AI summary
Experienced Electrical Engineer role on OpenAI’s Robotics team, owning end-to-end hardware development for next-generation robotic systems from concept through deployment. You’ll design compact, highly integrated electronics and drive bring-up, validation, and system integration across mechanical, firmware, software, controls, and research partners. Standout perk: working on general-purpose robotics aiming toward AGI-level capability in real-world environments.
Key skills
Circuit designComponent selectionPCB layoutHardware bring-up and validationElectrical architecture (power, sensing, communication, actuator interfaces)High-density packaging (BGA, rigid-flex, fine-pitch interconnects, FPC/micro-coax)System integration across electrical/firmware/mechanicalEVT/DVT builds and low-volume production with contract manufacturersReal-time communication in distributed multi-board systemsBring-up/test firmware in C/C++/Rust/Python
Salary not listed — comparable San Francisco senior-level electrical engineering roles in robotics/hardware typically pay ~$160k–$240k base (often plus bonus/equity).
You'll thrive here if you like owning ambiguous, high-impact hardware from first principles through deployment and enjoy hands-on debugging and cross-functional system integration.
Why apply
- Own hardware end-to-end
- Work on general-purpose robotics
- Cross-functional, full-stack systems work
Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and advancing toward AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world environments. Working across the full model and systems stack, we integrate cutting-edge hardware and software to explore a broad range of robotic form factors. We're looking for an experienced Electrical Engineer to help develop the next generation of robotic systems at OpenAI. This role spans the full lifecycle of hardware development, from early concept exploration and prototyping through circuit design, component selection, PCB layout, bring-up, integration, and deployment.
Engineers in this role are expected to independently drive significant hardware efforts from initial concept through deployment. You will translate ambiguous goals into concrete engineering plans, make key technical decisions, coordinate closely with cross-functional partners, and own execution through the iterations required to deliver a successful system.
You will work closely with mechanical, firmware, software, controls, and research teams to evaluate new ideas, develop novel hardware, and integrate it into robotic platforms. Success in this role requires strong engineering judgment, comfort operating in ambiguous spaces, and the ability to balance rapid experimentation with the discipline required to build reliable and scalable systems.
The ideal candidate enjoys building things from first principles and is equally comfortable evaluating a new technology, debugging a prototype on the bench, reviewing PCB layout details, and driving system integration efforts. Own significant portions of the electrical architecture for compact, highly integrated robotic and electromechanical systems, including sensing, communication, power distribution, and actuator interfaces.
Design and implement compact electronics spanning circuit design, component selection, PCB layout, bring-up, validation, and deployment.
Build and validate hardware in integrated robotic systems, driving issues from first observation through root cause and design resolution.
Partner closely with mechanical, firmware, software, controls, manufacturing, and research teams to deliver coherent system-level solutions.
Make thoughtful engineering tradeoffs across performance, size, power, reliability, manufacturability, and iteration speed.
Have 6+ years of experience developing electrical systems for robotics, consumer electronics, medical devices, wearables, cameras, or other tightly integrated electromechanical products.
Have personally owned hardware from concept through PCB layout, bring-up, validation, and deployment.
Enjoy designing compact, high-density electronics that must fit within severe mechanical constraints.
Have experience with technologies such as BGAs, rigid-flex assemblies, fine-pitch interconnects, micro-coax, FPCs, dense connector systems, or similar packaging approaches.
Can reason across electrical, firmware, and mechanical boundaries when making design decisions.
Enjoy building and validating integrated prototypes where mechanical, electrical, firmware, and sensing systems are developed together.
Experience with multi-board robotic or electromechanical systems that include distributed sensing, actuation, and real-time communication.
Experience bringing hardware through EVT/DVT-style builds, low-volume production, or contract-manufacturer-supported builds.
Familiarity with writing bring-up, test, or diagnostic firmware in C, C++, Rust, or Python.
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.
For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.
Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.
OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy
At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.
Engineers in this role are expected to independently drive significant hardware efforts from initial concept through deployment. You will translate ambiguous goals into concrete engineering plans, make key technical decisions, coordinate closely with cross-functional partners, and own execution through the iterations required to deliver a successful system.
You will work closely with mechanical, firmware, software, controls, and research teams to evaluate new ideas, develop novel hardware, and integrate it into robotic platforms. Success in this role requires strong engineering judgment, comfort operating in ambiguous spaces, and the ability to balance rapid experimentation with the discipline required to build reliable and scalable systems.
The ideal candidate enjoys building things from first principles and is equally comfortable evaluating a new technology, debugging a prototype on the bench, reviewing PCB layout details, and driving system integration efforts. Own significant portions of the electrical architecture for compact, highly integrated robotic and electromechanical systems, including sensing, communication, power distribution, and actuator interfaces.
Design and implement compact electronics spanning circuit design, component selection, PCB layout, bring-up, validation, and deployment.
Build and validate hardware in integrated robotic systems, driving issues from first observation through root cause and design resolution.
Partner closely with mechanical, firmware, software, controls, manufacturing, and research teams to deliver coherent system-level solutions.
Make thoughtful engineering tradeoffs across performance, size, power, reliability, manufacturability, and iteration speed.
Have 6+ years of experience developing electrical systems for robotics, consumer electronics, medical devices, wearables, cameras, or other tightly integrated electromechanical products.
Have personally owned hardware from concept through PCB layout, bring-up, validation, and deployment.
Enjoy designing compact, high-density electronics that must fit within severe mechanical constraints.
Have experience with technologies such as BGAs, rigid-flex assemblies, fine-pitch interconnects, micro-coax, FPCs, dense connector systems, or similar packaging approaches.
Can reason across electrical, firmware, and mechanical boundaries when making design decisions.
Enjoy building and validating integrated prototypes where mechanical, electrical, firmware, and sensing systems are developed together.
Experience with multi-board robotic or electromechanical systems that include distributed sensing, actuation, and real-time communication.
Experience bringing hardware through EVT/DVT-style builds, low-volume production, or contract-manufacturer-supported builds.
Familiarity with writing bring-up, test, or diagnostic firmware in C, C++, Rust, or Python.
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.
For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.
Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.
We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.
OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy
At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.