[Remote] Principal Software Engineer, Infrastructure Security

Note: The job is a remote job and is open to candidates in USA. OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. They are seeking a Principal Software Engineer to join the Infrastructure Security team, responsible for safeguarding core research and production environments and driving the execution of critical foundational security services.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture and roadmap for one or more core security services (e.g., authN/Z, policy enforcement, secure proxies, key management), taking them from design to rollout to long-term operation
• Design and implement planet-scale security systems that provide strong guarantees across hardware, operating systems, Kubernetes, networks, and CI/CD: balancing security, reliability, latency, and developer ergonomics
• Lead cross-functional launches with infrastructure and research engineering teams, shaping interfaces, migration plans, and safe rollout strategies across large fleets and critical workflows
• Build or evolve security primitives (identity, attestation, authorization, encryption key lifecycle, access mediation) that become platform building blocks for OpenAI
• Leverage frontier models and agents to develop automation and detection tooling to continuously identify and mitigate risks in large-scale cloud and on-prem environments
• Lead design reviews and threat models for major initiatives, and drive closure on systemic issues
• Mentor engineers across InfraSec and partner teams, raising the bar on engineering quality, operational readiness, and secure-by-default practices

Skills

• Strong software engineering skills with a track record of shipping and operating reliable distributed systems in production
• Experience building or operating critical infrastructure, especially security infrastructure, at planet scale (e.g., auth services, service-to-service proxies, certificate or key-management systems)
• Deep understanding of security principles, best practices, and common vulnerabilities
• Demonstrated ability to lead cross-team technical initiatives: setting direction, aligning stakeholders, driving execution, and delivering measurable outcomes
• Expertise and curiosity about using frontier models and agents to effectively solve security challenges
• Expertise in securing large-scale cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP), including multi-cloud networks and cloud-agnostic system design
• A proactive mindset, with the ability to identify and address security gaps or inefficiencies through automation and tooling
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with an ability to think critically and objectively assess risks
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex security concepts to executive, technical, and non-technical stakeholders

Benefits

• Offers Equity
• Remote
• Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law
• 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
• Reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities

Company Overview

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