OpenAI
Host Systems Software Engineer
$266K–$445K
San Francisco · Hybrid · Full-time · Posted Jun 3, 2026
- Visa sponsorship
- Candidates may need to meet certain legal status requirements under U.S. export control laws and regulations.
About the job
Build and optimize the host software stack for custom AI systems, spanning low-level device interfaces, platform bring-up, and production validation.
What you'll do
- Design and debug Linux kernel drivers and supporting userspace software for AI infrastructure.
- Develop high-throughput, low-latency communication and I/O paths, including RDMA and networking.
- Bring up hardware platforms, diagnose cross-layer issues, and build tools for integration, testing, diagnostics, and performance validation.
What they ask for
- Experience building low-level or performance-critical systems software.
- Strong C or C++ programming skills, plus proficiency with Python and Linux tooling.
- Strong Linux systems fundamentals and ability to debug across hardware and software boundaries.
- Hands-on experience in at least one relevant area, such as Linux kernel drivers, RDMA, PCIe, DMA, NIC software, accelerator software, or high-performance I/O.
Nice to have
- Experience developing Linux kernel drivers or other OS-level performance-critical components.
- Familiarity with RDMA or RoCE, ibverbs, kernel networking, PCIe/DMA subsystems, hardware bring-up, performance profiling, or Rust.
Pay
$266K – $445K USD base salary
Tools
C, C++, Python, Linux, RDMA, PCIe, DMA, Rust
AI focus
Develop host-side systems software and hardware integration for AI infrastructure and custom AI systems.
Model-written summary · the original posting is authoritative