Staff / Senior Staff Backend Engineer, B2B Flywheel

About the Role

The successful candidate will be part of a small, high-leverage team with broad ownership across the systems that capture, process, and translate critical product and usage signals into better B2B experiences. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys working across backend systems, data pipelines, and applied ML/DS-adjacent problems, especially in ambiguous, fast-moving environments where the path is not always predefined.

OpenAI's B2B Flywheel team is committed to building the systems that help improve products, models, and customer experiences over time. The team's work spans real-time backend engineering, data infrastructure, research engineering, and applied data science.

What You Will Do

• Design, build, and operate backend systems that capture and process critical product, usage, and customer signals across B2B and API surfaces
• Build reliable data pipelines and infrastructure that help translate raw signals into actionable insights, model evaluations, training datasets, and product improvements
• Work on high-traffic, low-latency services in constrained environments, including systems with strict privacy and data-handling requirements
• Collaborate closely with data science, research, product, and infrastructure partners to identify user pain points, measure system behavior, and improve product quality
• Help develop the system needed to support model and product feedback loops, including signal capture, evaluation datasets, classifiers, and analytical tooling
• Operate with high ownership in a small team where priorities may shift quickly and the work spans multiple engineering domains
• Participate in the development of the system architecture, ensuring scalability, reliability, and performance
• Work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure seamless integration of backend systems with other components
• Develop and maintain technical documentation for backend systems and data pipelines
• Troubleshoot and resolve issues with backend systems, data pipelines, and infrastructure

What We Are Looking For

• 7+ years of professional backend engineering experience, ideally in high-scale, product-driven, or infrastructure-heavy environments
• Strong backend engineering fundamentals, including distributed systems, API services, data modeling, reliability, performance, and production operations
• Experience building or maintaining data pipelines, event systems, logging/telemetry infrastructure, or large-scale data processing systems
• Comfort working near data science, statistics, ML, or research engineering workflows; direct experience is strongly preferred, but not required
• Ability to operate effectively in ambiguous environments where problems are loosely defined and ownership boundaries are broad
• High agency, strong execution velocity, and a willingness to wear multiple hats across backend engineering, data infrastructure, and applied research-adjacent work
• Experience in fast-paced startups, early teams, or similarly high-ownership environments is a plus
• Interest in AI systems, enterprise products, and building the infrastructure that helps improve products and models through real-world usage signals
• Strong communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work closely with cross-functional teams
• Experience with cloud-based infrastructure, such as AWS or GCP, is preferred

Nice to Have

• Experience with containerization using Docker and Kubernetes
• Familiarity with Agile development methodologies and version control systems such as Git
• Knowledge of security best practices and experience with security tools and technologies
• Experience with monitoring and logging tools, such as Prometheus and Grafana

Benefits and Perks

• Competitive compensation package
• Equity in a leading AI research company
• Comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance
• Generous PTO and holiday policy
• Remote work stipend and support for home office setup
• Access to cutting-edge technologies and tools
• Opportunities for professional growth and development in a fast-paced and dynamic environment
• Collaboration with a talented and diverse team of engineers and researchers
• Flexible working hours and a healthy work-life balance

• Ensure your resume and cover letter highlight your backend engineering experience, particularly in high-scale or infrastructure-heavy environments.
• Prepare to discuss your experience with data pipelines, event systems, and large-scale data processing systems during the interview process.
• Show a willingness to learn and adapt to new technologies and tools, as well as a strong understanding of backend engineering fundamentals.
• Be prepared to walk through your experience with system architecture, scalability, and reliability, and how you've applied these concepts in previous roles.
• Research OpenAI's products and services, and be prepared to discuss how your skills and experience align with the company's mission and goals.
• Consider showcasing examples of your work, such as personal projects or contributions to open-source repositories, to demonstrate your technical skills and passion for backend engineering.