Datacenter Networking Technician, AI Compute Deployment - Stargate · OpenAI

Fri, 06 Mar 2026 18:29:44 GMT
Engineering

OpenAI · Remote - US · $86.4K – $228K • Offers Equity · remote

Job Posting

Datacenter Networking Technician, AI Compute Deployment - Stargate

Location

Remote - US

Employment Type

Full time

Location Type

Remote

Department

Scaling

Compensation

$86.4K – $228K • Offers Equity

The base pay offered may vary depending on multiple individualized factors, including market location, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. If the role is non-exempt, overtime pay will be provided consistent with applicable laws. In addition to the salary range listed above, total compensation also includes generous equity, performance-related bonus(es) for eligible employees, and the following benefits.

Medical, dental, and vision insurance for you and your family, with employer contributions to Health Savings Accounts

Pre-tax accounts for Health FSA, Dependent Care FSA, and commuter expenses (parking and transit)

401(k) retirement plan with employer match

Paid parental leave (up to 24 weeks for birth parents and 20 weeks for non-birthing parents), plus paid medical and caregiver leave (up to 8 weeks)

Paid time off: flexible PTO for exempt employees and up to 15 days annually for non-exempt employees

13+ paid company holidays, and multiple paid coordinated company office closures throughout the year for focus and recharge, plus paid sick or safe time (1 hour per 30 hours worked, or more, as required by applicable state or local law)

Mental health and wellness support

Employer-paid basic life and disability coverage

Annual learning and development stipend to fuel your professional growth

Daily meals in our offices, and meal delivery credits as eligible

Relocation support for eligible employees

Additional taxable fringe benefits, such as charitable donation matching and wellness stipends, may also be provided.

More details about our benefits are available to candidates during the hiring process.

This role is at-will and OpenAI reserves the right to modify base pay and other compensation components at any time based on individual performance, team or company results, or market conditions.

About the Team:

OpenAI, in close collaboration with our capital partners, is embarking on a journey to build the world’s most advanced AI infrastructure ecosystem. Our Stargate program develops and deploys massive, state-of-the-art data center campuses in partnership with industry leaders today—and through future OpenAI infrastructure projects tomorrow. We design for scale, speed, and reliability, and we need experienced technicians who can translate network blueprints into physical reality.

About the Role:

We are seeking a Senior Data Center Networking Technician who thrives in fast-moving build environments and is eager to roll up their sleeves during active datacenter deployments.

Your first assignment will focus on the physical bring-up of network infrastructure at a large partner-operated campus, collaborating with partner teams and their delivery vendors to achieve agreed performance and reliability targets. As that campus reaches steady state, you will transition to lead network deployment for future OpenAI data center projects, defining standards and guiding implementation across multiple locations.

_Candidates must be able to sit onsite in Abilene, Texas 5 days per week_

In this role you will:

Serve as OpenAI’s technical lead technician during the current campus build, partnering with internal engineers and external contractors on design reviews, installation plans, and acceptance criteria.

Spend significant time on the data-center floor performing inspections, assisting with cable routing/termination when needed, conducting fiber testing (OTDR, power levels, continuity), and resolving installation challenges in real time.

Troubleshoot and optimize cabling routes, patching, and equipment turn-up to ensure clean, reliable handoff to network operations.

Contribute to design discussions and peer reviews for structured cabling and physical network layouts, providing practical field feedback to engineering teams.

Develop repeatable engineering standards, as-built documentation, and deployment playbooks to accelerate future OpenAI campuses

Transition to hands-on design and deployment leadership for upcoming OpenAI data center expansions, owning network physical-layer deployment from design through commissioning.

You might thrive in this role if you:

Have 7+ years of experience in large-scale datacenter network deployment, structured cabling, or physical-layer installation.

Possess deep knowledge of fiber/copper plant design, cabling standards, and hyperscale network best practices.

Excel in field work while applying seasoned technical judgment to solve complex installation and testing issues.

Adapt quickly to changing build conditions and enjoy learning emerging networking technologies.

Communicate clearly with construction, engineering, and operations teams to drive projects to completion.

Are willing to be based at a partner campus during the initial build phase and to travel to future OpenAI data center projects.

Preferred Skills:

Exposure to automation tools (Ansible, SaltStack) or scripting (Python, Shell) for configuration or documentation.

Experience with hyperscale Clos fabrics or large-scale network design.

Familiarity with routing and switching concepts (BGP, OSPF, EVPN/VXLAN) and basic Linux/network troubleshooting.

Industry certifications such as BICSI, CCNA/CCNP, or equivalent.

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 are building a team of talented individuals who share our values and are passionate about making a positive impact on the world.