About this role
The Technical Program Manager, Robotics role at OpenAI is situated within a team dedicated to advancing general-purpose robotics and pursuing AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world environments. This team integrates advanced hardware and software across the entire model stack to explore various robotic form factors, focusing on bridging high-level AI capabilities with the physical realities of physical systems. The core mission of this team is to push the boundaries of what is possible in embodied AI through rigorous engineering and physical system integration.
This specific role serves as the central coordination point for cross-functional partners involved in the design and construction of Robotics sites. The TPM will be responsible for synthesizing requirements and decisions coming from various Robotics disciplines and channeling these inputs to the counterpart who manages the design and construction partners. This position ensures that the complex interplay between research needs and physical infrastructure is managed effectively.
An ideal candidate for this role possesses a strong ability to manage complex technical programs involving physical infrastructure. They must excel at translating evolving research needs into concrete, documented requirements and driving decisions forward through planning, construction, and handover processes. Success in this role depends on the ability to maintain disciplined program management while building strong collaborative relationships across research, engineering, and facilities teams.
What you will do
- Consolidate requirements, priorities, and decisions across Robotics research, engineering, and operations teams, providing a clear view of Robotics needs to the Real-Estate Workplace counterpart.
- Translate Robotics workflows and equipment needs into documented requirements for aspects like floor layouts, utilities, network connectivity, environmental conditions, material flow, and physical access.
- Coordinate Robotics design reviews, ensuring technical owners assess proposals and confirm that agreed requirements are reflected in project documents.
- Track Robotics deliverables and dependencies against project milestones, surfacing risks and changes early to secure necessary decisions.
- Coordinate with various specialists, including Legal, Finance, Security, IT, and Environmental Health & Safety, to resolve issues impacting Robotics requirements.
- Coordinate Robotics readiness for equipment installation, moves, commissioning, and operational handover, ensuring clear ownership.
- Identify facility constraints that impede experimentation or operations and use feedback to improve future requirements and handover practices.
What you need
- Experience leading technical programs involving hardware and physical infrastructure, particularly in robotics, laboratories, or complex manufacturing settings is highly valued.
- The candidate must be capable of reconciling competing priorities between technical and operational teams and effectively transforming evolving needs into clear requirements and acceptance criteria.
- Proficiency in reading technical drawings and documentation, along with the ability to ask relevant questions regarding building systems and equipment interfaces is necessary.
- Demonstrated experience in disciplined program management covering requirements, schedules, dependencies, risks, decisions, and change management is essential.
- The role requires the ability to build strong working relationships across research, engineering, and operations partners, clearly communicating technical tradeoffs to achieve alignment.
- Comfort in shifting between detailed technical aspects and broader program priorities across multiple concurrent efforts is required.
Nice to have
- Experience in robotics
- Experience in advanced manufacturing
- Experience in complex physical environments
Benefits
- Salary up to $285K
- Offers Equity
Questions candidates ask
What is the in-office requirement for this role?
This role requires an in-person presence four days a week in San Francisco, CA.
What is the compensation structure for this position?
The salary range for this position is listed between $207K and $285K, and the role also offers Equity.
What kind of technical background is preferred?
The role benefits from experience leading technical programs involving hardware and physical infrastructure, ideally within robotics, advanced manufacturing, or similar complex environments.
How does the role handle scope changes?
The role involves tracking deliverables against milestones, surfacing risks and changes early, and securing decisions needed to keep work moving.