Why This Job is Featured on The SaaS Jobs
This role stands out in the SaaS ecosystem because it sits at the infrastructure layer that modern AI-first SaaS products increasingly depend on. Rather than working solely on application features, the focus is on the physical systems that underpin large-scale model training and inference, where reliability and thermal performance directly affect service stability and cost. The cross-functional interface with software and research partners also reflects how leading SaaS-adjacent organizations are tightening the loop between product requirements and underlying compute platforms.
From a SaaS career perspective, the work builds fluency in operating constraints that later shape product decisions, including capacity planning, performance per watt, and lifecycle reliability. Experience translating test data into design changes maps well to the iterative, metrics-driven approach common in subscription businesses, even when applied to hardware. Exposure to production-grade validation and supplier collaboration also develops an understanding of how platform choices scale beyond prototypes into repeatable delivery.
This position is best suited to engineers who prefer end-to-end ownership across analysis, prototyping, and verification, and who are comfortable coordinating across disciplines to resolve tradeoffs. It will fit professionals who want their engineering decisions to have clear downstream impact on service uptime and platform efficiency, particularly in environments where hardware and software roadmaps are closely coupled.
The section above is editorial commentary from The SaaS Jobs, provided to help SaaS professionals understand the role in a broader industry context.
Job Description
About the Team
OpenAI’s Hardware organization develops silicon and system-level solutions designed for the unique demands of advanced AI workloads. The team is responsible for building the next generation of AI-native silicon while working closely with software and research partners to co-design hardware tightly integrated with AI models. In addition to delivering production-grade silicon for OpenAI’s supercomputing infrastructure, the team also creates custom design tools and methodologies that accelerate innovation and enable hardware optimized specifically for AI.
About the Role
We are looking for an experienced Mechanical Engineer with 7+ years of experience in design of IT hardware from chip/package to system levels. You’ll work alongside experts in thermal, mechanical, electrical, software, and systems engineering to support the design, analysis, and validation of mechanical and thermal systems that ensure the reliability, efficiency, and longevity of mission-critical hardware. This position requires strong analytical skills, hands-on testing experience, and the ability to work in a fast-paced, cross-disciplinary environment.
This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.
In this role, you will:
Lead mechanical design for AI supercomputer product in the data center application
Collaborate with the cross functional team to design and optimize thermal solutions for data center hardware, including chips, power modules, and system-level cooling architectures
Collaborate with cross-functional teams to integrate thermal management strategies into hardware design, from concept to mass production
Design and validate mechanical systems, including chassis, enclosures, cooling systems, and high-power connections, ensuring alignment with performance and reliability standards.
Perform 3D modeling, FEA, tolerance analysis, and prototyping, ensuring manufacturability and adherence to strict quality requirements.
Conduct mechanical testing, including vibration, shock, and thermal cycling, to ensure long-term reliability under extreme operating conditions.
Identify and evaluate new technologies and methodologies to improve mechanical and thermal performance in product design, and contribute to the development of new products and technology by providing expertise in mechanical design
Develop appropriate specifications and test procedures as necessary to ensure desired reliability and performance of electronic equipment, collaborate, supervise, mentor, and motivate suppliers to design and develop excellent products, and mentor engineers in all aspects of concept development, analysis, design, and specification
Lead the production and launch of new products and technologies and ensure compliance with relevant quality standards and regulation
Partner with suppliers and manufacturers to support the development of custom mechanical and thermal components and ensure quality in production
You might thrive in this role if you:
Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering, or a related field (Master’s preferred).
7+ years of industry experience in mechanical design, simulation, and validation for IT hardware
Proficiency in CAD tools and FEA
Strong understanding of mechanical design, material properties, manufacturing methods, and test procedures
Ability to analyze experimental data, identify root causes of mechanical or manufacturing issues, and implement corrective actions
Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to perform first-principles calculations to support design decisions.
Self-driven, detail-oriented, and able to work independently or collaboratively in cross-functional engineering environments
Preferred Skills
10+ years of industry experience in mechanical design, simulation, and validation for IT hardware
Extensive experience with data center hardware or high-performance computing systems at scale
Practical experience in co-developing advanced cooling technologies
Deep understanding of reliability testing, failure analysis, and thermal stress modeling and testing for electronic components
Experience working with suppliers and manufacturing partners to support new technology development and production ramp-up
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.
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We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.
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