OpenAI
Performance Modeling Lead
Part remote, part office, you need to live within commuting distance of a named location.
Hybrid · San Francisco
Employer listed it 5 months ago · Added 5 days ago
Been open since 5 months ago. Long-running listings are sometimes left up after the role is filled.
Salary
$347,000 to $445,000
Location
Hybrid · San Francisco
Timezone
Not stated
Contract
Full-time
Experience
Lead
Category
Other
Published by the employer
Remote flexibility
Hybrid
This role is only partly remote, the employer expects time in the office around San Francisco, Seattle, Hybrid, so you need to live within commuting distance.
What the employer says
- Source listing states candidate location: "San Francisco, Seattle, Hybrid"
- Listing mentions "Hybrid"
What Nomaders makes of it
- Not suitable if you plan to move between countries
The quotes above are the employer's own words; the reading is ours. Always check the original listing and employment terms before working from another country.
About the role
About the Team
OpenAI’s Hardware organization develops system and infrastructure solutions designed for the unique demands of advanced AI workloads. We work closely with research, software, and external hardware partners to shape the next generation of AI systems, from silicon through full-scale deployments.
Our team focuses on understanding and optimizing performance across the full system stack—ensuring that architectural decisions are grounded in rigorous, quantitative analysis of real-world workloads.
About the Role
We are seeking a Performance Modeling Lead to build and lead a small, high-impact team responsible for answering forward-looking architectural questions across AI infrastructure systems.
You will develop modeling frameworks and methodologies to evaluate system-level tradeoffs and guide key design decisions. Your work will directly influence reference architectures, vendor designs, and long-term infrastructure strategy.
This role sits at the intersection of AI workloads, system architecture, and quantitative modeling, and requires strong technical judgment, ownership, and the ability to translate complex analysis into clear, actionable guidance.
This role is based in San Francisco, CA. We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance.
Key Responsibilities
Build and own a performance modeling framework/toolchain to evaluate AI systems across multiple levels of abstraction.
Analyze and quantify architectural tradeoffs across compute, memory, networking, storage, and system topology.
Develop performance models to guide decisions on:
scale-up vs. scale-out architectures
interconnect and network design
memory hierarchy and system balance.
Translate modeling outputs into clear recommendations for internal teams and external hardware vendors.
Influence reference designs and vendor roadmaps through data-driven insights.
Partner closely with machine learning, systems, and hardware teams to understand workload characteristics and requirements.
Lead and grow a small team (2–3 engineers), setting technical direction and maintaining high standards for modeling rigor.
Continuously improve modeling fidelity by validating against real system behavior and measurements.
Qualifications
Have experience owning or building performance modeling frameworks used to drive real system design decisions.
Have deep knowledge of AI/ML workloads, including training and/or inference at scale.
Understand system-level tradeoffs across compute, memory, and networking in large-scale distributed systems.
Requirements
- ·Have experience owning or building performance modeling frameworks used to drive real system design decisions.
- ·Have deep knowledge of AI/ML workloads, including training and/or inference at scale.
- ·Understand system-level tradeoffs across compute, memory, and networking in large-scale distributed systems.
- ·Are comfortable working across abstraction layers—from workload behavior to hardware implementation.
- ·Have experience using modeling (analytical or simulation) to inform architectural decisions.
Benefits
No benefits package published with this listing. Ask about it at first interview.
How to apply
- 1Check the flexibility label above, hybrid, matches where you plan to live and work.
- 2Tailor your CV to the role at OpenAI, mentioning your remote working experience.
- 3Apply directly on the employer's careers page using the button below. Nomaders never handles your application.
Found 5d ago. Last checked 23 Sept. Always confirm the details on the original posting, salary and location can change after publication.
Listing sourced from Company boards.
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