Field Robotics Engineer - Real-World Ops, Relocation

OpenAI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Relocation assistance

Job summary

OpenAI is seeking a Field Engineer to own the day-to-day technical health of robotic workcells used in ongoing data acquisition operations in San Francisco. You will diagnose and resolve hardware and software failures across fast-moving environments and build practical tools, SOPs, and support workflows for operators and technicians.

The role sits at the intersection of software, robotics hardware, and live operations, requiring practical, technically sharp professionals who stay calm under

Qualifications

• 5+ years of experience supporting electromechanical, robotic, automation, or human-in-the-loop systems in production, R&D, lab, field, or operational environments.
• Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, Computer Engineering, or related field.
• Ability to independently troubleshoot real-world failures under time pressure where symptoms and root causes differ.
• Familiarity with robot middleware and motion-control stacks; experience with Linux-based systems.

Responsibilities

• Serve as an engineering owner for keeping a fleet of robotic workcells online in daily operation.
• Diagnose, fix, mitigate, or escape issues spanning mechanics, electronics, controls, software interfaces, logs, and configuration.
• Partner with technicians, operators, and engineering teams to improve scalable fleet support processes.
• Build or spec lightweight hardware and software tools for monitoring, diagnostics, recovery, and handoffs.
• Create documentation, SOPs, and diagnostic playbooks to turn engineering insight into repeatable floor practice.
• Bring up and support prototype systems, then help transition them into scalable operations as they mature.
• Manage, triage, and respond to inbound tickets with clear issue history and escalation paths.
• Write lightweight analysis scripts to identify fleet trends and recurring failures.

Skills

Troubleshooting

Cross-functional

Communication

Hands-on

Documentation

Education

Bachelor's degree in engineering

Tools

CAD

Linux

Robot middleware

Motion-control stacks

Job description

OpenAI is seeking a Field Engineer to own the day-to-day technical health of robotic workcells used in ongoing data acquisition operations in San Francisco. You will diagnose and resolve hardware and software failures across fast-moving environments and build practical tools, SOPs, and support workflows for operators and technicians.

The role sits at the intersection of software, robotics hardware, and live operations, requiring practical, technically sharp professionals who stay calm under