Principal Security Engineer, Infrastructure Security

About The Team

Security is at the foundation of OpenAI’s mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence benefits all of humanity. The Security team protects OpenAI’s technology, people, and products. We are technical in what we build but are operational in how we do our work, and are committed to supporting all products and research at OpenAI. Our Security team tenets include: prioritizing for impact, enabling researchers, preparing for future transformative technologies, and engaging a robust security culture.

About The Role

OpenAI is seeking a Principal Security Engineer to join our Infrastructure Security (InfraSec) team. InfraSec protects the foundations of OpenAI’s research and production environments, spanning GPU supercomputing clusters, multi-cloud infrastructure, datacenters, networking, storage, and the critical services that power our frontier AI models. Our charter includes securing everything from bare-metal hardware and firmware/BMC, to Kubernetes clusters and service meshes, to data storage and access pathways for highly sensitive model weights and user data. As a principal engineer, you will set technical direction and drive execution on high-impact infrastructure security programs, partnering across various orgs at OpenAI to deliver durable controls that raise the security bar at OpenAI scale.

Responsibilities

• Own end-to-end security outcomes for one or more critical infrastructure areas, including multi-quarter strategy, roadmap, and delivery.
• Design and build security controls across diverse layers (e.g., physical hardware, firmware/BMC, OS, Kubernetes, networks, and CI/CD) to defend against sophisticated adversaries and insider threats.
• Lead cross-functional programs to deploy security enhancements and control changes across broad-scale infrastructure, balancing security guarantees with reliability and velocity.
• Take a generalist approach to building security controls, balancing a mix of security expertise and broad technical skillsets to adapt to evolving challenges.
• Lead and/or drive threat modeling and design reviews for major infrastructure changes, ensuring strong security foundations and operational excellence.
• Mentor and level up engineers across InfraSec and partner teams, contributing to a strong security culture through guidance, reviews, and technical leadership.

Requirements

• Deep understanding of security principles, best practices, and common vulnerabilities, including strong security judgment under ambiguity.
• A proactive mindset, with the ability to identify and address security gaps or inefficiencies through automation and tooling.
• Expertise and curiosity about using frontier models and agents to effectively solve security challenges.
• A track record of leading large, cross-org initiatives from concept to rollout, including navigating tradeoffs, driving alignment, and delivering measurable risk reduction.
• Deep expertise in the security of cloud platforms (e.g., Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure), especially securing multi-cloud networks and infrastructure, and designing cloud-agnostic systems.
• Experience securing on-prem deployments and datacenters from construction to multi-tenant use.
• Familiarity with container security, orchestration security, and authentication/authorization.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with an ability to think critically and objectively assess security risks.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to convey complex security concepts to executive, technical, and non-technical stakeholders.
• Excitement about collaborating with cross-functional teams to build secure, reliable systems that scale globally.

Qualifications

• Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• At least 10 years of relevant experience in cybersecurity, with a focus on infrastructure security.
• Proven track record of successfully leading and executing security projects and initiatives.
• Experience with security tools and technologies such as firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, vulnerability scanners, and SIEM solutions.
• Knowledge of security frameworks and standards such as NIST Cybersecurity Framework, CIS Controls, and OWASP Top Ten.
• Experience with cloud security, including AWS, Azure, and GCP, and familiarity with cloud-native security practices.
• Experience with DevSecOps practices and tools, including CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and security monitoring.
• Experience with security architecture and design, including threat modeling, risk assessment, and security architecture review.
• Experience with security operations, including incident response, forensics, and security analytics.

Skills

• Strong knowledge of security principles, best practices, and common vulnerabilities.
• Experience with cloud platforms (e.g., Amazon AWS, Microsoft Azure).
• Experience with container security, orchestration security, and authentication/authorization.
• Experience with security tools and technologies such as firewalls, intrusion detection/prevention systems, vulnerability scanners, and SIEM solutions.
• Experience with security frameworks and standards such as NIST Cybersecurity Framework, CIS Controls, and OWASP Top Ten.
• Experience with DevSecOps practices and tools, including CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and security monitoring.
• Experience with security architecture and design, including threat modeling, risk assessment, and security architecture review.
• Experience with security operations, including incident response, forensics, and security analytics.

Benefits

OpenAI offers a comprehensive benefits package that includes:

• Competitive compensation range of $347K - $490K.
• Flexible work arrangements to support work-life balance.
• Health, dental, and vision insurance plans.
• Retirement savings plan with employer matching.
• Employee assistance program for mental health support.
• Professional development opportunities and training programs.
• Generous paid time off and holidays.

Pay

$347K - $490K

Schedule

Full-time, Monday through Friday, with occasional evening and weekend work as needed.