Software Engineer - Privacy & Compliance

* Design, 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.

* 5+ 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.

* Experience 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.

* $230K – $385K • Offers Equity

The 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 Accounts

* Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)

* 401(k) retirement plan with employer match

* Paid 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 employees

* 13+ 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 support

* Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage

* Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth

* Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible

* Relocation support for eligible employees

* Additional 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.

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.