System Performance Engineer, Consumer Devices
WFA Digital Insight
As demand for AI-powered consumer devices grows, the need for skilled system performance engineers is on the rise. With a 25% increase in job postings for embedded systems experts in the last year, this role is an exciting opportunity for those with a passion for optimizing high-performance systems. Openai's commitment to hybrid remote work and cutting-edge AI research makes this a unique chance to work with a talented team and shape the future of consumer technology. Candidates should be prepared to demonstrate their expertise in embedded systems, operating systems fundamentals, and performance optimization, as well as their ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams. With the right skills and experience, this role can be a launching pad for a successful career in AI and consumer technology.
Job Description
About the Role
The System Performance Engineer role at Openai is a critical part of the Consumer Devices team, responsible for ensuring the seamless integration of hardware and software in AI-powered products. As a System Performance Engineer, you will work closely with cross-functional teams to profile, benchmark, and optimize performance across embedded hardware products. Your expertise will help establish the performance standards that shape the user experience of Openai's products, ensuring they remain responsive, efficient, and reliable throughout their lifecycle.The Consumer Devices team is a dynamic and innovative group, bringing together experts from embedded systems, machine learning, hardware, design, and product engineering to develop products at the intersection of AI and consumer technology. As a System Performance Engineer, you will be an integral part of this team, working to drive performance optimizations and establish product KPIs.
In this role, you will have the opportunity to work on cutting-edge AI-powered products, collaborating with talented engineers and researchers to push the boundaries of what is possible. With a hybrid remote work model, you will have the flexibility to work from anywhere, while still being part of a collaborative and dynamic team.
What You Will Do
- Develop system performance benchmarks, methodologies, and policies to evaluate end-to-end product behavior
- Profile and analyze performance across key product use cases and workloads using custom and industry-standard profiling tools
- Partner closely with engineering teams to identify bottlenecks and drive performance optimizations across the software stack
- Define high-level product KPIs and establish measurement frameworks to measure launch readiness and monitor performance throughout the product lifecycle
- Measure, report, and track metrics including system responsiveness, memory utilization, cold boot performance, long-term stability, and behavior under constrained conditions
- Investigate field performance regressions and drive issues to resolution using data-driven analysis
- Collaborate with cross-functional teams to establish performance standards and best practices
- Develop and maintain performance optimization tools and frameworks
- Stay up-to-date with industry trends and emerging technologies in AI, embedded systems, and consumer technology
What We Are Looking For
- Deep experience shipping embedded or high-performance systems on Linux, Android, or iOS devices
- Strong proficiency in C/C++, Python, or Rust, with exceptional operating systems fundamentals
- A proven track record shipping real-time systems operating under tight latency, power, and memory constraints
- Expertise with profiling and debugging tools such as Perfetto, GDB, LLDB, perf, ftrace, or Instruments
- Experience building instrumentation, analytics, and performance tuning frameworks
- Strong understanding of system architecture, including process management, IPC, drivers, interrupts, power management, media frameworks, graphics, filesystems, and networking
- Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with the ability to work effectively with cross-functional teams
- Strong problem-solving skills, with the ability to analyze complex problems and develop creative solutions
Nice to Have
- Familiarity with statistics, experimentation methodologies, or data science concepts
- Experience collaborating cross-functionally with embedded software, systems, camera and vision, audio, graphics, applications, and hardware teams
- Experience defining product KPIs, benchmarking methodologies, and launch readiness metrics for hardware products
- Experience investigating field performance regressions and driving fixes through cross-functional collaboration
Benefits and Perks
- Competitive salary and equity package
- Hybrid remote work model, with the flexibility to work from anywhere
- Collaborative and dynamic team environment
- Opportunities for professional growth and development
- Access to cutting-edge AI research and technology
- Comprehensive health and wellness benefits
- Generous PTO and holiday package
- Remote stipend and home office setup support
How to Stand Out
- Make sure to highlight your experience with embedded systems, operating systems fundamentals, and performance optimization in your resume and cover letter
- Be prepared to discuss your approach to performance optimization and how you have driven performance improvements in previous roles
- Familiarize yourself with Openai's products and technology, and be prepared to discuss how your skills and experience align with their goals and mission
- Develop a portfolio of your work, including examples of your performance optimization projects and achievements
- Prepare to discuss your experience with cross-functional teams and how you have collaborated with other engineers and researchers to drive performance optimizations
- Don't be afraid to ask questions during the interview process, and be prepared to discuss your thoughts on the future of AI and consumer technology
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