Software Engineer, Habitat (Online Data)
Core
Design and build core abstractions for a full-stack database platform handling high-QPS, latency-sensitive workloads across regions for OpenAI's online user data.
Role type
Senior IC backend engineer (distributed systems)
Builds
Habitat, a one-size-fits-most database platform serving as the system of record for OpenAI's online user data
Domain
Cloud infrastructure / Distributed systems / Data platforms
Deliverable
production ML models | infrastructure
Required skills
Rust, Python, distributed systems, caching systems, routing and load balancing, indexing and retrieval, Change Data Capture (CDC), tail latency optimization, multi-region system design, consistency semantics, failover design, API design
Preferred skills
None stated
Technologies
Rust, Python
Responsibilities
Design and build core abstractions spanning storage, caching, routing, CDC, and privacy enforcement; Own a major surface area end to end from product and API design to operational excellence; Improve latency, correctness, and cost efficiency for real production workloads at massive scale; Build strong instrumentation, debugging workflows, and developer-first tooling; Participate in an on-call rotation and raise the bar on reliability while aggressively improving performance and usability
Seniority
Senior, hands-on IC
