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Research Engineer, Privacy

OpenAI· Security
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Hybrid (San Francisco)$0 - $500k + bonusFull-timePosted 11mo ago

About the role

Role focused on privacy engineering to protect user data while enabling scalable AI systems. Work on privacy-preserving techniques (e.g., differential privacy, federated learning), assess privacy attacks, and collaborate to translate regulatory requirements into practical safeguards.

Responsibilities

  • Design and prototype privacy-preserving machine-learning algorithms (e.g., differential privacy, secure aggregation, federated learning) that can be deployed at OpenAI scale.
  • Measure and strengthen model robustness against privacy attacks such as membership inference, model inversion, and data memorization leaks—balancing utility with provable guarantees.
  • Develop internal libraries, evaluation suites, and documentation that make cutting-edge privacy techniques accessible to engineering and research teams.
  • Lead deep-dive investigations into the privacy–performance trade-offs of large models, publishing insights that inform model-training and product-safety decisions.
  • Define and codify privacy standards, threat models, and audit procedures that guide the entire ML lifecycle—from dataset curation to post-deployment monitoring.
  • Collaborate across Security, Policy, Product, and Legal to translate evolving regulatory requirements into practical technical safeguards and tooling.

Qualifications

  • Hands-on research or production experience with PETs (privacy-enhancing technologies).
  • Fluency in modern deep-learning stacks (PyTorch/JAX) and ability to turn cutting-edge papers into reliable, well-tested code.
  • Experience stress-testing models for private data leakage and ability to explain complex attack vectors to non-experts.
  • Track record of publishing (or implementing) novel privacy or security work and bridging academia with real-world systems.
  • Ability to work in fast-moving, cross-disciplinary environments alternating between open-ended research and shipping production features under tight deadlines.
  • Strong communication, rigorous documentation, and commitment to building privacy-respecting AI systems.

Skills

Required:PETs (privacy-enhancing technologies)PyTorch/JAXPrivacy attacks auditing

Benefits

  • Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts
  • Pre-tax 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, plus paid company office closures and paid sick or safe time
  • Mental health and wellness support
  • Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
  • Annual learning and development stipend
  • Daily meals in offices and meal delivery credits
  • Relocation support for eligible employees
  • Additional taxable fringe benefits (e.g., charitable donation matching and wellness stipends)
  • Details available to candidates during hiring process
Last updated Sep 3, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About OpenAI

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