Principal Software Engineer, Infrastructure Security

Company: OpenAI

Imagine building the very foundation that safeguards humanity's future with AI. At OpenAI, our mission isn't just about advancing artificial general intelligence; it's about doing so responsibly and securely. This means protecting our cutting-edge research, our groundbreaking products, and the brilliant minds behind them. As a Principal Software Engineer on our Infrastructure Security team, you won't just be patching systems; you'll be architecting resilient defenses across an incredibly complex and critical landscape, from bare metal hardware to vast supercomputing clusters. We're looking for someone ready to shape the security posture of an organization at the forefront of technological innovation, ensuring our breakthroughs benefit everyone, safely.

Overview

Security truly forms the bedrock of OpenAI’s commitment to ensuring artificial general intelligence serves all humanity. Our dedicated Security team works tirelessly to protect OpenAI’s innovative technology, our talented people, and our groundbreaking products. We combine deep technical expertise in what we build with operational excellence in how we execute, offering vital support to every product and research initiative across OpenAI. Our core principles emphasize prioritizing significant impact, empowering our researchers and developers, diligently preparing for future transformative technologies, and actively cultivating a strong, collaborative security culture.

OpenAI is actively seeking a Principal Software Engineer to become a key member of our Infrastructure Security (InfraSec) team. InfraSec is charged with safeguarding the very core of OpenAI’s research and production environments. This includes our formidable GPU supercomputing clusters, sophisticated multi-cloud infrastructure, secure datacenters, critical networking, extensive storage solutions, and all the essential services powering our frontier AI models. Our comprehensive charter spans everything from the intricacies of bare metal hardware and firmware to robust Kubernetes clusters, advanced service meshes, and the vital data pathways that transport highly sensitive model weights and user information. This is a fully remote, worldwide opportunity, welcoming top talent from anywhere.

Key Responsibilities

Lead the design, implementation, and ongoing maintenance of robust security architectures for OpenAI's foundational infrastructure.
Drive the technical roadmap for critical infrastructure security initiatives, ensuring they align perfectly with overall company goals and future AI advancements.
Mentor and provide technical guidance to both junior and senior engineers, actively fostering a culture of technical excellence and pervasive security awareness.
Develop and meticulously implement advanced security controls across our GPU supercomputing clusters, diverse multi-cloud environments, secure datacenters, and intricate networking components.
Proactively identify emerging threats and potential vulnerabilities within our highly sensitive research and production systems, then rapidly develop and deploy effective mitigation strategies.
Collaborate closely with research, engineering, and operations teams to embed security best practices seamlessly throughout the entire software development lifecycle.
Evaluate and strategically integrate new security technologies and tools to continuously enhance and expand our defensive capabilities.

Requirements

Extensive experience, typically 10+ years, in software engineering with a substantial and dedicated focus on infrastructure security.
Deep expertise in securing complex distributed systems, various cloud environments (such as AWS, Azure, GCP), and on-premise infrastructure.
Proficiency in modern programming languages like Python, Go, Rust, or C++.
Strong understanding of operating system internals, essential networking protocols, containerization technologies (Kubernetes, Docker), and advanced service mesh architectures.
Proven track record of successfully leading major security projects from their initial conception through to full deployment and operationalization.
Exceptional problem-solving abilities and a strategic mindset for tackling the most complex and novel security challenges.
Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, capable of articulating intricate technical concepts to both highly technical and broader non-technical audiences.
A profound commitment to OpenAI's mission and the responsible, ethical development of artificial intelligence.

What You'll Gain

The unparalleled opportunity to directly impact the security posture of world-changing artificial intelligence technology.
Work alongside some of the brightest minds in both AI research and cutting-edge security engineering.
Tackle unprecedented security challenges within a rapidly evolving, high-stakes technological environment.
Contribute significantly to a truly mission driven organization committed to benefiting all of humanity.
A supportive, highly collaborative, and intellectually stimulating remote work environment.
A competitive compensation and comprehensive benefits package.