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Data Center Hardware Quality & Reliability Engineer

OpenAI· Scaling
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Hybrid (San Francisco)Full-timePosted 3w ago

About the role

Own the end-to-end data-center hardware quality and reliability loop for OpenAI’s 3P infrastructure and 1P current and next-gen platforms, turning field failures into quantified risk, containment, root cause, and preventive improvements at data-center scale.

Responsibilities

  • Build and govern the field-quality data model across telemetry, tickets, RMA/repair, FA, firmware, configuration, supplier, and manufacturing genealogy.
  • Define AFR, ASR, DPPM, MTBF/MTTR, repeat-repair, NTF, repair-cycle-time, and forecast-versus-actual metrics with explicit denominators and uncertainty.
  • Provide fleet-level macro views and unit/FRU/cohort-level micro views; detect shifts and bound affected populations.
  • Lead systemic field-failure triage, containment, failure analysis, 8D/CAPA, risk assessment, corrective-action verification, and recurrence monitoring.
  • Develop cohort, life-data, reliability-growth, and spare-demand projections by product, FRU, supplier, configuration, geography, and age.
  • Partner with MQE and NPI to convert field mechanisms into manufacturing-test coverage, screening/stress profiles, diagnostics, control plans, DFR/DFS requirements, FMEA/FTA, mission profiles, FRU strategy, and qualification gates.
  • Close the loop by verifying whether upstream changes reduce field recurrence.
  • Define supplier/CM FA standards, field-data contracts, scorecards, escalation paths, and closure evidence.
  • Provide serviceability, TCO, and spares inputs without owning inventory execution or procurement.
  • Create concise executive decision packages: population at risk, exposure, confidence, options, cost/risk, and recommendation.
  • Run the cross-functional reliability council and mentor the 1P and 3P Field Quality Engineers.

Qualifications

  • BS in electrical, mechanical, computer, materials, reliability engineering, physics, or equivalent experience; MS preferred.
  • 8+ years in hardware quality/reliability, server/rack systems, or mission-critical infrastructure; 3+ years owning field-failure, RMA, or CAPA outcomes.
  • Solid working understanding of hardware and system architecture across board, tray, rack, firmware, telemetry, manufacturing test, and fleet behavior; deep expertise in every subsystem is not required.
  • Reliability statistics: censored life data, Weibull/Poisson/binomial methods, confidence bounds, MTBF/MTTR, and reliability growth.
  • Hands-on FMEA/FTA, accelerated or reliability-demonstration testing, 8D/CAPA, FA, and corrective-action verification.
  • Working proficiency with SQL and Python/R or equivalent analytics tools.
  • Ability to influence design, validation, operations, suppliers/CMs, and senior leaders without direct authority.

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 Oct 1, 2026. Interested? Apply on the company site.

About OpenAI

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