OpenAI · 10 hours ago
Component and Product Quality Engineer, Interconnects
San Francisco
Full-time
Onsite
Senior Level
$123K/yr - $285K/yr
7+ years expOpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. The role involves owning end-to-end quality for high-speed interconnect hardware across the product lifecycle, partnering with various teams to ensure quality and reliability in advanced interconnect components and assemblies.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)SaaSAgentic AIFoundational AIGenerative AIMachine LearningNatural Language Processing
Responsibilities
Own quality for advanced interconnect components and assemblies: high-speed connectors, high-speed copper cables, cable cartridges (e.g., ultra-pass / cable cassette style assemblies), patch panels & optics, and backplane/cable-backplane interconnect solutions
Drive quality-by-design: participate in design reviews, DFM/DFx, tolerance stacks, material and plating selections, connector mating strategy, strain relief, and assembly methods to reduce variation and field failures
Define and track quality and reliability metrics (DPPM, yield, escapes, RMA/FRACAS trends, Cpk/Ppk where applicable) for interconnects across NPI and mass production
Build and execute qualification strategies for cables/connectors/patch panels (mechanical, environmental, electrical, and reliability), including test coverage, sample plans, clear pass/fail criteria, defining installation criteria and processes, optics termination quality management and setting fiber standards criteria
Partner with engineering and operations to drive smooth ramp: risk assessments, pilot build learnings, change control, and readiness reviews (EVT/DVT/PVT/MP or equivalent phases)
Own supplier and CM performance management: scorecards, audits (process and quality system), and follow-up to close findings with verified effectiveness
Work with suppliers to improve manufacturing throughput, stability, and yields for cable and connector assembly processes (e.g., wire prep, welding/crimping, overmolding/injection molding, plating, and assembly fixturing)
Lead rapid containment and root-cause investigations for failures found during bring-up, system integration tests, reliability testing, and fleet deployments
Own the end-to-end corrective action process (8D, 5-Whys, Ishikawa, DOE as needed): define problem statements, isolate variables, validate root cause, implement fixes, and verify effectiveness
Partner with SI/PI and test teams to correlate electrical performance issues (e.g., link margin, BER, eye closure, impedance discontinuities, PAM4, TDR and VNA) with manufacturing and mechanical drivers (connector wear, plating, contamination, misalignment, cable routing, assembly variation)
Support integration and deployment of OpenAI supercompute racks in lab and data center environments; identify quality risks tied to shipping, handling, installation, and service operations
Qualification
Required
7+ years of experience in quality engineering, manufacturing quality, supplier quality, or reliability for interconnects or high-speed hardware used in servers, networking, storage, or high-performance compute systems
Hands-on experience with high-speed copper interconnect products: connectors and/or cable assemblies; familiarity with patch panels or backplane/cable-backplane solutions is a plus
Strong command of problem-solving and quality tools: 8D, 5-Whys, Fishbone, PFMEA/control plans, SPC/MSA (gauge R&R), and change control
Ability to read and interpret mechanical drawings, GD&T basics, and electrical/interface specifications; comfortable working across ME/EE/SI disciplines
Experience driving supplier/CM improvements (audits, scorecards, CAPA) and managing nonconformance/MRB workflows
Clear written and verbal communication skills; ability to drive alignment across internal teams and external partners
Experience with cable manufacturing and assembly processes (wire treatment, resistance welding/laser welding, crimping, overmolding/injection molding, braiding/shielding, plating, and automated test)
Experience with optical interconnects (AOC/DAC, pluggable modules such as QSFP/OSFP), fiber termination quality, optical return loss, end-face inspection standards (IEC 61300), and contamination control practices
Ability to travel internationally and work effectively across time zones with ODM/JDM and supplier partners
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
Fidji Simo
CEO, Applications
Sam Altman
CEO & Co-Founder
Recent News
The Motley Fool
2026-02-09
2026-02-09
2026-02-09
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