OpenAI is actively hiring for 32 AI and machine learning positions across AI/ML Engineer (13), Research Engineer (7), and Data Scientist (6) roles. Posted salary ranges span $280K - $536K, though only 12% of listings disclose compensation. The median posted ceiling sits at $465K. Positions are based in New York, NY, San Francisco, CA, US, San Francisco, CA. The most frequently requested skills across these postings are Openai, Python, Demandtools, Drift Ai. Mid-level roles account for 100% of openings.
Skills & Technologies
Locations
New York, NY, San Francisco, CA, US, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, US, Washington, DC
Hiring by Role Category
Open Positions (showing 25 of 32)
Manager, Applied AI Architect
Head of Data Science, Strategic Finance
Integrated Marketing Manager, AI Impact
Data Scientist, B2B Generalist
Data Scientist, Business
Technical Program Manager, Global Programs — Applied AI Engineering
Machine Learning Engineer, Core Experimentation
Machine Learning Engineer, Monetization AI/ML
Research Engineer / Research Scientist - Personal AGI, Personalization
Partner Applied AI Engineer
Data Scientist, SMB Ads Growth
Applied AI Engineer, Cyber
Research Engineer / Research Scientist- Personal AGI (Post Training)
Data Scientist, Financial Engineering
Research Engineer, Retrieval & Search, Applied Engineering
Applied AI Engineer, Startups
Manager, Applied AI Engineering (Enterprise)
Research Engineer / Research Scientist / AI Systems Engineer, RSI
Applied AI Engineer, Codex Core Agent
Applied AI Engineer, Enterprise
Applied AI Engineer, Digital Natives
Research Engineer
Data Scientist, Cybersecurity
Research Engineer, Codex
What OpenAI's hiring tells you
With 32 active AI roles spanning 7 role types, hiring at this scale signals AI is core to the business model, not a pilot. Companies in this tier typically have a named AI leader (VP AI, Head of ML), dedicated infrastructure budget, and a multi-year roadmap. Posted compensation range ($280K - $536K) suggests transparent and competitive pay practices.
The skill mix here leans toward Openai in AI Architect roles. That is a clue about what OpenAI is building: teams hire for the work in front of them, not the work they wish they were doing.
Questions worth asking in the OpenAI interview loop
The signals above come from public job postings. The signals you actually need come from the conversation. A few questions calibrated to this company's tier:
- How is the AI org structured, and who does it report to (CTO, CEO, separate AI leader)?
- What was the most recent ML system that shipped to production, and what was the scope?
- How much of compute spend is on inference vs training, and how is that decided?
OpenAI AI and ML Hiring
OpenAI has 32 active AI and ML roles in our dataset. Open positions span AI Architect, AI/ML Engineer, Data Scientist, AI Engineering Manager. Compensation ranges from $280K - $536K across disclosed roles. Roles are based in New York, NY, San Francisco, CA, US, San Francisco, CA, Seattle, WA, US.
Salary Benchmarks
The market median for AI roles is $213,400. AI Architect roles pay a median of $230,000 across the market. AI/ML Engineer roles pay a median of $212,000 across the market. Data Scientist roles pay a median of $190,000 across the market. Top-quartile AI compensation starts at $264,230.
Skills OpenAI Looks For
Python and cloud platform experience are common requirements. Specific skill needs vary by company and focus area, but familiarity with ML frameworks, data pipelines, and API design covers the basics for most roles. RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), vector databases, and LLM API integration are increasingly standard requirements across role types.
Beyond the core stack, communication skills matter more than many technical candidates realize. The ability to explain AI capabilities and limitations to non-technical stakeholders is a differentiator at every level. Technical writing, documentation, and clear thinking about tradeoffs are underrated skills in AI roles. Experience with evaluation methodology (how to measure whether an AI system is working well) is becoming a core requirement, especially for roles that involve LLM integration.
AI Role Categories
AI/ML Engineer
AI/ML Engineers build and deploy machine learning models in production. They work across the full ML lifecycle: data pipelines, model training, evaluation, and serving infrastructure. The role has evolved significantly over the past two years. Where ML Engineers once spent most of their time on model architecture, the job now tilts heavily toward inference optimization, cost management, and integrating LLM capabilities into existing systems. Companies want engineers who can ship production systems, and the experimenter-only role is fading fast.
Python and PyTorch dominate the requirements. Most roles expect experience with cloud platforms (AWS, GCP, or Azure) and familiarity with ML frameworks like TensorFlow or JAX. RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) has become a top-3 skill requirement as companies integrate LLMs into their products. Docker and Kubernetes show up in about a third of postings, reflecting the production focus of the role.
Market compensation for AI/ML Engineer roles: $212,000 median across 11,857 positions with disclosed pay.
Data Scientist
Data Scientists extract insights and build predictive models from data. In the AI era, many roles now include LLM-powered analytics, automated reporting, and integration with generative AI tools. The role has evolved from 'the person who runs SQL queries' to 'the person who builds AI-powered data products.'
Python, SQL, and statistical modeling are the foundation. Increasingly, roles want experience with LLMs for data analysis, automated insight generation, and building AI-powered data products. Familiarity with cloud data platforms (Snowflake, BigQuery, Databricks) and ML frameworks (scikit-learn, PyTorch) covers most job requirements.
Market compensation for Data Scientist roles: $190,000 median across 1,406 positions with disclosed pay.
The AI Job Market Today
The AI job market spans 9,653 open positions across 16 role categories. The largest categories by volume: AI/ML Engineer (7,301), Data Scientist (441), AI Software Engineer (438). These three account for the majority of open positions, though smaller categories often have higher per-role compensation because of specialized skill requirements.
The seniority mix tells a story about where AI teams are in their maturity. Entry-level roles (193) are outnumbered by mid-level (4,500) and senior (3,455) positions, reflecting that most companies are past the 'build a team from scratch' phase and need experienced engineers who can ship production systems. Leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level) total 1,505 positions, representing the bottleneck between technical execution and organizational strategy.
Remote work availability sits at 6% of all AI roles (568 positions), with 9,010 requiring on-site or hybrid attendance. The remote share has stabilized after the post-pandemic correction. Senior and specialized roles (Research Scientist, ML Architect) are more likely to be remote-eligible than entry-level positions, partly because experienced hires have more negotiating power and partly because these roles require less hands-on mentorship.
AI compensation is structured in clear tiers. The market median sits at $213,400. Top-quartile roles start at $264,230, and the 90th percentile reaches $319,400. These figures include base salary with disclosed compensation. Total compensation (including equity, bonuses, and sign-on) runs 20-40% higher at companies that offer those components.
Category matters for compensation. AI Safety roles lead at $253,100 median, while Prompt Engineer roles sit at $141,440. The spread between highest and lowest-paying categories reflects the premium on specialized technical skills versus broader analytical roles.
The most in-demand skills across all AI postings: Python (1,605 postings), Aws (916 postings), Azure (724 postings), Rag (634 postings), Gcp (522 postings), Pytorch (495 postings), Kubernetes (384 postings), Claude (383 postings). Python dominates, appearing in the vast majority of role descriptions regardless of category. Cloud platform experience (AWS, GCP, Azure) is the second most common requirement. The newer entrants to the top skills list (RAG, vector databases, LLM APIs) reflect the shift from traditional ML toward generative AI applications.
AI Hiring Overview
The AI job market has 9,653 open positions tracked in our dataset. By seniority: 193 entry-level, 4,500 mid-level, 3,455 senior, and 1,505 leadership roles (Director, VP, C-Level). Remote roles make up 6% of the market (568 positions). The remaining 9,010 roles require on-site or hybrid attendance.
The market median for AI roles is $213,400. Top-quartile compensation starts at $264,230. The 90th percentile reaches $319,400. Highest-paying categories: AI Safety ($253,100 median, 57 roles); Research Engineer ($252,000 median, 419 roles); AI Engineering Manager ($251,622 median, 51 roles).
AI hiring keeps growing across industries. Companies in tech, finance, healthcare, and retail are all building AI teams. The strongest demand is for people who can bridge the gap between AI research and production engineering. The shift toward generative AI has created new role types (LLM Engineer, Prompt Engineer, AI Agent Developer) that didn't exist three years ago, while traditional roles (Data Scientist, ML Engineer) have evolved to incorporate LLM capabilities.
What to Expect in Interviews
AI interviews typically combine coding challenges (Python-focused), system design questions tailored to the role, and discussions about your experience with relevant tools and frameworks. Strong candidates demonstrate both technical depth and the ability to make pragmatic engineering tradeoffs. Prepare portfolio projects that demonstrate end-to-end capability rather than isolated skills.
When evaluating opportunities: Look for job postings that specify the problems you'll work on, the tech stack, and the team structure. Vague postings that list every AI buzzword are often a sign the company hasn't figured out what they need. Strong postings describe the product context, the team you'd join, and the specific challenges you'd tackle.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Related Resources
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