# System Software Engineer, Consumer Products
**Company:** [OpenAI](https://hotfix.jobs/companies/openai)
**Location:** San Francisco, CA
**Salary:** $293K-$325K
**Skills:** C++, C, Linux, Kernel, Debugging, Profilers, Tracers, CI/CD, Performance Optimization, Secure Boot
**Posted:** 2025-12-16
> Designs, implements, and debugs core platform software components across kernel and user space for reliable, secure consumer products. Requires strong C/C++ proficiency, OS internals knowledge, and systems debugging expertise.
## Job Description
## In this role, you will:
- Design, implement, and debug system‑level components and services across kernel and user space.
- Configure and maintain OS platform services (init, services, networking, security policies) and related tooling.
- Build and operate image and update pipelines, ensuring reliability, reproducibility, and rollback safety.
- Instrument and analyze performance using profiling and tracing; optimize CPU, memory, I/O, and power usage.
- Own platform observability and reliability: logging, crash capture, watchdogs, and diagnostics.
- Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to define interfaces and deliver end‑to‑end features.
- Establish strong engineering practices: code review, CI, reproducible builds, and release management.
- Partner with external suppliers to support builds and deployments.

## You might thrive in this role if you:
- Have shipped production systems software on modern operating systems.
- Are proficient in C/C++ and a scripting language, and comfortable with OS internals (concurrency, memory management, filesystems, networking, power management).
- Bring strong systems debugging skills using debuggers, tracers, profilers, and logs across kernel/user‑space boundaries.
- Understand configuration of platform services and interfaces, and can translate requirements into stable, well‑documented APIs.
- Are fluent in user‑space foundations (service management, IPC, networking, packaging, automation).
- Have experience building platform images and designing update mechanisms for reliability and security.

## Preferred Qualifications:
- Exposure to platform security (secure boot, sandboxing, mandatory access controls, attestation).
- Experience with graphics/media, hardware acceleration, or high‑throughput data paths.
- Familiarity with connectivity stacks and network configuration.
- Observability and diagnostics in distributed or resource‑constrained environments.
- Work on open‑source platforms or contributions to systems projects.
**Apply:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/system-software-engineer-consumer-products-at-openai-9ea53ef4-8352-4602-a311-de8e79f18ef4
**Canonical:** https://hotfix.jobs/jobs/system-software-engineer-consumer-products-at-openai-9ea53ef4-8352-4602-a311-de8e79f18ef4