what Applied ML at Cohere becomes. Few roles in the industry combine application, research, customer-facing engineeri

Who are we? Cohere is the leading security-first enterprise AI company. We build cutting-edge foundation AI models and end-to-end products that are designed to solve real-world business problems. We’re training and deploying frontier models for enterprises who are building AI systems. We believe that our work is instrumental to the widespread adoption of AI and we are looking for folks that want to be part of that. We obsess over what we build. Each one of us is responsible for contributing to increasing the capabilities of our models and the value they drive for our customers. Cohere is a team of researchers, engineers, designers, and more, who are all passionate about their craft. We are a global technology company headquartered in Toronto with key offices in London, New York City, San Francisco, Montreal, Paris, Berlin and Seoul. Join us! Why This Role Is Different This is not a typical “Applied Scientist” or “ML Engineer” role. As a Member of Technical Staff, Applied ML, you will: Work directly with enterprise customers on problems that push LLMs to their limits. You’ll rapidly understand customer domains, design custom LLM solutions, and deliver production-ready models that solve high-value, real-world problems. Train and customize frontier models — not just use APIs. You’ll leverage Cohere’s full stack: CPT, post-training, retrieval + agent integrations, model evaluations, and SOTA modeling techniques. Influence the capabilities of Cohere’s foundation models. Techniques, datasets, evaluations, and insights you develop for customers will directly shape the next generation of Cohere’s frontier models. Operate with an early-startup level of ownership inside a frontier-model company. This role combines the breadth of an early-stage CTO with the infrastructure and scale of a deep-learning lab. Wear multiple hats, set a high technical bar, and define what Applied ML at Cohere becomes. Few roles in the industry combine application, research, customer-facing engineeri

Datadog's Forward Deployed Engineering function is in an active growth phase, and the FDE Lead will play a central role in shaping what comes next. Working in close partnership with the Head of Datadog for Startups and Forward Deployed Engineers, and the existing FDE team, you will help define and expand the FDE framework, build out the structures and processes that allow the team to operate at scale, and extend the program's reach well beyond any single customer segment. This role sits at the rare intersection of sales, execution, program design, and hands-on engineering leadership. You are part field technical leader, part program architect, and part cross-functional connector. You will help determine what the FDE motion looks like at Datadog, contribute to its playbook, and push the boundaries of what the team can deliver. At Datadog, we place value in our office culture - the relationships and collaboration it builds, and the creativity it brings to the table. We operate as a hybrid workplace to ensure our Datadogs can create a work-life harmony that best fits them. What You’ll Do: Evolve and scale the FDE operating model end to end: engagement intake, scoping, sprint delivery, handoff back to account teams, and the success metrics (time-to-value, adoption lift, ARR influence, NPS) and reporting infrastructure that support them. Build out a catalog of FDE offerings spanning observability quickstarts, custom integration development, LLM/AI observability accelerators, CI/CD pipeline instrumentation, and cost optimization deep dives, and contribute to their pricing and business models, including free-to-paid conversion plays, paid deployment packages, and post-deployment success motions. Capture product and feature gaps uncovered during deployments, translate them into structured prioritized briefs, and partner with PM and Engineering to strengthen the field-feedback channel that informs roadmap decisions on a regular cadence. Hire, onboard, an

About the Role As a Field CTO (Strategic Pursuits) , you will serve as a strategic bridge between our customers, go-to-market (GTM) teams, and product organization. You will partner closely with Sales, Technical Success, and Product to shape high-impact deals, guide customer architecture decisions, and influence our product roadmap based on real-world adoption and feedback. This is a highly cross-functional, externally facing leadership role for someone who combines deep technical expertise with strong business acumen and customer empathy. In this role, you will: Customer & Deal Strategy Partner with Sales, Product and Technical Success teams to support complex, high-value deals as a technical and strategic advisor. Translate customer business needs into scalable technical solutions and architectures. Engage with senior customer stakeholders (CTO/CIO/VP-level) to drive alignment on vision, roadmap, and adoption. Lead technical strategy discussions during key deal stages, including discovery, solution design, and executive presentations. Architecture & Implementation Guidance Guide customers on best practices for deploying and scaling AI-driven solutions in production. Provide architectural oversight across use cases such as LLM applications, integrations, data pipelines, and security. Act as a trusted advisor to ensure long-term success, not just short-term wins. Product & Feedback Loop Bring structured customer insights back to Product and Engineering teams to inform roadmap and prioritization. Identify gaps, opportunities, and emerging patterns from customer deployments. Influence product direction based on real-world usage, scalability needs, and enterprise requirements. GTM Strategy & Thought Leadership Help shape GTM strategies by identifying repeatable patterns across industries and customer segments. Develop scalable frameworks, reference architectures, and playbooks for broader field teams. Represent the company externally through customer en

About the Team OpenAI’s AI Success Engineer team partners with the world’s most ambitious organizations to translate cutting edge AI into real business value. We guide customers from first deployment through scaled enterprise adoption. Our work spans technical integration and enablement, workflow transformation, and sustained program and product delivery. Our customers range from fast growing digital natives to the largest global enterprises, government agencies and educational institutions. Every engagement is an opportunity to shape how AI changes work, productivity, and innovation. This role sits at the center of that mission. About the Role The Success Engineer role is the primary post-sales point of contact for a portfolio of education institutions. You are responsible for driving account health and adoption, ensuring technical readiness, identifying high-impact academic and administrative use cases, and delivering measurable value to our education customers using OpenAI’s platform. This role blends technical leadership, program management, customer advisory, and product influence. You will partner deeply with customer teams, map workflows, lead configuration and enablement, oversee deployment plans, and guide institutions toward high impact use cases that showcase the full value of our platform. You will work closely with Sales, Solutions Architecture, Product, and Research to ensure the customer experience is connected and successful across every touchpoint. Success in this role means accelerating adoption, increasing customer activation depth, guiding strategic use cases that get to production, and helping customers demonstrate tangible business impact. This role is based in SF or NYC; we offer relocation benefits to new hires. In this role, you will: Lead the technical relationship for post-sale customers and act as their trusted advisor on deployment, adoption, and value realization Own account health, adoption velocity, and ongoing technical deployment an

About the Team OpenAI Finance is responsible for ensuring the organization is set up for success in pursuit of its mission. The Technical Accounting, Accounting Policy, and Financial Reporting organization partners across Finance to assess complex corporate matters and develop well-supported U.S. GAAP conclusions. The team supports non-routine business activities requiring thoughtful technical judgment, scalable accounting policies, financial statement disclosures, processes, and controls. About the Role You will serve as a senior technical accounting leader and strategic advisor to Finance and business leadership. You will oversee a broad portfolio of complex accounting matters and strategic transactions, including mergers and acquisitions, major commercial arrangements, financing transactions, investments and financial instruments, leases, intercompany transactions and consolidation, impairment, and other matters requiring significant professional judgment and practical implementation. You will advise and influence stakeholders across Corporate Accounting, Financial Reporting, Treasury, Legal, Tax, Strategic Finance, FP&A, Equity, Internal Controls, valuation specialists, and external auditors. You will drive timely resolution of complex accounting questions, align leaders on material judgments and risks, and ensure conclusions are translated into audit-ready memoranda, close entries, financial statement disclosures, and durable controls. You will also help strengthen external-reporting processes, as applicable. This is a highly visible role for an experienced accounting leader who can independently set direction for complex workstreams, advise senior decision-makers, anticipate and escalate material judgments, align cross-functional stakeholders, and carry issues from authoritative research through clear recommendations and disciplined implementation. Location and work model: This role is based in San Francisco and follows a 3 day hybrid work model. In this r