Performance Modeling Engineer ~2

OpenAI; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 266,000 - 445,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading artificial intelligence organization in California is seeking a Performance Modeling Engineer to support modeling tools that evaluate AI system performance and inform architectural decisions. The role, ideal for early-career engineers, involves analyzing system behavior and running simulations. Candidates should have 1–2 years of relevant experience, strong programming skills, and a foundational understanding of system architecture. The role offers a hybrid work model with relocation assistance.

Qualifications

• 1–2 years of experience in software engineering, systems modeling, or performance analysis.
• Strong programming skills and experience building tools or frameworks.
• Familiarity with system architecture fundamentals (compute, memory, networking).

Responsibilities

• Develop and maintain performance modeling tools and frameworks.
• Assist in building models to evaluate system behavior.
• Analyze distributed system scaling and identify performance bottlenecks.
• Run simulations and analytical models to inform architectural decisions.

Skills

Software engineering

Systems modeling

Performance analysis

Programming skills

Analytical skills

Job description

Performance Modeling Engineer ~2

Hardware – San Francisco and Seattle

About the Team

OpenAI’s Hardware organization develops system and infrastructure solutions designed for the unique demands of advanced AI workloads. We work closely with architecture, infrastructure, and vendor teams to evaluate system performance and guide critical design decisions.

Our team focuses on building and applying performance modeling frameworks to understand system behavior, quantify tradeoffs, and support next-generation infrastructure design.

About the Role

We are seeking a Performance Modeling Engineer to support the development and application of modeling tools used to evaluate AI system performance and inform architectural decisions.

In this role, you will partner closely with Senior Performance Modeling Engineers and the Performance Modeling Lead to analyze system behavior, run simulations and analytical models, and help evaluate tradeoffs across compute, memory, networking, and storage. You will contribute to building modeling frameworks while developing a strong foundation in system architecture and AI infrastructure.

This role is ideal for early-career engineers with 1–2 years of experience in software engineering, systems analysis, or performance modeling who are excited to grow in large-scale infrastructure and hardware/software systems.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the development and maintenance of performance modeling tools and frameworks
• Assist in building models to evaluate system behavior across compute, memory, networking, and interconnect subsystems
• Help analyze distributed system scaling behavior and identify performance bottlenecks
• Run simulations and analytical models to support architecture and infrastructure decisions
• Partner with senior engineers to evaluate design tradeoffs across hardware and system components
• Interpret modeling outputs and help translate findings into clear recommendations
• Validate models using benchmarking data and real system performance measurements
• Improve modeling workflows, documentation, and usability for broader team adoption
• Collaborate cross-functionally with hardware, infrastructure, and architecture teams
• Continuously build technical depth across AI infrastructure, system architecture, and performance analysis

Qualifications

• 1–2 years of experience in software engineering, systems modeling, performance analysis, or related technical work
• Strong programming skills and experience building technical tools, scripts, or frameworks
• Familiarity with system architecture fundamentals such as compute, memory, and networking
• Ability to reason about system performance, bottlenecks, and scaling behavior
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with comfort working in quantitative environments
• Ability to learn quickly and work effectively across technical teams

Preferred Skills

• Exposure to AI/ML workloads, distributed systems, or large-scale infrastructure
• Experience with simulation tools, benchmarking, profiling, or performance analysis
• Familiarity with data center systems, server architecture, or hardware platforms
• Interest in system architecture and hardware/software co-design
• Internship or early professional experience in performance engineering, infrastructure, or systems design

Equal Opportunity

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.

Compensation

$266,000 – $445,000 + Offers Equity