Data Center Design Engineer, Electrical

OpenAI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 257,000 - 327,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI is seeking a Data Center Design Engineer, Electrical to lead the design, operation, and maintenance of large-scale data center campuses in San Francisco. You will drive MEP systems, coordinate with vendors, and ensure reliability and safety across power, cooling, and infrastructure.

This role demands 10+ years of experience, strong leadership, and a track record interfacing with external partners to deliver critical facilities on time and within standards.

Qualifications

• 10+ years in data center design, operation and maintenance.
• Proven leadership of large-scale data center activities.
• Extensive expertise in MEP design, operation, and maintenance.
• Knowledge of data center buildings, equipment, and workflows.
• Deep understanding of power, cooling, networking, and construction systems.
• Hands-on with generators, UPS, chillers, CDUs and vendor management.
• Experience working with regulators and industry standards.
• Bachelor's degree in engineering; PE or equivalent preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee building and MEP design, operation, and maintenance across project phases.
• Lead operational activities for large-scale data center campuses from design to delivery.
• Operate and maintain critical data center facilities and equipment.
• Collaborate with external vendors for equipment selection and management.
• Provide technical direction on data center design and operation.
• Ensure integration of power, cooling, networking, and construction systems.
• Develop data center operational workflows from design to commissioning.
• Drive hardware and software readiness for data center projects.

Skills

Data Center Design

MEP Design

Vendor Management

Power Systems

Cooling Systems

Electrical Design

Operations Leadership

Regulatory Compliance

Construction Coordination

Quality Assurance

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Professional engineering certificate

Tools

CDUs

Generators

UPS

Job description

Data Center Design Engineer, Electrical | OpenAI

Careers

Data Center Design Engineer, Electrical

Scaling - San Francisco

About the Team

OpenAI, in close collaboration with our capital partners, is embarking on a journey to build the world’s most advanced AI infrastructure ecosystem. This team is central to this mission, setting the core infra strategy and implementing this vision. From site selection to the buildout process, this team sits at the intersection of commercial, technical, strategy, and operations, interacting with teams and executives inside and outside of OpenAI.

About the Role

We are seeking experienced Data Center Electrical Design Engineers with expertise in designing, operating, and maintaining large-scale data center campuses. The ideal candidate for this role will have extensive background and experience in design and managing critical equipment and facilities, design and operation of MEP (Mechanical, Electrical, Plumbing) systems, and overseeing operational activities from initial phases of Data Center build through delivery and ongoing maintenance. The ideal candidate will have a strong technical background, operational leadership experience, and a proven ability to collaborate with external vendors on critical infrastructure. This role offers the opportunity to lead transformative data center projects with high visibility and impact. If you are passionate about delivering cutting-edge infrastructure solutions, we encourage you to apply.

Key Responsibilities

• Oversee building and MEP design, operation, and maintenance, including reviewing building and MEP drawings and proposals across all project phases.
• Lead operational activities for large-scale data center campuses, from early design phases through delivery and daily operation.
• Operate and maintain critical data center facilities and equipment, ensuring reliability and performance.
• Collaborate with external vendors to select, procure, and manage critical equipment, such as generators, UPS, chillers, and CDUs.
• Provide technical expertise on all aspects of data center building, equipment, and operational systems, ensuring alignment with best practices.
• Ensure seamless integration of power, cooling, networking, and construction systems into overall data center design and operation.
• Contribute to developing data center operational workflows from design requirements through commissioning, pilot testing, and deployment readiness.
• Contribute to data center operations projects (hardware and software readiness) from planning through deployment.
• Provide technical direction to teams and vendors, ensuring alignment with industry best practices and standards.
• Select and manage external contractors and consultants and foster strong vendor relationships.
• Oversee quality assurance and resolve risks to meet safety and operational standards.

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in data center design, operation, and maintenance.
• Proven track record of leading operational and technical activities in large-scale data centers.
• Extensive expertise in MEP design, operation, and maintenance, including critical infrastructure systems.
• Comprehensive knowledge of data center buildings, equipment, and operational workflows.
• Deep understanding of power, cooling, networking, and construction systems.
• Hands-on experience with critical equipment (generators, UPS, chillers, CDUs) and vendor management.
• Proven ability to work with external vendors for equipment selection and installation and bring up
• Working experience with local and governmental regulatory agencies and compliance with data center design standards and requirements
• Strong communication and collaboration skills with internal teams and stakeholders.

• Familiarity with building construction and architecture concepts, as well as best practices in data center design.
• Bachelor’s degree in engineering or related fields; advanced degree preferred.
• Professional engineering certificate and other similar certificates required

Preferred Skills

• Experience in global, matrixed organizations and vendor negotiations.
• Experience managing global, multi-site data center operations.
• Expertise in logistics and supply chain management for large-scale operations.
• Familiarity with sustainability and energy-efficient data center designs.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general‑purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

For additional information, please see OpenAI's affirmative action and equal employment opportunity policy statement.

Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

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We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

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At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.

Compensation

$257K – $327K + Offers Equity