Infrastructure Program Manager - CPU/Storage/PoP-WAN

OpenAI; California (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI is seeking a highly technical Program Manager to lead CPU/Storage/PoP/WAN infrastructure programs that unlock our next generation compute capacity.

The role spans compute cluster activation, storage deployment, PoP bring‑up, and backbone expansion, coordinating hardware readiness, site readiness, network pathing, and vendor execution to turn contracted capacity into live training and inference capacity.

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in technical program management, infrastructure deployment, network deployment, or data center operations.
• Strong experience delivering programs involving compute, storage, networking, or large‑scale infrastructure systems.
• Working knowledge of servers, clusters, storage arrays, routers, switches, optics, and structured cabling.
• Experience owning cross‑functional programs across engineering, operations, supply chain, and external vendors.
• Strong understanding of deployment lifecycles from planning and procurement through production handoff.
• Ability to reason across physical infrastructure execution and logical systems architecture dependencies.
• Proven ability to build integrated schedules and drive accountability across multiple stakeholders.
• Strong executive communication skills with experience managing critical escalations and leadership updates.
• Comfortable operating in fast‑moving environments with aggressive timelines and evolving priorities.
• Highly analytical with strong problem‑solving and execution instincts.

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, storage readiness, network turn‑up, testing, and production handoff.
• Coordinate BOM readiness, server delivery, racks, optics, cabling, storage hardware, and vendor milestones.
• Partner with engineering teams to align compute, storage, and networking dependencies before cluster activation.
• Manage deployment of storage systems supporting training and inference workloads, including readiness, validation, performance checks, and scaling plans.
• Coordinate backbone capacity expansion, cross‑connects, inter‑region pathing, and cloud interconnect readiness with Azure and third‑party providers.
• Lead physical deployment execution including rack-and-stack, hardware bring‑up, L1 validation, and site acceptance criteria.
• Build repeatable deployment playbooks, dashboards, governance cadences, and operating mechanisms for scale.
• Identify risks early across supply chain, site readiness, technical constraints, and vendor execution, then drive mitigation plans.
• Communicate milestones, escalations, and capacity forecasts to senior leadership.

Skills

Program management

Infrastructure deployment

Network deployment

Data center operations

Server hardware

Storage systems

Vendor management

Executive communication

Tools

Servers

Storage arrays

Networking gear

Job description

OpenAI is seeking a highly technical Program Manager to lead CPU/Storage/PoP/WAN infrastructure programs that unlock our next generation compute capacity.

The role spans compute cluster activation, storage deployment, PoP bring‑up, and backbone expansion, coordinating hardware readiness, site readiness, network pathing, and vendor execution to turn contracted capacity into live training and inference capacity.