[Remote] Principal Software Engineer, B2B Engineering

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 design and scale the systems that power their developer and enterprise-facing products, leading the architecture of backend services and platform capabilities.ResponsibilitiesDesign, build, and scale the backend services, APIs, and infrastructure that power OpenAI’s developer and enterprise productsLead the architecture of distributed systems, databases, and data pipelines that support large-scale, high-reliability production workloadsOwn major platform capabilities end-to-end, from early technical strategy and design through implementation, launch, and long-term operationShape the design of our APIs with care and intentionality, treating API interfaces as core product surfaces and driving a high-quality developer experienceBuild secure, reliable, and compliant systems that meet the needs of both enterprise and developer use casesPartner closely with product, research, design, infrastructure, and forward-deployed engineering teams to bring new capabilities into productionDrive technical direction across complex problem spaces, making sound architectural tradeoffs that balance speed, quality, and long-term maintainabilityImprove engineering velocity by building internal tooling, platform abstractions, and systems that increase leverage across the broader organizationRaise the bar for engineering quality, system design, operational excellence, and technical decision-making across teamsHelp identify and solve ambiguous, high-impact technical problems that cut across multiple systems and stakeholdersSkillsSignificant experience building, scaling, and evolving production backend systems in fast-moving environmentsDeep expertise in software engineering fundamentals, distributed systems, and API designProficient in one or more backend languages such as Python, Go, Rust, or TypeScriptTrack record of leading complex technical initiatives and driving architecture across teams or critical product areasCare deeply about reliability, safety, security, and performance in production environmentsStrong product instincts and a high bar for developer experience and interface designComfortable working in ambiguous, fast-moving environments and can create clarity where little existsOwn problems end-to-end and are eager to learn whatever is needed to solve themBuild thoughtfully, move with urgency, and collaborate effectively across disciplinesInfluence technical direction through strong judgment, clear communication, and consistently high-quality executionExperience as a founder or early engineer at a startup, or have built products and platforms from scratchCompany OverviewOpenAI is an AI research and deployment company that develops advanced AI models, including ChatGPT. It is a sub-organization of OpenAI Foundation. It was founded in 2015, and is headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA, with a workforce of 1001-5000 employees. Its website is https://www.openai.com.Company H1B SponsorshipOpenAI has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships, with 57 in 2026, 103 in 2025, 74 in 2024, 15 in 2023, 18 in 2022, 10 in 2021, 6 in 2020. Please note that this does not guarantee sponsorship for this specific role.