
Software Engineer - Privacy & Compliance
OpenAI · San Francisco, CA
- On site
- Full-time
- $290,000 / year
- San Francisco, CA
Job highlights
- Build backend systems for data privacy and compliance.
- Design and operate policy-driven access controls.
- Integrate authorization and enforcement mechanisms.
- Collaborate with legal, security, and product teams.
- Shape trustworthy data access across the organization.
About the role
Software Engineer - Privacy & Compliance
We’re looking for a Software Engineer to architect and build backend systems that enforce data privacy and automate compliance at scale. You’ll work closely with product, infrastructure, security, and legal teams to embed privacy-by-design into our data and access layers. This is a hands-on, high-impact role for an experienced engineer who is passionate about protecting user data while enabling innovation.What You’ll Do
- Design, build, and operate backend services that enforce policy-driven data access, lifecycle controls, and privacy protections.
- Develop distributed authorization and identity-aware enforcement mechanisms integrated directly into data services and control planes.
- Implement auditability, policy hooks, and enforcement observability to ensure compliance is continuously verifiable.
- Partner with Security, Legal, and Compliance to convert privacy requirements into scalable technical designs and developer-friendly APIs.
- Harden data platforms and backend services through schema-level controls and data handling constraints by default.
- Collaborate with infrastructure teams to ensure consistent enforcement across systems while minimizing duplicated implementations.
- Contribute patterns, libraries, and education that elevate trustworthy data access patterns across the organization.
You Might Thrive in This Role If You Have
- 5+ years of industry experience building and operating backend or infrastructure systems in production.
- Strong software engineering fundamentals, with fluency in at least one major programming language (e.g., Python, Go, Rust, C++, Java).
- Experience with distributed authorization, RBAC/ACL systems, encryption-based access, or policy engines.
- Familiarity with global privacy regulations and their architectural implications.
- Ability to influence and collaborate with teams across legal, compliance, product, and engineering.
- A bias toward practical, impactful solutions that balance privacy protections with product needs.
Nice to Have
- Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., Azure, AWS, GCP) and large-scale data systems.
- Background in security engineering, privacy engineering, or data governance.
- Experience with control-plane or metadata-driven enforcement systems.
- Exposure to data platforms or ML infrastructure.
- Prior experience in a regulated or highly sensitive data environment.
About OpenAI
OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity. We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic. For additional information, please see OpenAI’s Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement. Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations. To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through this form. No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link. OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology. Key skills/competency- Software Engineering
- Backend Development
- Privacy Engineering
- Compliance Automation
- Distributed Systems
- Data Security
- Policy Enforcement
- API Design
- Cloud Platforms
- Python/Go/Rust/C++/Java
Skills & topics
- Software Engineer
- Privacy
- Compliance
- Backend Systems
- Data Access
- Authorization
- Policy Enforcement
- Security
- Python
- Go
How to get hired
- Tailor your resume: Highlight your 5+ years of backend or infrastructure experience, fluency in languages like Python or Go, and knowledge of privacy regulations.
- Showcase relevant experience: Emphasize projects involving distributed authorization, policy engines, or security engineering.
- Demonstrate collaboration skills: Provide examples of working with legal, compliance, and product teams on technical solutions.
- Prepare for technical interviews: Be ready to discuss system design, distributed systems, and privacy-by-design principles.
- Express your passion: Articulate your commitment to balancing privacy with innovation and user data protection.
Technical preparation
Master Python, Go, Rust, C++, or Java.,Study distributed authorization and policy engines.,Understand privacy regulations' impact.,Practice system design for privacy controls.
Behavioral questions
Describe a complex privacy challenge you solved.,How do you balance innovation with data protection?,How do you collaborate with non-technical teams?,Share an experience hardening a data system.
Frequently asked questions
- What are the key technical skills for a Software Engineer at OpenAI focusing on Privacy & Compliance?
- For the Software Engineer - Privacy & Compliance role at OpenAI, key technical skills include strong fundamentals in a major programming language (Python, Go, Rust, C++, Java), experience with distributed authorization systems, RBAC/ACL systems, policy engines, and familiarity with global privacy regulations and their architectural implications. Experience with cloud platforms and large-scale data systems is also beneficial.
- How does OpenAI approach privacy and compliance in its engineering roles?
- OpenAI embeds privacy-by-design into its data and access layers. The Software Engineer - Privacy & Compliance role is crucial for architecting and building backend systems that enforce data privacy and automate compliance at scale, working closely with product, infrastructure, security, and legal teams.
- What kind of experience is required for the Software Engineer - Privacy & Compliance position at OpenAI?
- This role requires 5+ years of industry experience in building and operating backend or infrastructure systems in production. A strong software engineering background and experience with distributed authorization or policy engines are essential. Familiarity with global privacy regulations is also a key requirement.
- Can I apply for the Software Engineer role at OpenAI if I have experience with ML infrastructure?
- Yes, experience with data platforms or ML infrastructure is listed as a 'Nice to Have' for the Software Engineer - Privacy & Compliance role at OpenAI, indicating it would be a valuable addition to your profile.
- What is the compensation range for a Software Engineer at OpenAI?
- The compensation range for this Software Engineer position at OpenAI is between $230,000 and $385,000 annually.
- How can I demonstrate my ability to collaborate with legal and compliance teams for this role?
- To demonstrate your collaboration skills, highlight instances where you've translated complex privacy requirements into actionable technical designs or APIs, and showcase your ability to work cross-functionally with legal, security, and product teams to achieve compliance goals.