Security Architect – OS & Hardware-Backed Privacy

OpenAI; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 268,000 - 342,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI is seeking a Software Security Architect to define the security architecture for our next‑generation operating system. You will work with hardware security architects and partner with OS, silicon, firmware, privacy, and product teams to protect users, their devices, and data, while aligning with OpenAI’s safety principles.

This senior, hands‑on role bridges OS internals and hardware‑backed security with real‑world product constraints.

Qualifications

• Deep experience designing or securing operating systems, kernels, embedded platforms, hypervisors, or other privileged systems software.
• Complex understanding of operating system internals, including memory protection, process isolation, executable loading, device drivers, and privilege boundaries.
• Experience building security architectures that span hardware, firmware, operating systems, applications, and cloud services.

Responsibilities

• Define the operating system’s security architecture, trust boundaries, privilege model, and protections for sensitive user data.
• Partner with hardware security architects to integrate roots of trust, secure elements, trusted execution environments, and processor security capabilities into the operating system.
• Design foundational platform defenses, including secure boot, code signing, attestation, secure updates, key protection, and device recovery.
• Establish isolation and access controls across the kernel, applications, system services, and AI workloads.
• Define guardrails for how AI applications and agents access information, use sensors and tools, retain context, and act on a user’s behalf.
• Lead threat modeling and architecture reviews across the platform, translating emerging threats into practical, enforceable requirements.
• Prototype solutions, review security‑critical systems code, and guide engineering teams through complex technical and product tradeoffs.

Skills

OS security architecture

C/C++/Rust

Threat modeling

Tools

Secure boot

Code signing

Attestation

Trusted execution

Job description

OpenAI is seeking a Software Security Architect to define the security architecture for our next‑generation operating system. You will work with hardware security architects and partner with OS, silicon, firmware, privacy, and product teams to protect users, their devices, and data, while aligning with OpenAI’s safety principles.

This senior, hands‑on role bridges OS internals and hardware‑backed security with real‑world product constraints.