Applied AI Engineering Manager (Customer-Focused)

OpenAI; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Hybrid work model (3 days in office)

Job summary

OpenAI in San Francisco is seeking a Manager, Applied AI Engineering (Digital Natives) to lead a high-performing team delivering strategic AI solutions for top technology customers. You will guide hands-on design, evaluation, and production-scale deployment of AI applications while shaping the team’s strategy and engagement model.

You will partner with Sales, Product, Engineering, and Research to translate customer insights into repeatable patterns, architectures, and best practices, driving

Qualifications

• 8+ years in deeply technical, customer-facing roles such as applied engineering, solutions architecture, deployment engineering, technical consulting, or similar roles.
• 2+ years of experience leading technical teams, with a demonstrated ability to hire, develop, mentor, and manage high-performing engineers.
• Experience building or deploying generative AI, machine learning, developer platforms, or cloud-based software solutions in production environments.
• Strong technical depth across APIs, AI/ML systems, application architecture, cloud infrastructure, and modern developer workflows.
• Hands-on software engineering experience with Python or JavaScript.
• Comfort working with CTOs and other executive stakeholders; translate problems into technical approaches.

Responsibilities

• Own the strategy and operating model for the Digital Natives Applied AI Engineering team, ensuring alignment with OpenAI's objectives and the evolving needs of technology and software customers.
• Lead, hire, mentor, and develop a team of high-performing Applied AI Engineers responsible for delivering meaningful technical and customer outcomes.
• Guide the team in working hands-on with customers to identify high-impact use cases, design and build AI applications, solve technical challenges, and scale successful solutions into production.
• Partner with Sales to prioritize technical engagement across strategic customers and identify opportunities to unlock adoption, usage, and long-term growth.
• Serve as a senior technical partner and escalation point for priority customers, building trusted relationships with engineering leaders, CTOs, and other executives.
• Translate customer needs and successful implementations into repeatable patterns, reference architectures, playbooks, tooling, and best practices for scalability.
• Coach engineers on technical quality, customer judgment, prioritization, executive communication, and cross-functional partnership.
• Help customers apply OpenAI's newest capabilities to build differentiated products and experiences with frontier models.
• Champion the safe, reliable, and effective application of OpenAI's technology across the Digital Natives ecosystem.

Skills

APIs

AI/ML systems

Application architecture

Cloud infrastructure

Developer workflows

Python

JavaScript

Job description

OpenAI in San Francisco is seeking a Manager, Applied AI Engineering (Digital Natives) to lead a high-performing team delivering strategic AI solutions for top technology customers. You will guide hands-on design, evaluation, and production-scale deployment of AI applications while shaping the team’s strategy and engagement model.

You will partner with Sales, Product, Engineering, and Research to translate customer insights into repeatable patterns, architectures, and best practices, driving