OpenAI
Founding Software Engineer, Physical Engineering
$347K–$445K
San Francisco · Hybrid · Full-time · Posted Oct 26, 2026
About the job
Build the product and technical foundations for AI-powered tools that help mechanical and electrical engineers design, simulate, and prepare physical products for production.
What you'll do
- Build and ship full-stack AI products, including intuitive interfaces, backend services, APIs, plugins, and engineering-software integrations.
- Own projects from customer discovery and prototyping through production deployment, quality evaluation, and iteration.
- Work with customers and cross-functional teams to identify engineering needs and turn emerging AI capabilities into practical products.
What they ask for
- Independently built and shipped substantial software products, with ownership across frontend and backend systems.
- Strong software engineering fundamentals, product judgment, and UI judgment.
- Ability to work directly with users, handle ambiguity, and make pragmatic decisions while remaining accountable for quality.
Nice to have
- Experience building CAD, CAE, simulation, electrical design, or related professional software.
- Experience with interactive tools for complex workflows, engineering integrations, AI-powered applications, or taking products from concept to production.
Pay
$347K – $445K USD base salary
Tools
ChatGPT
AI focus
Build and evaluate full-stack AI products and integrations that apply OpenAI models to engineering design, simulation, and related workflows.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative