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Engineering Manager, Chatgpt Search Infrastructure

openai

OnSite San Francisco
Engineering AI Uncategorized

Job Score

90 pts
On-site model (+70) Engineering (+10) AI (+10)

About the Team

The ChatGPT Search Infrastructure team builds the foundational systems that power search experiences across ChatGPT. We develop the infrastructure that connects models with search systems and other sources of real-time information, enabling ChatGPT to deliver timely, relevant, and trustworthy answers to users around the world.

Our work sits at the intersection of product engineering, AI, and large-scale infrastructure. We build shared platforms and abstractions that enable product teams to independently develop, evaluate, and launch new search-powered experiences. These platforms provide the guardrails, testing capabilities, observability, and rollout controls needed to prevent reliability, scalability, quality, and latency regressions while supporting rapid product iteration.

The team partners closely with:

  • Post-Training on model launches, experimentation, and prompt optimization

  • Search product verticals on new user experiences

  • Inference on GPU efficiencies

  • Indexing and Retrieval on the systems that identify and deliver relevant information

  • Capacity/Fleet team to ensure optimal regionalized provisioning of GPUs and CPUs

About the Role

We are looking for an Engineering Manager to lead the team responsible for ChatGPT’s Search Infrastructure.

You will set the technical and organizational direction for the systems that bring search capabilities into ChatGPT. You will guide architectural decisions across search orchestration, model and prompt integration, serving infrastructure, experimentation, observability, evaluation, and product integrations. You will balance immediate launch and product needs with the long-term reliability, scalability, latency, and maintainability of the platform.

A central responsibility of this role is creating leverage for Search product verticals. You will lead the development of extensible platforms that allow those teams to independently build, test, and launch features without requiring ongoing involvement from the core infrastructure team. These platforms must include strong interfaces and automated guardrails that enable fast iteration while protecting the reliability, scalability, latency, and quality of ChatGPT Search.

This role requires technical depth across the full Search stack and the ability to understand and influence systems owned by partner teams. You will be expected to develop a coherent technical direction across model behavior, inference, search orchestration, indexing, retrieval, experimentation, and infrastructure—even when execution spans multiple organizational boundaries.

You will lead multiple complex workstreams, empower experienced engineers to own major technical areas, and partner with product, research, Post-Training, Search Quality, Inference, Indexing, Retrieval, and infrastructure teams to translate emerging model and search capabilities into reliable experiences operating at global scale.

In this role, you will:

  • Define and drive the technical strategy, architecture, and roadmap for ChatGPT Search Infrastructure, spanning search orchestration, APIs, model and prompt integration, serving, experimentation, evaluation, observability, and product integrations.

  • Lead and develop a team of experienced engineers, create meaningful ownership opportunities, and foster an inclusive, high-trust culture with clear accountability and high standards.

  • Partner with Post-Training on model launches, A/B experiments, search-behavior evaluation, and prompt optimization, translating model improvements into production-ready product experiences.

  • Build reusable platforms that enable Search product vertical teams to independently implement, test, and launch features, with automated guardrails that protect reliability, scalability, quality, and latency.

  • Partner with Inference, Indexing, and Retrieval teams to evolve the end-to-end Search architecture, adapt serving optimizations, and improve product outcomes across the stack.

  • Define and uphold service objectives of at least 99.9% availability, sub-second latency where required by the user experience, and the scalability needed to support ChatGPT’s continued growth.

  • Establish strong engineering practices across system design, testability, observability, experimentation, capacity planning, rollout safety, operational readiness, and incident prevention.

  • Independently lead multiple complex workstreams, remove technical and organizational bottlenecks, and build alignment across product, research, and infrastructure teams in ambiguous and rapidly changing environments.

You might thrive in this role if you:

  • Have experience managing senior engineers and leading teams responsible for complex, high-scale infrastructure, online serving, or distributed systems.

  • Bring significant technical depth in backend infrastructure, platform engineering, APIs, low-latency serving, experimentation platforms, or AI-powered product development.

  • Understand how models, prompts, inference systems, search orchestration, indexing, retrieval, and infrastructure work together to deliver an end-to-end user experience.

  • Have partnered with research or Post-Training teams to launch models, run controlled experiments, evaluate model behavior, or optimize prompts in production.

  • Have built shared platforms that allow other engineering teams to independently develop and launch features within well-defined reliability, scalability, quality, and performance guardrails.

  • Have shaped the architecture of systems with demanding availability, latency, and scale requirements, with testability, observability, safe rollout, and operational excellence built in from the outset.

  • Can move comfortably between technical depth, product strategy, organizational leadership, and people management while exercising strong judgment in ambiguous environments.

  • Build strong cross-functional partnerships, empower experienced engineers to lead, and care deeply about developing people and creating an inclusive, sustainable team culture.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum 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.

To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.

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.

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About Engineering

Software Engineering goes beyond traditional development, focusing on scalability, performance, and system architecture. Software engineers are responsible for designing infrastructures that support millions of simultaneous users.

Skills include microservices architecture, DevOps, cloud computing, application security, and performance optimization. Knowledge of containerization (Docker, Kubernetes) and CI/CD is increasingly required.

Senior software engineers are rare and highly compensated professionals, with opportunities at major global tech companies.

About Artificial Intelligence

Artificial Intelligence is currently the fastest-growing field in the technology market. The revolution in generative models (GPT, Claude, Gemini) has created massive demand for AI-specialized professionals.

Key areas of practice include Machine Learning Engineering, MLOps, Prompt Engineering, AI Research, and Applied AI. Python, TensorFlow, PyTorch, and LLM knowledge are essential skills.

AI salaries are the highest in the technology sector, with many remote work opportunities at international companies.

Discover Other Areas

Understand the scope of work, key skills, and tools used in different career areas.

About Customer Success

Customer Success is the area responsible for ensuring clients achieve their goals when using the product or service. It is a strategic function for retention, expansion, and customer satisfaction.

Key skills include account management, churn analysis, NPS, onboarding, upsell, and cross-sell. Knowledge of CS tools like Gainsight, Totango, and ChurnZero is a differentiator.

CS is becoming increasingly strategic in SaaS companies, with professionals directly contributing to recurring revenue growth (MRR/ARR).

About Branding

Branding is the area responsible for building, managing, and strengthening a brand's identity and market value. Branding professionals create strategies that define how the brand is perceived by the public, from the logo to the complete customer experience.

Key skills include brand strategy, visual identity, brand guidelines, positioning, naming, brand voice, market research, brand equity, and brand management. Knowledge of graphic design (Figma, Illustrator, Photoshop), storytelling, and brand experience is a differentiator.

Branding professionals in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master employer branding, digital branding, and can build strong, memorable brands in competitive markets. The field offers opportunities from brand designer to head of brand, with a focus on identity, differentiation, and perceived value.

About Backend

The Backend area is responsible for all server logic, APIs, databases, and infrastructure that support web and mobile applications. Backend professionals ensure that systems are scalable, secure, and performant.

Key skills include languages like PHP, Java, Python, Ruby, Go, and Node.js, frameworks like Laravel, Spring Boot, Django, and Express, databases (MySQL, PostgreSQL, MongoDB, Redis), software architecture (clean architecture, DDD, microservices), and API security (OAuth, JWT).

Backend developers in technology companies are highly valued, especially those who master microservices architecture, cloud computing, and high-scale performance. The field offers opportunities from junior developer to software architect, with a focus on scalability, security, and efficiency.

About Content

The Content and Social Media area is essential for building digital presence and audience engagement. Professionals create content strategies, manage social networks, and develop impactful brand narratives.

Key skills include copywriting, storytelling, community management, metrics analysis, audiovisual production, and knowledge of each platform algorithms.

With the growth of influencer marketing and social commerce, this area continues to generate new career opportunities.

About Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing is a constantly expanding field, driven by e-commerce growth and the need for a strong digital presence. Marketing professionals master tools like Google Ads, Meta Ads, HubSpot, Google Analytics, and automation platforms.

Most sought-after specializations include Growth Marketing, Performance, SEO, Content Marketing, and Growth Hacking. The combination of creativity with data analysis is the most valued differentiator in the market.

The market offers opportunities in both agencies and technology companies, with competitive salaries and remote work possibilities.

Career Guides

Technology Career Guide

Planning, skills, interviews, and professional growth in IT, Data Science, DevOps, and Product.

Read full guide →

Design Career Guide

UX/UI, Graphic Design, Product Design. Portfolio, tools, interviews, and growth in the Design field.

Read full guide →

Marketing Career Guide

SEO, Paid Media, Growth, Content Marketing. Certifications, tools, and strategies to grow in Digital Marketing.

Read full guide →

Finance Career Guide

Financial market, investments, corporate finance, certifications, and strategies to grow in the financial field.

Read full guide →

Communication Career Guide

Journalism, PR, Corporate Communication, Content Marketing, and Multimedia Production.

Read full guide →

Administration Career Guide

Business Management, HR, Logistics, Consulting, Project Management, and Entrepreneurship.

Read full guide →

Data Career Guide

Data Science, Data Engineering, BI, Machine Learning, and AI. From training to the job market.

Read full guide →

Product Career Guide

Product Management, Product Ownership, Agile, Scrum, and OKRs. From strategy to execution.

Read full guide →

Tech & Remote Glossary

Stop getting lost in interviews and job descriptions

The job market, especially within tech and global companies, has developed its own dialect. Not understanding these acronyms can make you lose valuable opportunities or poorly negotiate your contract. To end this problem, we created the Definitive Glossary for the Remote Professional.

🏢 Work Models & Routine

Async (Asynchronous Work)
A communication model where responses don't need to be immediate. Instead of back-to-back meetings, the team relies on well-structured documents, threads, and messages. It's the gold standard for global companies spanning multiple time zones.
Sync (Synchronous Work)
The opposite of Async. It requires the team to be online and available at the same time for meetings, live chats, and real-time collaboration.
Daily / Stand-up
A quick daily meeting (usually 15 minutes) common in Agile (Scrum) methodologies. The team answers three questions: What did I do yesterday? What will I do today? Are there any blockers?
All-Hands / Town Hall
A company-wide meeting involving all employees. Usually led by the founders (C-Levels) to present results, new goals, and answer team questions.
1:1 (One-on-One)
A recurring individual meeting between a professional and their direct manager. It is used for career alignment, feedback, and problem-solving, not just for project status updates.

💰 Contracts, Benefits & Compensation

PTO (Paid Time Off)
Instead of strict, categorized leave policies, modern US companies usually offer a flexible pool of days (e.g., 20 days of PTO, or even "Unlimited PTO") that you can use for vacations, sick days, or personal matters, while receiving your regular compensation.
Equity / Stock Options
Company ownership. The startup offers you the right to buy shares at a heavily discounted strike price in the future. If the company grows, goes public, or is acquired, these shares can be highly lucrative.
Vesting (Vesting Schedule)
The rule that controls your Equity. It usually lasts 4 years. You don't get all the shares on day one; you "earn" them gradually as you stay with the company. A "1-year Cliff" means you must stay for at least one year to receive your first batch of shares.
RSUs (Restricted Stock Units)
Unlike Stock Options (where you have the right to buy the stock), RSUs are actual shares the company grants you as a bonus or part of your compensation package, following a strict Vesting schedule.
Independent Contractor (1099 / B2B)
The most common international hiring model for global talent working for US companies. You act as a service provider (business-to-business), receiving the gross salary (often six-figure compensation) without standard local payroll tax deductions at the source.

🤖 Recruitment & Hiring Process

ATS (Applicant Tracking System)
The "robot" that reads your resume. Software like Greenhouse, Ashby, and Workday are used to filter candidates by keywords before a human even looks at the document. (Pro tip: this is why your resume must be clean, semantic, and have the right keywords).
JD (Job Description)
The document that lists the responsibilities, technical requirements, and benefits of the open position.
Cultural Fit
The interview stage that evaluates if your core values, communication style, and worldview align with the company's culture. This is the ultimate test of your Soft Skills.
Onboarding
The integration process. It's the period of your first few weeks at the company, where you get your access credentials, learn about the culture, study the internal documentation, and understand how the product works.

🚀 How to use this to your advantage?

The secret isn't just knowing what these acronyms mean, but using them actively. If during an interview for a premium tech role you ask, "How does your PTO policy and Vesting schedule work?", the recruiter will immediately perceive you as a high-level professional, familiar with the global market standards.

The remote job market requires preparation. And having the right vocabulary is the first big step to securing six-figure proposals and standing out among thousands of applicants.

Expert Tip

Landing Top-Tier Traffic Analyst and SEO Roles

The New Era of Performance Marketing

The digital marketing landscape has undergone a radical transformation in recent years. The era of the "button pusher" who merely launched Meta Ads campaigns or stuffed keywords into WordPress is officially over. Today, companies—especially top-tier US startups and global tech corporations offering six-figure compensations—are looking for analytical, Growth-focused, and highly Data-Driven professionals.

Whether managing multi-million dollar paid media budgets or optimizing site architecture for the new AI-driven search engines, the Traffic and SEO Analyst has become the engine of predictable revenue for tech companies worldwide.

1. Technical SEO and the AI Revolution (SGE)

With Google's introduction of the Search Generative Experience (SGE), SEO is no longer just about backlinks and search volume. It now requires a deep understanding of search intent and topical authority.

What Tech Recruiters are looking for:

  • Technical SEO Mastery: The ability to analyze Core Web Vitals, manage Crawl Budgets, and optimize JavaScript rendering (a critical factor for modern frameworks like React and Next.js).
  • Advanced Data Analysis: Fluency in enterprise tools such as Screaming Frog, Semrush, Ahrefs, and Google Search Console.
  • Focus on E-E-A-T: Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. Understanding how to structure content so that Google's algorithm recognizes it as a reliable primary source.
"Modern SEO success requires you to stop optimizing for algorithms and start optimizing for the user journey, using technical data to remove any friction along the way." — Google Search Central Guidelines

2. Paid Traffic: From Operational to Strategic

In the realm of paid media (Google Ads, Meta Ads, LinkedIn Ads, TikTok Ads), platform automation handles most of the bidding work (Smart Bidding). The modern candidate's competitive edge lies in acquisition strategy and financial viability analysis.

Metrics you must master for your interviews:

  1. CAC (Customer Acquisition Cost): Moving beyond Cost Per Click (CPC). Understanding exactly how much it costs to acquire a paying user.
  2. LTV (Lifetime Value): Knowing how to cross-reference acquisition costs with the value a customer brings to the company over time (LTV:CAC ratio).
  3. ROAS vs. ROI: Grasping the crucial difference between the direct return on ad spend (ROAS) and the actual return on investment for the entire business (ROI).
  4. Server-Side Tracking: With the deprecation of third-party cookies, mastering the Conversions API and Google Tag Manager (GTM) Server-Side is a massive senior requirement.

3. Building an Unbeatable Portfolio

In the global remote market, degrees matter far less than proven results. Your portfolio shouldn't just be a resume; it should be a comprehensive document of Case Studies.

Structure your cases using the STAR method:

  • Situation: What was the baseline? E.g., "The e-commerce brand was burning $10k/month with a 1.2 ROAS."
  • Task: What was the goal? E.g., "Reduce CPA by 30% and increase non-branded organic traffic."
  • Action: What did YOU do technically? E.g., "Audited GTM, restructured PMax campaigns, and applied Schema markup in the HTML."
  • Result: The numerical impact. E.g., "Scaled ROAS to 3.8 and grew organic traffic by 45% in 3 months."

4. Certifications That Actually Open Doors

If you want to bypass strict Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) like Greenhouse or Workday, ensure your LinkedIn and resume feature official certifications issued by the tech platforms themselves:

References and Must-Reads

To stay relevant in a market that changes weekly, we highly recommend following these official sources:

  1. Official Google Search Central Documentation.
  2. Annual State of Marketing Reports from HubSpot and Semrush.
  3. Technical articles focused on Data-Driven Marketing from the Harvard Business Review.

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