Software Engineer, Backend (Cooperative AI)

OpenAI; Los Angeles (CA); Hybrid; USD 230,000 - 385,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading AI research company is seeking a Backend Software Engineer to architect and scale infrastructure that powers knowledge systems. In this role, you'll design, build, and maintain backend services and APIs, integrating data across platforms for intelligent automation. With 4+ years of experience and proficiency in Python, FastAPI, and distributed systems, you'll collaborate with cross-functional teams. The position offers competitive compensation and equity options, ideal for those passionate about AI development.

Qualifications

• 4+ years of backend engineering experience at product‑driven companies.
• Proficiency in backend technologies including Python, FastAPI, and Postgres.
• Experience designing and scaling distributed systems, APIs, or data processing pipelines.
• A pragmatic mindset comfortable with iterative shipping.
• An interest in AI/ML with hands-on experience as a bonus.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and maintain backend services and APIs for intelligent automation.
• Integrate and structure data for downstream systems and AI workflows.
• Collaborate with product, research, and engineering teams.
• Own the development lifecycle of backend systems.
• Build with scale and maintainability in mind.

Skills

Backend engineering

Systems design

Distributed systems

APIs

Python

FastAPI

Postgres

Job description

Software Engineer, Backend (Cooperative AI)

Support Automation - San Francisco and Seattle

About the Team

The Cooperative AI team is scaling OpenAI with OpenAI. We are building a model powered knowledge system that evolves and learns as our products, systems and customers evolve. We leverage our state of the art models, technologies, and products (some external, some still in the lab) to assist or completely automate robust operations supporting both internal and external customers. We support OpenAI customers and internal partners globally, powering systems from customer support to integrity to product insights. We are a self-contained multi-disciplinary team, who enjoy a lightning fast feedback loop with customers at scale, some of whom sit just a few pods away. We iterate fast, and engineer for reliable long-term impact. We're constantly looking for the similarities and patterns in different types of work, and focus on building simple primitives, to apply world class knowledge to many domains.

The work of this team exemplifies use of OpenAI technologies. We build systems so everyone can see the leverage that is possible with well designed AI-based implementations. We do this by working through internal use cases focused on Customers (specifically knowledge systems, automation systems, and automated agent systems) to prove impact, then we scale.

About the Role

We’re looking for a Backend Software Engineer to help architect and scale the infrastructure that powers our knowledge systems. This is a deeply technical and highly cross‑functional role where you’ll build robust systems and backend services that serve as the foundation for how knowledge is created, accessed, and applied across OpenAI.

In this role, you will:

• Design, build, and maintain backend services and APIs to support intelligent automation and knowledge systems
• Integrate and structure data across internal platforms, transforming it into formats optimized for use by downstream systems and AI workflows.
• Collaborate closely with product, research, and engineering teams to integrate OpenAI models into high‑leverage workflows
• Own the full development lifecycle of new backend systems and internal platform capabilities
• Build with scale and maintainability in mind, while rapidly iterating on new ideas

Qualifications

• 4+ years of backend engineering experience at product‑driven companies (excluding internships)
• Proficiency in backend technologies. Our tech stack includes Python, FastAPI, and Postgres
• Experience designing and scaling distributed systems, APIs, or data processing pipelines
• A pragmatic mindset. You’re comfortable shipping iteratively while building toward a long‑term vision
• An interest in structured knowledge representation, internal search, agent infrastructure, or systems that evolve over time. Curiosity about AI/ML and excitement to work alongside world‑class research and product teams (hands‑on experience is a bonus, not a must)

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general‑purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.

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.

For additional information, please see OpenAI’s affirmative action and equal employment opportunity policy statement.

Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US‑based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non‑public information.

We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.

OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy

Compensation

$230K – $385K + Offers Equity