OpenAI · Infrastructure · Unspecified · Posted 2026-09-28
Technical Program Manager, Hardware Systems
OpenAI · San Francisco · $207k–242k base
This range's midpoint is above 54% of posted infrastructure ranges at AI companies right now. See the salary index.
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About Team
Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and advancing toward AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world environments. Working across the full model and systems stack, we integrate cutting-edge hardware and software to explore a broad range of robotic form factors. We strive to seamlessly blend high-level AI capabilities with the physical constraints of real-world systems to improve people’s lives.
About the Role
We are looking for a Member of Technical Program Staff to drive the development, prototyping, and integration of innovative hardware solutions used for data collection as well as robotic systems. You will work closely with mechanical, electrical, test, manufacturing, and supply chain teams to set functional requirements, coordinate hardware iterations, and move solutions from prototype through early production.
This role is based in San Francisco, CA and requires in-person presence 4 days a week.
In this role you will:
- Drive functional requirements for various end effector sub-systems, sensing technologies, integration of various peripherals into one system to drive data collection for model development, related milestones, and validation criteria.
- Collaborate with research teams, align system-level integration requirements, deliverables, calibration needs, configurations to test, etc.
- Work closely with the operations team in getting the data collection hardware rolled out, monitor the field failures as those pop-up and make sure the right stakeholders are involved in resolution.
- Coordinate the design and integration of tactile sensing materials, mechanical structures, PCBAs, interconnects, harnesses, and signal paths into robotic systems.
- Establish effective mechanisms for design reviews, drawing and documentation readiness, change control, design releases, decision tracking, characterization and validation readiness, and production readiness.
- Partner with manufacturing, test, and supply chain on prototype builds, assembly constraints, DFM/DFA, end-of-line test requirements, equipment lead times, handoffs, and the transition to manufacturable assemblies.
- Drive tradeoff decisions with the right stakeholders across material selection, mechanical performance, functionality, reliability, scaling, cost, quality, schedule, and lead time for both robot and data collection hardware by collaborating cross-functionally and quantifying impact to the program.
You might thrive in this role if you:
- Understand material properties, compliance, bonding, packaging, tolerances, and integration constraints that affect tactile sensor performance in robotic systems.
- Have experience integrating PCBAs, interconnects, small form factor connectors, analog signals, and EMI-sensitive hardware into compact mechanical assemblies.
- Enjoy occasional hands-on work as well planning for building, testing, and debugging physical systems, including characterization and validation setups, calibration, durability, signal quality, and failure modes.
- Have led complex electromechanical hardware programs from evolving requirements through prototype builds and manufacturing.
- Understand the deliverables for data collection hardware, manage expectations and fast iterations, have had to make judgment calls without having to wait for a decision to emerge from large meetings to keep things moving.
What success looks like:
- Functional requirements, mechanical interfaces, performance targets, characterization plans, validation plans, and reliability goals are aligned across engineering teams.
- Fit, alignment, bonding, wear, signal integrity, EMI, calibration, durability, functionality, reliability, and scaling risks are surfaced early and driven to closure.
- Design reviews, drawings, documentation, change control, characterization and validation setups, and production-release mechanisms are operating effectively.
- Prototype builds transition toward manufacturable …
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See also: Technical Program Manager jobs · AI jobs in San Francisco Bay Area · OpenAI salaries · Robotics jobs.
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