Senior Backend Engineer - API Agents Platform

OpenAI; California (MO); On-site; USD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Job summary

OpenAI is seeking an experienced backend software engineer to build core systems behind the next generation of agents. You will design reliable services that help agents locate context, use tools, retain knowledge, coordinate long-running workflows, and act safely.

The role blends deep backend work with product judgment across runtimes, orchestration, search, and observability, collaborating with Research, Codex, and infrastructure teams to turn progress into durable, measurable capabilities.

Qualifications

• 7+ years of professional engineering experience in backend, infrastructure, platform, or product-driven engineering roles.
• Exceptional backend engineering fundamentals with a track record of leading complex systems into production.
• Proficiency in Python, Go, Rust, or TypeScript with ability to move across service, platform, and product boundaries.
• Strong systems design and operational judgment across distributed systems, APIs, workflow orchestration, and observability.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and operate shared agent harness and backend infrastructure powering long-running workflows.
• Build reusable capabilities across search, memory, delegation, and multi-agent orchestration.
• Establish safe production environments including identity, permissions, observability, and cost/latency efficiency.
• Partner with Research, Codex, and product teams to translate model progress and workflow needs into shared capabilities and measurable gains.

Skills

Backend engineering

Distributed systems

APIs

Python/Go/Rust/TypeScript

Reliability/Observability

Security

Ownership & leadership

Tools

Python

Go

Rust

TypeScript

Job description

OpenAI is seeking an experienced backend software engineer to build core systems behind the next generation of agents. You will design reliable services that help agents locate context, use tools, retain knowledge, coordinate long-running workflows, and act safely.

The role blends deep backend work with product judgment across runtimes, orchestration, search, and observability, collaborating with Research, Codex, and infrastructure teams to turn progress into durable, measurable capabilities.