Skip to content
OpenAIOpenAISan Francisco, CA

Backend Software Engineer, API Enterprise Controls

Backend engineer building secure, scalable enterprise controls for the OpenAI API platform, including authentication, key management, compliance, observability, and secure networking. Requires 9+ years experience leading cross-functional initiatives with strong product judgment and backend systems expertise.

293k – 385k/yr
Hybrid9+ YOEBackend Engineering

About the role

Responsibilities

  • Own backend product capabilities end to end across authentication and identity, service accounts and key controls, secure networking, compliance, observability, and operational workflows.
  • Partner with Product, go-to-market, security, infrastructure teams, and sophisticated customers to identify needs, shape the roadmap, and lead large cross-functional projects from design through launch.
  • Design developer-facing APIs, system behavior, configuration, error handling, safe defaults, auditing, and notifications with exceptional care for the details that define a great developer experience.
  • Build, operate, and debug highly reliable backend systems spanning databases, streaming infrastructure, request routing, and distributed services, with strong operational ownership.

Requirements

  • 9+ years of professional engineering experience, excluding internships, in relevant backend, platform, or product-driven engineering roles.
  • Exceptional backend engineering depth paired with strong product judgment and a track record of shipping API or platform capabilities that users depend on.
  • Experience leading large cross-functional initiatives, influencing product direction, and aligning engineering, Product, go-to-market, security, and infrastructure partners.
  • Proficiency in one or more backend languages such as Python, Go, Rust, TypeScript, or similar, with strong software design and systems fundamentals.
  • Experience with distributed systems, databases, streaming systems, request routing, authentication and identity, networking, or enterprise platform controls.
  • Strong communication and developer empathy, including experience working closely with product partners and users to turn ambiguous needs into clear technical decisions.
  • Strong opinions about reliability, DevOps, and operational excellence, paired with meticulous attention to the details that make complex systems feel simple and dependable.

Nice-to-Haves

  • Experience building API or platform capabilities for developers and enterprises.

Skills

PythonGoRustTypeScriptDistributed SystemsDatabasesstreaming systemsrequest routingAuthenticationidentityNetworkingDevOps

Similar roles

Backend Engineering jobs
OpenAI

Backend Software Engineer, API Multicloud

OpenAISan Francisco, CA

Backend engineer building and extending OpenAI's API platform into cloud-native environments like AWS, creating cloud-contained developer products and agentic infrastructure. Requires 7+ years experience and proficiency in backend languages and distributed systems.

293k – 385k/yr
Hybrid7+ YOEBackend Engineering
OpenAI

Software Engineer, Cloud Agents

OpenAISan Francisco, CA

Build and scale orchestration, sandboxing, and storage systems for long-running cloud agents powering Codex, ChatGPT, and the OpenAI API. Requires 9+ years experience leading large-scale backend or infrastructure projects.

293k – 385k/yr
Hybrid9+ YOEBackend Engineering
OpenAI

Software Engineer, API SDK

OpenAISan Francisco, CA +2

Build and maintain OpenAI's official SDKs across Python, Node.js, Go, Java, and Ruby. Shape developer experience for new API features and drive SDK strategy and automation.

293k – 385k/yr
Hybrid7+ YOEBackend Engineering
OpenAI

Senior Software Engineer, Product

OpenAIBellevue, WA +1

Designs and builds experimentation and rollout infrastructure for safe feature launches and model evaluations at scale. Partners with product, research, and data teams to integrate systems into development lifecycles, focusing on developer experience and large-scale distributed systems.

293k – 324k/yr
HybridBackend Engineering
OpenAI

Backend Engineer, Consumer Products

OpenAISan Francisco, CA

Designs and builds scalable backend services, APIs, and infrastructure for consumer products, balancing velocity and long-term scalability. Requires 7+ years experience with Python, Go, system design, and cross-functional collaboration.

293k – 325k/yr
Hybrid7+ YOEBackend Engineering