Software Engineer - Privacy & Compliance

We’re looking for a Software Engineer to architect and build backend systems that enforce data privacy and automate compliance at scale. You’ll work closely with product, infrastructure, security, and legal teams to embed privacy-by-design into our data and access layers.This is a hands-on, high-impact role for an experienced engineer who is passionate about protecting user data while enabling innovation.What You’ll DoDesign, build, and operate backend services that enforce policy-driven data access, lifecycle controls, and privacy protections.Develop distributed authorization and identity-aware enforcement mechanisms integrated directly into data services and control planes.Implement auditability, policy hooks, and enforcement observability to ensure compliance is continuously verifiable.Partner with Security, Legal, and Compliance to convert privacy requirements into scalable technical designs and developer-friendly APIs.Harden data platforms and backend services through schema-level controls and data handling constraints by default.Collaborate with infrastructure teams to ensure consistent enforcement across systems while minimizing duplicated implementations.Contribute patterns, libraries, and education that elevate trustworthy data access patterns across the organization.You Might Thrive in This Role If You Have5+ years of industry experience building and operating backend or infrastructure systems in production.Strong software engineering fundamentals, with fluency in at least one major programming language (e.g., Python, Go, Rust, C++, Java).Experience with distributed authorization, RBAC/ACL systems, encryption-based access, or policy engines.Familiarity with global privacy regulations and their architectural implications.Ability to influence and collaborate with teams across legal, compliance, product, and engineering.A bias toward practical, impactful solutions that balance privacy protections with product needs.Nice to HaveExperience with cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP) and large-scale data systems.Background in security engineering, privacy engineering, or data governance.Experience with control-plane or metadata-driven enforcement systems.Exposure to data platforms or ML infrastructure.Prior experience in a regulated or highly sensitive data environment.About OpenAIOpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance.We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link.OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy PolicyAt OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.Compensation Range: $230K - $385KLocationSan Francisco; SeattleEmployment TypeFull timeDepartmentApplied AICompensation$230K – $385K • Offers EquityThe base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. If the role is non-exempt, overtime pay will be provided consistent with applicable laws. In addition to the salary range listed above, total compensation also includes generous equity, performance-related bonus(es) for eligible employees, and the following benefits.Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings AccountsPre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)401(k) retirement plan with employer matchPaid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law)Mental health and wellness supportEmployer-paid basic life and disability coverageAnnual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growthDaily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligibleRelocation support for eligible employeesAdditional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided.More details about our benefits are available to candidates during the hiring process.This role is at-will and OpenAI reserves the right to modify base pay and other compensation components at any time based on individual performance, team or company results, or market conditions.