--- title: 'Design Verification Engineer at OpenAI' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/design-verification-engineer-openai-san-francisco-wsj581c9kkz9' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-17' --- # Design Verification Engineer at OpenAI - **Company:** [OpenAI](https://feeny.ai/companies/openai) - **Location:** San Francisco, CA - **Compensation:** $226k–$445k - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2025-10-29 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-17 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/openai/3a415c1d-4f66-4578-8eb3-8b15ef0ab52b/application **Skills:** SystemVerilog, UVM, Simulation tools, Debug tools, Computer architecture, Memory systems, Cache systems, Interconnects, ML compute primitives, Performance modeling, Formal verification, Emulation > The Design Verification Engineer ensures functional correctness and robust design for cutting-edge ML accelerators by verifying complex hardware systems ranging from IP blocks to full SoCs. The role involves defining verification plans, developing testbenches, and driving bug triage in collaboration with architectur... ## Job description About the Team: OpenAI’s Hardware organization develops AI-native silicon and system-level solutions for the unique demands of advanced AI workloads. Building on efforts like Jalapeño, the team is developing future generations of AI-native silicon and tightly integrated systems to power the next generation of frontier models. By co-designing chips, systems, tools, and methodologies, the team helps deliver faster, more efficient, and production-ready hardware for OpenAI’s supercomputing platform. ## About the Role OpenAI is developing custom silicon to power the next generation of frontier AI models. We’re looking for experienced Design Verification (DV) Engineers to ensure functional correctness and robust design for our cutting-edge ML accelerators. You will play a key role in verifying complex hardware systems—ranging from individual IP blocks to subsystems and full SoC—working closely with architecture, RTL, software, and systems teams to deliver reliable silicon at scale. In this role you will: - Own the verification of one or more of: custom IP blocks, subsystems (compute, interconnect, memory, etc.), or full-chip SoC-level functionality. - Define verification plans based on architecture and microarchitecture specs. - Develop constrained-random, directed, and system-level testbenches using SystemVerilog/UVM or equivalent methodologies. - Build and maintain stimulus generators, checkers, monitors, and scoreboards to ensure high coverage and correctness. - Drive bug triage, root cause analysis, and work closely with design teams on resolution. - Contribute to regression infrastructure, coverage analysis, and closure for both block- and top-level environments. You might thrive in this role if you have: - BS/MS in EE/CE/CS or equivalent with 3+ years of experience in hardware verification. - Proven success verifying complex IP or SoC designs in industry-standard flows - Proficient in SystemVerilog, UVM, and common simulation and debug tools (e.g., VCS, Questa, Verdi). - Strong knowledge of computer architecture concepts, memory and cache systems, coherency, interconnects, and/or ML compute primitives. - Familiarity with performance modeling, formal verification, or emulation is a plus. - Experience working in fast-paced, cross-disciplinary teams with a passion for building reliable hardware. To comply with U.S. export control laws and regulations, candidates for this role may need to meet certain legal status requirements as provided in those laws and regulations. ## 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](https://cdn.openai.com/policies/eeo-policy-statement.pdf). Background checks for applicants will be administered in accordance with applicable law, and qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment consistent with those laws, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act, for US-based candidates. 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. To notify OpenAI that you believe this job posting is non-compliant, please submit a report through [this form](https://form.asana.com/?d=57018692298241&k=5MqR40fZd7jlxVUh5J-UeA). No response will be provided to inquiries unrelated to job posting compliance. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations to applicants with disabilities, and requests can be made via this [link](https://form.asana.com/?k=bQ7w9h3iexRlicUdWRiwvg&d=57018692298241). [OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy](https://cdn.openai.com/policies/global-employee-and-contractor-privacy-policy.pdf) 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. ## About OpenAI ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: OpenAI is an AI research and deployment company with a mission to ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) benefits all of humanity. - **Entity Type**: Private – structured as a nonprofit parent (OpenAI Foundation) governing a for-profit public benefit corporation (OpenAI Group). The company has confidentially submitted a draft S-1 registration statement to the SEC, signaling a potential future IPO. - **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, USA - **Founded**: 2015 - **Founders**: Sam Altman, Greg Brockman, Ilya Sutskever, John Schulman, Wojciech Zaremba, and others ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: Artificial intelligence research and deployment - **Target customers**: B2B (enterprises via API and platform), B2C (ChatGPT users), and developers (API, open-source models) - **Mission**: To ensure that artificial general intelligence (AGI) – AI systems that are generally smarter than humans – benefits all of humanity. ## Products & Services - **[ChatGPT](https://openai.com/chatgpt)**: Conversational AI assistant available via web and mobile, used by consumers and integrated into enterprise workflows. - **[GPT-4 API](https://openai.com/product)**: Large language model accessed via API for developers to build AI-powered applications (text generation, summarization, code assistance, etc.). - **[DALL-E](https://openai.com/dall-e-3)**: Image generation model that creates images from natural language descriptions. - **[Whisper](https://openai.com/research/whisper)**: Open-source speech recognition system. - **[OpenAI Agents](https://openai.com/)**: Emerging product category focused on autonomous AI agents that can perform tasks on behalf of users (announced June 2026). ## Market Standing - **Valuation**: Not publicly disclosed in the provided sources. Widely reported in the press at ~$300 billion as of early 2026 (post-funding round), but this figure is not confirmed by OpenAI’s official materials. - **Key Metric**: Total funding exceeds $13 billion from Microsoft and other investors. The company has also confidentially filed a draft S-1 with the SEC (see [openai.com](https://openai.com/) – “Confidential submission of draft S-1”). - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Microsoft (strategic partner and largest investor), with additional participation from Thrive Capital, Sequoia Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, and others. - **Growth Signals**: Active hiring with 721 open roles posted; expansion into agent-based products; confidential IPO filing; continued deployment of frontier models. ## Competitive Advantages - **First-mover & brand recognition**: ChatGPT became the fastest-growing consumer app in history, establishing OpenAI as the household name in generative AI. - **Research leadership**: Consistently publishes cutting-edge research (GPT-4, DALL-E 3, Whisper, etc.) and attracts top AI talent. - **Compute & infrastructure**: Exclusive partnership with Microsoft provides massive cloud computing resources (Azure) for training and inference. - **Unique governance structure**: The nonprofit parent ensures mission alignment (AGI benefiting humanity) while the for-profit arm can raise capital and scale products. ## Strategic Focus - **Safe AGI development**: Continued emphasis on safety research, alignment, and responsible deployment (e.g., safety systems, model provenance). - **Enterprise expansion**: Growing ChatGPT Enterprise and API offerings for businesses. - **Agentic AI**: Building autonomous agents that can “transform work” (announced June 2026). - **IPO preparation**: Confidential S-1 filing indicates intent to go public, which will require increased financial transparency and governance maturity. ## Why Work Here - **Culture & values**: OpenAI’s stated values include “Humanity first,” “Act with humility,” “Feel the AGI,” and “Ship joy.” Operating principles emphasize agency, creativity, rapid iteration, and intense focus. - **Benefits**: Competitive health insurance, mental healthcare support, 24-week paid birth-parent leave (plus 20 weeks for other parents), generous PTO, annual learning & development stipend, daily meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner), and a domestic conference budget. - **Work environment**: Hybrid/office-based (San Francisco headquarters). The company offers a residency program for researchers and engineers transitioning into AI. - **Impact**: Employees work directly on frontier AI models that shape the industry and society. The mission-driven nature attracts talent passionate about AGI’s societal implications. ## Sources 1. [OpenAI About Page](https://openai.com/about/) 2. [OpenAI Careers Page](https://openai.com/careers/) 3. [OpenAI Job Search](https://openai.com/careers/search) 4. [OpenAI Homepage](https://openai.com/) ## Other roles at OpenAI - [Counsel, Commercial](https://feeny.ai/job/counsel-commercial-openai-san-francisco-4gcqbn7kg037) — San Francisco, CA - [Software Engineer, Compute Foundations](https://feeny.ai/job/software-engineer-compute-foundations-openai-san-francisco-dwt3p53y2ymc) — San Francisco, CA - [Field Enablement Lead, Technical Success](https://feeny.ai/job/field-enablement-lead-technical-success-openai-san-francisco-2vvwqs7446fx) — San Francisco, CA - [Mechanical Engineer, Hardware Systems](https://feeny.ai/job/mechanical-engineer-hardware-systems-openai-san-francisco-p8pb07qq2bdg) — San Francisco, CA - [Strategy & Operations, Germany](https://feeny.ai/job/strategy-operations-germany-openai-munich-hvpp5m48ncah) — Munich, Germany - [Order to Cash Operations Lead](https://feeny.ai/job/order-to-cash-operations-lead-openai-dublin-z68ataz0f5rg) — Dublin, Ireland - [Deal Operations, APAC](https://feeny.ai/job/deal-operations-apac-openai-singapore-bbcjwanzdg65) — Singapore - [Editor](https://feeny.ai/job/editor-openai-united-states-7b8pj712yacj) — United States - [Applied AI Architect, Healthcare & Life Sciences](https://feeny.ai/job/applied-ai-architect-healthcare-life-sciences-openai-san-francisco-j8gh1pxe9xgj) — San Francisco, CA - [Creative Operations Lead, Business Marketing](https://feeny.ai/job/creative-operations-lead-business-marketing-openai-san-francisco-ys1nd7eqm42p) — San Francisco, CA