Factory Test Instrumentation Engineer (San Francisco)

About the Team
The Factory Test Engineering team is responsible for ensuring reliable, scalable, and efficient test solutions that support the transition from product development to mass production. We design, validate, and deploy factory test fixtures and calibration systems, collaborating closely with hardware, software, operations, and manufacturing partners to ensure robust test coverage and smooth factory readiness.

About the Role
OpenAI is seeking an experienced Factory Test Instrumentation Engineer to lead the design and deployment of test and calibration equipment for our consumer electronics products. You'll focus on fast-turn fixture development, critical-to-function test coverage, and scalable automation-balancing speed, flexibility, and reliability. This role requires strong hands-on problem solving, vendor engagement, and close collaboration with cross-functional teams to align test strategies with both product development and manufacturing scale-up.

This role is based in San Francisco, CA . We use a hybrid work model of 3 days in the office per week and offer relocation assistance to new employees.

In this role, you will:

• Work with CMs and vendors to design and validate factory test fixtures with a focus on speed, critical coverage, and rapid iteration

• Implement scalable automation where it meaningfully adds value

• Collaborate with hardware, test software, and operations teams to align test with development needs

• Define and drive execution of fixture validation plans

• Lead root cause analysis and corrective actions for fixture-related issues

• Qualify vendors based on capability, communication, and readiness to scale, including:

  • Reviewing sample parts and tolerances

  • Conducting on-site evaluations

  • Running pilot builds to assess execution under pressure

• Own fixture documentation, validation records, and deployment support for manufacturing sites

You might thrive in this role if you:

• Hold a B.S. or M.S. in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, or a related field

• Have ~10 years of experience designing and delivering factory test equipment, ideally for high-volume consumer electronics or complex electromechanical assemblies

• Bring strong mechanical design skills, with expertise in tolerance stack-ups, GD&T, and DFM/DFA principles

• Have practical experience with rapid prototyping and lean fixture development

• Are familiar with sensors, pneumatics, and motion control in automated systems

• Possess strong root cause analysis skills and the ability to resolve cross-functional issues

• Communicate effectively with vendors and contract manufacturers

Preferred qualifications:

• Experience balancing speed and scalability in test development in a fast-paced environment

• Familiarity with DAQs, SMUs, multiplexing, or electrical measurement systems

• Experience supporting manufacturing ramp and sustaining operations at offshore CM sites

• Understanding of factory metrics such as yield, retest rate, and false failure rate

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company dedicated to ensuring that general-purpose artificial intelligence benefits all of humanity. We push the boundaries of the capabilities of AI systems and seek to safely deploy them to the world through our products. AI is an extremely powerful tool that must be created with safety and human needs at its core, and to achieve our mission, we must encompass and value the many different perspectives, voices, and experiences that form the full spectrum of humanity.

We are an equal opportunity employer, and we do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other applicable legally protected characteristic.

For additional information, please see OpenAI's Affirmative Action and Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement .

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. For unincorporated Los Angeles County workers: we reasonably believe that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship with the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of a conditional offer of employment: protect computer hardware entrusted to you from theft, loss or damage; return all computer hardware in your possession (including the data contained therein) upon termination of employment or end of assignment; and maintain the confidentiality of proprietary, confidential, and non-public information. In addition, job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

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We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this link .

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At OpenAI, we believe artificial intelligence has the potential to help people solve immense global challenges, and we want the upside of AI to be widely shared. Join us in shaping the future of technology.

Compensation Range: $380K - $460K