System Software Engineer, Consumer Devices
Location: San Francisco, CA (Hybrid: 4 days onsite/week). Relocation assistance available.
What this role actually needs.
Location: San Francisco, CA (Hybrid: 4 days onsite/week). Relocation assistance available. Responsibilities: - Design, implement, and debug system‑level components and services across kernel and user space. - Configure and maintain OS platform services (init, services, networking, security policies) and related tooling. - Build and operate image and update pipelines, ensuring reliability, reproducibility, and rollback safety. - Instrument and analyze performance using profiling and tracing; optimize CPU, memory, I/O, and power usage. - Own platform observability and reliability: logging, crash capture, watchdogs, and diagnostics. - Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to define interfaces and deliver end‑to‑end features. Requirements: - Are fluent in user‑space foundations (service management, IPC, networking, packaging, automation). - Have experience building platform images and designing update mechanisms for reliability and security. - Exposure to platform security (secure boot, sandboxing, mandatory access controls, attestation). - Experience with graphics/media, hardware acceleration, or high‑throughput data paths. - Familiarity with connectivity stacks and network configuration. - Observability and diagnostics in distributed or resource‑constrained environments. Company context: OpenAI builds frontier AI systems, research infrastructure, and applied products for developers, enterprises, and global users.
Day-to-day expectations
OpenAI lists these responsibilities for the System Software Engineer, Consumer Devices role.
- Design, implement, and debug system‑level components and services across kernel and user space.
- Configure and maintain OS platform services (init, services, networking, security policies) and related tooling.
- Build and operate image and update pipelines, ensuring reliability, reproducibility, and rollback safety.
- Instrument and analyze performance using profiling and tracing; optimize CPU, memory, I/O, and power usage.
- Own platform observability and reliability: logging, crash capture, watchdogs, and diagnostics.
- Collaborate with cross‑functional teams to define interfaces and deliver end‑to‑end features.
What a strong candidate brings
These requirements are extracted from the source listing and normalized for UpJobz readers.
- Are fluent in user‑space foundations (service management, IPC, networking, packaging, automation).
- Have experience building platform images and designing update mechanisms for reliability and security.
- Exposure to platform security (secure boot, sandboxing, mandatory access controls, attestation).
- Experience with graphics/media, hardware acceleration, or high‑throughput data paths.
- Familiarity with connectivity stacks and network configuration.
- Observability and diagnostics in distributed or resource‑constrained environments.
Why this listing is more than a copied job post.
System Software Engineer, Consumer Devices is framed against UpJobz source checks, country scope, compensation visibility, and work-authorization signals so candidates can make a faster go/no-go decision.
United States tech market
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Compensation read
$293K - $325K is visible before the click, so candidates can compare the role against local market expectations before applying.
Work authorization read
Current extracted signal: United States residents. UpJobz treats this as a search signal, not legal advice, and links visa-sensitive roles back to the relevant visa hub where possible.
Location read
On-site roles in San Francisco should be compared against commute, local salary bands, and nearby employer demand.
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Next moves
- Tailor your resume around ai and research instead of sending a generic application.
- Use the first two bullets of your application to connect your background directly to system software engineer, consumer devices is a high-signal on-site role in san francisco, and it is most realistic for united states residents.
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Interview themes
Watchouts
- $293K - $325K is visible, so calibrate your application around the posted range.
- Use united states residents as part of your positioning so the recruiter does not have to infer it.
- Show concrete examples of succeeding in on-site environments.
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Source: jobs.ashbyhq.com · Source ID: 20f525b7-f958-4c95-a055-f914ab3adb95 · Confidence: 97/100 · Last checked: May 7, 2026
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