Network Infrastructure Engineer, Global Network Infra

📋 Job Overview

OpenAI's Global Network Infrastructure team is responsible for building and operating the global network backbone that connects our rapidly expanding compute infrastructure. Our work enables reliable, high-performance connectivity across data centers, cloud service providers, and network points of presence (PoPs), supporting the infrastructure behind OpenAI's research and products.

🏢 About OpenAI

OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research laboratory dedicated to developing and promoting friendly AI. We are expanding our network infrastructure to meet increasing demands for capacity, reliability, and operational efficiency.

🎯 The Role

We are looking for a hands-on Network Infrastructure Engineer to help design, deploy, activate, and operate OpenAI's global wide area network (WAN) infrastructure. In this role, you will take direct ownership of bringing new network connectivity online, working closely with fiber providers, cloud service providers, and internal infrastructure teams to establish reliable connectivity across our global backbone.

✅ Key Responsibilities

• Design, deploy, and support WAN infrastructure across data centers, network PoPs, and cloud connectivity environments.
• Own the end-to-end activation and turn-up of network circuits, working directly with fiber carriers and cloud service providers to establish and validate connectivity.
• Troubleshoot complex network issues across physical, Layer 2, and Layer 3 infrastructure, including optical signal problems, FEC errors, routing issues, and connectivity failures.
• Diagnose and isolate network failures across carrier, cloud provider, and internal infrastructure boundaries, driving issues through resolution.
• Contribute to physical network infrastructure design, including port mappings, fiber and cable layouts, optical distribution frames (ODFs), and connectivity planning.
• Monitor network health, circuit utilization, and performance to proactively identify capacity constraints and reliability risks.
• Build automation and tooling to streamline network provisioning, deployment validation, troubleshooting, and operational workflows.
• Collaborate with network engineering, data center infrastructure, and external service providers to support the expansion of OpenAI's global backbone.
• Participate in an on-call rotation to maintain the reliability and availability of critical network infrastructure.

📌 Required Qualifications

• Have hands-on experience deploying, activating, and troubleshooting WAN circuits with telecommunications carriers, fiber providers, or cloud service providers.
• Have a strong understanding of networking fundamentals, including optical networking, Ethernet, TCP/IP, BGP, and Layer 2/3 connectivity.
• Are comfortable debugging network issues across multiple layers, from physical fiber connectivity and optical errors to routing and traffic forwarding.
• Have experience working with data center networking, carrier infrastructure, cloud interconnects, or large-scale WAN environments.
• Understand physical network infrastructure concepts such as fiber cabling, port mappings, optical distribution frames, and network equipment connectivity.
• Can independently investigate ambiguous connectivity problems, isolate root causes, and work across internal and external teams to resolve issues.

⭐ Desirable Experience

• Experience with network automation tools and scripting languages (e.g., Python, Ansible).
• Knowledge of network monitoring and performance analysis tools.
• Experience with cloud provider networking services (AWS, Azure, GCP).
• Understanding of network security principles and practices.

🎁 Benefits

Compensation: $347K – $445K • Offers Equity

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.

🛂 Visa & Eligibility

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.