# Software Engineer, Hardware

**Company:** [OpenAI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/openai)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Role:** Hardware Engineering
**Salary:** $225k – $455k/yr
**Skills:** Rust, Python, C++, Compilers, Kernels, Runtime Systems, Distributed Systems, Simulation, High-Performance Computing, Accelerator Programming
**Posted:** 2025-10-31

> Builds and optimizes low-level stack including APIs, runtimes, compilers, and kernels for orchestrating computation across OpenAI's AI supercomputing clusters. Requires systems programming expertise in Rust/Python/C++ and experience in compilers, distributed systems, or high-performance simulation.

## Job Description

## Responsibilities
- Design and build APIs and runtime components to orchestrate computation and data movement across heterogeneous ML workloads.
- Contribute to compiler infrastructure, including the development of optimizations and compiler passes to support evolving hardware.
- Engineer and optimize compute and data kernels, ensuring correctness, high performance, and portability across simulation and production environments.
- Profile and optimize system bottlenecks, especially around I/O, memory hierarchy, and interconnects, at both local and distributed scales.
- Develop simulation infrastructure to validate runtime behaviors, test training stack changes, and support early-stage hardware and system development.
- Rapidly deploy runtime and compiler updates to new supercomputing builds in close collaboration with hardware and research teams.
- Work across a diverse stack, primarily using **Rust** and **Python**, with opportunities to influence architecture decisions across the training framework.

## Requirements
- Deep curiosity for how large-scale systems work and enjoy making them faster, simpler, and more reliable.
- Proficient in systems programming (**Rust**, **C++**) and scripting languages like **Python**.
- Experience in one or more of the following areas: compiler development, kernel authoring, accelerator programming, runtime systems, distributed systems, or high-performance simulation.
- Excited to work in a fast-paced, highly collaborative environment with evolving hardware and ML system demands.
- Value engineering excellence, technical leadership, and thoughtful system design.

## Similar roles

- [Prototyping Lab Technician, Robotics](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/dbcc6603-0989-4a27-9fbc-972420c6f732) - OpenAI - San Francisco, CA - $225k – $295k/yr
- [Software Engineer, Fleet Hardware Health](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/e31d3d94-81ab-4143-b3bf-d09dba766ab8) - OpenAI - San Francisco, CA - $230k – $490k/yr
- [Electrical Engineer, Deployment Engineering](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/4901b7d4-bc34-4cc0-948b-f4e588da13cd) - Fluidstack - Austin, TX - $200k – $250k/yr
- [Mechanical Engineer, Deployment Engineering](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/58481778-0ce3-46dc-9ff0-8db996113150) - Fluidstack - Austin, TX - $200k – $250k/yr
- [Robotics Engineer](https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/2fec06ad-dd6e-401d-81e0-ae19932be4d4) - Luma AI - Los Angeles, CA - $250k – $450k/yr

**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/1f98b086-e1fb-44ce-8531-1a3413b0b9b6
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/1f98b086-e1fb-44ce-8531-1a3413b0b9b6