Head, Startups Applied AI Engineering

Precision Labs; San Francisco (CA); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI is seeking an Applied AI Engineering Manager for Startups to lead the Startups Applied AI Engineering motion and scale how we move startups from experimentation to production.

You will balance leadership, technical depth, and customer prioritization while partnering with Sales, Product, Engineering, Research, and GTM teams to deliver practical, scalable deployment patterns and repeatable playbooks.

Qualifications

• Proven experience leading technical teams in high-growth settings.
• Experience partnering with Sales, Product, Engineering, and Research.
• Strong judgment for balancing depth with scalable processes.

Responsibilities

• Define vision and operating model for Startups Applied AI Engineering.
• Lead and grow a team of technical ICs serving startup customers.
• Identify blockers and drive practical deployment strategies.
• Collaborate with Sales to accelerate adoption and growth.
• Translate customer needs into repeatable playbooks and assets.
• Serve as escalation point for priority startup customers.
• Coach engineers on quality, judgment, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Ensure alignment with OpenAI’s product and platform priorities.

Skills

Strategic vision

Team leadership

Customer engagement

Cross-functional collaboration

AI/ML systems

Education

Bachelor’s degree or higher

Tools

APIs

Platform products

Developer workflows

Job description

OpenAI is seeking an Applied AI Engineering Manager for Startups to lead the Startups Applied AI Engineering motion and scale how we move startups from experimentation to production.

You will balance leadership, technical depth, and customer prioritization while partnering with Sales, Product, Engineering, Research, and GTM teams to deliver practical, scalable deployment patterns and repeatable playbooks.