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Operating Systems Engineer, Linux Kernel | Consumer Devices

OpenAI· Consumer Devices
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San FranciscoFull-timePosted 4w ago

About the role

OpenAI is seeking an Operating Systems Engineer focused on the Linux kernel to design, develop, and maintain kernel capabilities for consumer devices, working across kernel and userspace to deliver complete product features and reliable systems.

Responsibilities

  • Build kernel capabilities: Design, implement, and maintain Linux kernel subsystem changes that support device capabilities and product requirements.
  • Own features across the stack: Choose appropriate kernel and userspace boundaries, and build interfaces and supporting components needed to deliver reliable features in shipped products.
  • Debug complex system behavior: Use tracing, profiling, instrumentation, and diagnostic tools to resolve correctness, concurrency, performance, power, and reliability issues in development and production.
  • Measure and validate improvements: Develop tests and representative workloads to demonstrate repeatable performance, power, and reliability gains and detect regressions across kernel and userspace.
  • Partner across disciplines: Work with hardware, firmware, platform, and application engineers to turn system requirements into understandable, maintainable solutions.
  • Contribute sustainable kernel changes: Prepare reviewable patches, incorporate feedback, and contribute fixes and improvements upstream where appropriate. Maintain product-specific changes responsibly as the kernel evolves.

Qualifications

  • Substantial hands-on experience designing, developing, and debugging one or more Linux kernel subsystems, such as memory management, storage, networking, high-speed peripherals, power management, scheduling, or virtualization.
  • Proficiency in C for kernel and low-level systems development.
  • Strong understanding of kernel concurrency, synchronization, memory ownership, and resource lifetimes.
  • Experience delivering systems capabilities across kernel and userspace, including designing interfaces and diagnosing problems that cross that boundary.
  • Understanding of Linux kernel development principles and practices: maintainable designs, appropriate abstractions, reviewable patches, compatibility awareness, and careful validation to prevent regressions.

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
  • Mental health and wellness support
  • Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage
  • Annual learning and development stipend
  • 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
Last updated Sep 24, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About OpenAI

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