About the job
About the Team
Join OpenAI’s Forward Deployed Engineering (FDE) team, where innovation meets real-world application. Our organization operates at the crucial intersection of product development, engineering, research, and market strategy. We collaborate with design partners to transform raw customer insights into tangible software solutions, standardized processes, and robust products.
The FDE Platform team plays a pivotal role in amplifying the impact of the FDE organization on OpenAI’s overall platform and product offerings. We offer hands-on support by integrating with customer-focused FDE pods to assist in architecture, product design, refactoring, and development. This role is ideal for collaborative software engineers passionate about creating cutting-edge products alongside fellow innovators.
About the Role
As the Engineering Manager for Platform FDE, you will lead a dedicated team that enhances the broader FDE organization’s capabilities. Your primary objective will be to accelerate the transformation of client-driven ideas into sustainable, scalable platform solutions by providing essential product and engineering support to customer-focused pods.
You will work closely with customer-oriented FDE teams that focus on delivery and client outcomes, embedding Platform FDE resources where they can make the most significant impact. This involves direct participation in architectural design, product refinement, modular development, and establishing reusable abstractions, all while maintaining the pods' ownership of customer insights and daily operations. Additionally, you will collaborate with our B2B Platform Team and other key stakeholders to ensure alignment on what should be generalized, what should remain tailored to specific clients, and defining the criteria for a successful handoff.
This position demands a blend of engineering leadership and strong product-oriented decision-making. You will manage a focused portfolio of platform development initiatives with clear hypotheses, success metrics, and measurable adoption goals. You will be accountable for converting deployment signals into reusable capabilities that can be seamlessly transitioned to long-term stakeholders. Your leadership will involve influencing multiple stakeholders, maintaining high technical standards, and establishing clear accountability between your team, client pods, and partner organizations.
This role is primarily based in San Francisco or New York City and follows a hybrid work model requiring three days in the office per week. We provide relocation assistance, and while travel is project-based and typically low (<10%), occasional spikes may occur for critical embeds or launches.

