OpenAI · 2 months ago
Mechanical Engineer, Hardware Systems
San Francisco
Full-time
Hybrid
Senior Level
$310K/yr - $460K/yr
7+ years expOpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. They are seeking an experienced Mechanical Engineer to lead the design and validation of mechanical and thermal systems for AI supercomputers, collaborating with cross-functional teams to optimize hardware performance and reliability.
Agentic AIArtificial Intelligence (AI)Foundational AIGenerative AIMachine LearningNatural Language ProcessingSaaS
Responsibilities
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
Qualification
Required
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
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
Benefits
Relocation assistance to new employees
Company
OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company that develops advanced AI models, including ChatGPT. It is a sub-organization of OpenAI Foundation.
201-500 employees
H1B Sponsorship
OpenAI has a track record of offering H1B sponsorships. Please note that this does not
guarantee sponsorship for this specific role. Below presents additional info for your
reference. (Data Powered by US Department of Labor)
Distribution of Different Job Fields Receiving Sponsorship
Represents job field similar to this job
Trends of Total Sponsorships
2025 (1)
2024 (1)
2023 (1)
2022 (18)
2021 (10)
2020 (6)
Funding
Current Stage
Growth StageTotal Funding
$79BKey Investors
The Walt Disney CompanySoftBankThrive Capital
2025-12-11Corporate Round· $1B
2025-10-02Secondary Market· $6.6B
2025-03-31Series Unknown· $40B
Leadership Team
Sam Altman
CEO & Co-Founder
Greg Brockman
President, Chairman, & Co-Founder
Recent News
2026-01-22
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2026-01-22
Company data provided by crunchbase