Role Overview

The Senior Software Engineer, Youth Well-Being role at OpenAI represents a rare 0→1 opportunity to architect the foundational systems powering safe, age-appropriate AI experiences for teens and families. Located in San Francisco, this position sits within the Integrity pillar, focusing on youth safety across products like ChatGPT and future innovations.

You'll design identity primitives, age assurance pipelines, and guardian tools that meet the highest regulatory standards while preserving user privacy. This isn't just engineering—it's mission-critical work ensuring AI's benefits reach the most vulnerable users without compromising safety.

OpenAI prioritizes safety over growth, making this role pivotal to our long-term success. Collaborate with world-class engineers, data scientists, designers, researchers, and policy experts to set industry standards for family-AI interaction.

With consumer internet scale challenges and global regulatory complexity, this position demands senior-level expertise in scalable systems, privacy engineering, and cross-functional ownership. If you've built identity systems or youth-focused products, this is your chance to shape generative AI's future responsibly.

Key Responsibilities

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Youth Well-Being team, your impact will span technical architecture to strategic safety decisions:

• Architect teen and guardian experiences integrated across OpenAI's product ecosystem, including ChatGPT
• Build privacy-preserving global age assurance systems compliant with regional regulations
• Design scalable identity infrastructure supporting secure user journeys at massive scale
• Develop guardian intervention tools for proactive and reactive safety measures
• Define and track safety/well-being metrics to drive continuous improvement
• Collaborate cross-functionally with policy, legal, design, and research teams
• Implement resilient microservices for identity verification and auth/authz
• Navigate complex regulatory landscapes (COPPA, GDPR-K, UK OSA, KOSA)
• Optimize systems for performance, security, and reliability under high load
• Prototype innovative 0→1 features balancing safety and user experience
• Lead technical reviews and contribute to safety architecture governance
• Monitor safety incidents and deploy rapid technical responses
• Partner with PMs to prioritize features meeting both technical and ethical standards

Expect to own ambiguous problems end-to-end, adapting quickly to evolving priorities in a fast-paced startup environment.

Qualifications

We're seeking engineers who combine technical excellence with deep commitment to youth safety:

• 7+ years building scalable consumer products, preferably identity or safety systems
• Hands-on experience with auth/authz platforms and user verification at scale
• Track record working on under-18 user experiences or digital safety initiatives
• Expertise in privacy-preserving tech and regulatory compliance (COPPA/GDPR)
• Proven ability to navigate legal constraints in product development
• Strong systems design skills for distributed, high-availability architectures
• Experience thriving in cross-functional teams with policy/legal stakeholders
• Passion for ethical AI, youth well-being, and inclusive technology
• Proficiency in Python/Go and modern web development frameworks
• Comfort owning 0→1 projects in ambiguous, high-stakes environments

Candidates with educational technology, gaming safety, or social platform experience will find strong alignment with our mission.

Salary & Benefits

OpenAI offers competitive compensation reflecting San Francisco market rates and seniority. Total compensation for this Senior Software Engineer role typically ranges from $285,000 - $375,000 USD annually, including base salary, equity, and bonuses.

Comprehensive benefits package includes:

• Industry-leading medical, dental, vision coverage
• 401(k) with generous matching
• Unlimited PTO and 16+ weeks parental leave
• Mental health support programs
• Fitness/wellness stipends
• Learning budgets for conferences/courses
• Catered meals, team offsites, relocation support

Equity grants provide meaningful ownership in OpenAI's future success.

Why Join OpenAI?

OpenAI isn't just building AI—we're ensuring it benefits all humanity, starting with our most vulnerable users. This Youth Well-Being role offers unparalleled impact: you'll define how families engage with generative AI for generations.

Work with brilliant minds tackling humanity's biggest challenges. Our San Francisco headquarters fosters collaboration through catered meals, wellness programs, and regular offsites. Safety-first culture means your work directly shapes industry standards and regulatory frameworks.

Join a values-driven company prioritizing ethical responsibility over rapid growth. With products reaching hundreds of millions, your systems will protect youth worldwide while advancing AI's frontiers responsibly.

How to Apply

Ready to build the future of safe AI? Submit your resume, GitHub/portfolio, and a brief note explaining your interest in youth well-being tech. Highlight relevant identity/safety experience and regulatory navigation.

Our process includes technical interviews, systems design, cross-functional collaboration simulation, and values alignment discussion. We prioritize diverse perspectives and move quickly for exceptional candidates.

Apply now to join OpenAI's mission-critical Youth Well-Being team in San Francisco!