Strategic Sourcing Manager, Data Center Infrastructure, Electrical & Mechanical
OpenAI · San Francisco, CA · Cloud, IT and infrastructure · posted today
OpenAI · San Francisco, CA · posted 21 days ago
By AtiveSite · Published 07/11/2026 · Updated 09/11/2026 · Every figure is linked to its source below.
| Employer | OpenAI |
|---|---|
| Location | San Francisco, California |
| Field | Technology › Cloud, IT and infrastructure |
| Level | not stated |
| Source category | Research, Robotics |
| Posted | 2026-10-19 (21 days ago) |
| Work arrangement | On-site at the location listed |
| Pay | Not published in the source listing |
Our Robotics team is focused on unlocking general-purpose robotics and pushing towards AGI-level intelligence in dynamic, real-world settings. Working across the entire model stack, we integrate cutting-edge hardware and software to explore a broad range of robotic form factors. We strive to seamlessly blend high-level AI capabilities with the constraints of physical systems to improve peoples’ lives.
We are seeking a Mechanical Engineer for a senior individual-contributor role leading printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) test fixtures and infrastructure for advanced robotic systems. You will independently turn evolving requirements into working fixtures, make technical tradeoffs, and own delivery from concept and detailed design through fabrication, validation, deployment, and reliable operation.
This role combines development-lab work with deployment at contract manufacturers. You will build precision mechanical systems for board programming, functional test, and characterization, including board nests, probe plates, connector interfaces, alignment features, clamps, enclosures, and thermal interfaces. You will partner with electrical, firmware, software, manufacturing, and reliability teams to make fixtures repeatable, protective of delicate assemblies, and maintainable as board designs evolve.
This role is based in San Francisco, CA, and requires in-person presence 4 days a week. Travel to contract-manufacturer sites is part of the role, with timing based on build and deployment needs.
Own the mechanical architecture of PCBA test stations, including frames, board nests, datum schemes, access, guarding, ergonomics, and serviceability.
Design probe and bed-of-nails fixtures, connector-mating mechanisms, board supports, clamps, and interchangeable tooling for programming, functional test, and characterization.
Use first-principles analysis and simulation to assess stiffness, probe and insertion forces, board deflection, tolerance stacks, thermal growth, and fixture life; validate key predictions on hardware.
Develop locating and compliance features that accommodate board and assembly variation, protect components and solder joints, and preserve contact repeatability across loading cycles and board revisions.
Partner with electrical engineers on test-point access, probe selection, connector engagement, ESD provisions, cable routing, cooling, and interlocks; define motion and sequencing constraints with software and controls partners.
Build, assemble, instrument, and debug fixtures in the lab. Establish acceptance checks for alignment, force, board strain where needed, contact repeatability, and cycle life; separate fixture problems from board failures.
Design safe loading, pinch-point protection, hard stops, and operator access for manual or actuated fixtures. Make wear components easy to inspect, clean, and replace.
Manage fabrication partners and component vendors. Release CAD, drawings, bills of materials, tolerance analyses, assembly instructions, inspection plans, and maintenance procedures.
Own fixture deployment and acceptance at contract manufacturers, including assembly and alignment checks, correlation with lab fixtures, operator training, and troubleshooting. Support replication, board-revision changes, and maintenance through released documentation.
Have strong mechanical intuition for precision interfaces, load paths, compliance, tolerances, and the behavior of delicate electronic assemblies.
Move readily between analysis, CAD, vendor collaboration, and hands-on assembly and debugging.
Care about repeatable contact, controlled forces, operator usability, and equipment that others can maintain.
Take ownership from concept through reliable daily operation, adapting fixtures to evolving boards and communicating clearly across electrical, software, manufacturing, and operations teams.
Demonstrated ability to independently deliver significant precision-fixture or equipment projects from ambiguous requirements through detailed design, fabrication, validation, and sustained use.
Strong 3D CAD and released-drawing capability, including complete fabrication and assembly packages, bills of materials, and revision control.
Strong fundamentals in GD&T, tolerance analysis, locating schemes, stiffness, compliance, contact forces, and load paths.
Hands-on ability to work with fabrication partners, assemble and measure fixtures, diagnose failures, and iterate hardware in a lab or manufacturing environment.
Ability to define and execute fixture acceptance checks for alignment, force, repeatability, wear, and safe operation, using evidence to distinguish fixture problems from product variation.
Ability to communicate interfaces and tradeoffs across electrical, software, manufacturing, and operations teams and support deployment and troubleshooting at contract manufacturers.
Degree in Mechanical Engineering, Mechatronics, Robotics, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
Prior PCBA test-fixture experience with board nests, probe or bed-of-nails fixtures, connector mating, and protection of delicate electronic assemblies.
Experience with ESD-aware tooling, thermal interfaces, actuated fixtures, interlocks, or structural and thermal simulation.
Experience with NX, SolidWorks, Creo, or equivalent tools; robotics hardware; or fixture replication and new-product builds at contract manufacturers.
Deliver a reusable PCBA fixture that meets agreed alignment, contact, board-support, and loading requirements, with demonstrated repeatability and protection of the assembly under test.
Validate fixture wear and cycle life, identify sources of intermittent contact or board loading, and improve contact-related failures, changeover time, and serviceability against agreed targets.
Deploy and accept the fixture at a contract manufacturer with released CAD, drawings, inspection checks, assembly instructions, spare-parts information, and maintenance procedures that enable others to reproduce and sustain it.
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.
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. 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.
OpenAI Global Applicant Privacy Policy
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.
Field: Technology Sub-niche: Cloud, IT and infrastructure All jobs at OpenAI Jobs in California Jobs in San Francisco, CA San Francisco city guide California state guide San Francisco County economy Pay for this occupation (BLS) All 254 open jobs for this occupation
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This is a — role in the Technology field (Cloud, IT and infrastructure) at OpenAI.
The closest occupation in the official wage statistics is Mechanical engineers (a match by name, so treat it as an estimate). Nationally its median pay is $104,110 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025), employment is projected to change by +11.2% between 2025 and 2035, and the typical entry route is: Bachelor's degree.
In the San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA area the median for this occupation is $161,370 a year with 5,150 jobs (BLS OEWS, May 2025). This is a statistic for the occupation, not an offer from this employer.
Pay by state and metro area for this occupation →
Estimate for a wage earner: 2026 federal brackets and standard deduction (IRS), Social Security 6.2% up to $184,500, Medicare 1.45% (+0.9% above $200,000 single / $250,000 married), and a state rate you set; set your own state tax rate. It ignores credits, pre-tax deductions, local taxes and benefits. Sources: IRS: tax year 2026 inflation adjustments · SSA wage base per Federal Register notice 2025-19763.
This is editorial guidance, not information from the employer.
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The job is in San Francisco, CA. Below is what the official statistics say about living and working there.
How San Francisco compares. Among the 145 largest places in California, San Francisco is #4 by population, #139 for homeownership (#1 = highest), #20 for remote work (#1 = most), #25 for college degrees (#1 = most). Its county, San Francisco County, is #3 of 58 counties for average pay ($174,103).
San Francisco has 830,235 residents (ACS 2020–2024), about 2.1% of the population of California. It covers 47 square miles of land, which works out to roughly 17,784 people per square mile. The median age is 40.0, 6% older than the state median (40.0 against 37.9).
The median gross rent is $2,476 a month (rent plus utilities), 22% above the state median ($2,476 against $2,036). Over a year that is 21.1% of the median household income. US housing guidance treats housing as affordable when it takes 30% of income or less, so the typical household is under that line. The median home value is $1,394,500, which is 9.9 times the median household income ($140,970); a ratio above 5 usually means buying is out of reach without savings or a second income. 38.2% of households own their home, 32% below the state average (38.2% against 55.9%). A low ownership share points to a rental-heavy market with more apartments and shorter stays.
The San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA metropolitan area has 2,373,920 jobs in the BLS wage survey, and the median pay across all occupations is $74,260 a year, 46% above the national median ($74,260 against $50,980). The biggest occupation groups are office and administrative support (226,320 jobs, median $62,120); management (223,100 jobs, median $176,340); business and financial operations (207,030 jobs, median $112,960). The area is most specialised in computer and mathematical (1.9 times) and life, physical, and social science (1.8 times), where the share of workers is well above the national share. The best-paying groups with at least 5,000 jobs are management ($176,340) and computer and mathematical ($167,770). In 2026M09 the unemployment rate of San Francisco County was 4.0%. 69.6% of residents aged 16 and over are in the labour force. The city lies in San Francisco County; its jobs, pay by industry and GDP are on the county page.
Among workers, 28.6% drive alone, 18.7% use public transit, 9.3% walk, 31.0% work from home. 21.6% of workers commute 45 minutes or more, 11% above the state average (21.6% against 19.4%). Remote work is more common than in the state as a whole, which widens the set of employers a resident can work for without moving.
60.3% of adults aged 25 and over hold a bachelor's degree or higher, 63% above the state share (60.3% against 37.1%). 34.0% of residents were born outside the United States, 26% above the state share (34.0% against 27.0%). The poverty rate is 11.2%, 7% below the state rate (11.2% against 12.0%).
The warmest month is Sep, averaging 59°F (14.9°C), and the coolest is Apr at 53°F (11.6°C). About 515 mm (20 inches) of precipitation falls in a year; Dec is the wettest month (112 mm) and Jul the driest (2 mm). These values come from NASA satellite-based climatology on a grid of about 50 km, so they describe the wider area, not a weather station in the city.
Closest cities in this guide: Daly City (31 miles, rent 3% higher); Pacifica (31 miles, rent 25% higher); San Bruno (34 miles, rent 12% higher); Millbrae (36 miles, rent 32% higher). Rent differences are against San Francisco; use the Compare tab to put any two cities side by side.
Full guide to San Francisco →California guideAll jobs in San Francisco
These links go to official sources and open in a new window. The first one is the government's or company's own site as listed in Wikidata (property "official website"); check it before relying on it.
Places within 50 miles (straight line) of San Francisco, CA that have a guide, with what living there costs. The last-but-one column divides a year of rent by the median pay of the closest occupation ($161,370 a year), an estimate, not this employer's pay.
| Place ⇅ | Distance from the job city ⇅ | Median rent ⇅ | Median home value ⇅ | Median household income ⇅ | Commute 45+ min ⇅ | Rent as % of occupation pay ⇅ | Open jobs there ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | 0 mi | $2,476 | $1,394,500 | $140,970 | 21.6% | 18.4% | Jobs |
| Daly City, CA | 31 mi | $2,551 | $1,115,000 | $123,547 | 19.6% | 19.0% | Jobs |
| Pacifica, CA | 31 mi | $3,098 | $1,249,800 | $160,523 | 15.5% | 23.0% | — |
| San Bruno, CA | 34 mi | $2,773 | $1,207,500 | $141,272 | 12.2% | 20.6% | — |
| Millbrae, CA | 36 mi | $3,272 | $1,934,900 | $163,476 | 21.8% | 24.3% | Jobs |
| Brisbane, CA | 36 mi | $2,574 | $1,232,200 | $156,169 | 29.8% | 19.1% | — |
| South San Francisco, CA | 36 mi | $2,802 | $1,188,800 | $136,578 | 15.2% | 20.8% | Jobs |
| Half Moon Bay, CA | 37 mi | $2,433 | $1,549,500 | $157,884 | 26.7% | 18.1% | — |
| Burlingame, CA | 38 mi | $2,785 | $2,000,001 | $174,000 | 23.1% | 20.7% | Jobs |
| Richmond, CA | 40 mi | $1,960 | $668,200 | $95,391 | 28.8% | 14.6% | — |
| San Mateo, CA | 41 mi | $3,077 | $1,618,700 | $153,504 | 15.8% | 22.9% | Jobs |
| Berkeley, CA | 41 mi | $2,133 | $1,413,900 | $108,092 | 20.8% | 15.9% | Jobs |
| Alameda, CA | 42 mi | $2,474 | $1,235,700 | $137,697 | 27.3% | 18.4% | Jobs |
| Belmont, CA | 43 mi | $2,875 | $2,000,001 | $205,297 | 18.6% | 21.4% | Jobs |
| Oakland, CA | 44 mi | $1,979 | $929,900 | $101,600 | 21.9% | 14.7% | Jobs |
| Foster City, CA | 44 mi | $3,501 | $1,838,200 | $199,143 | 20.6% | 26.0% | Jobs |
| San Carlos, CA | 45 mi | $2,854 | $2,000,001 | $237,470 | 14.9% | 21.2% | Jobs |
| Redwood City, CA | 47 mi | $2,968 | $1,801,700 | $157,814 | 10.2% | 22.1% | Jobs |
| San Leandro, CA | 48 mi | $2,186 | $844,200 | $101,420 | 23.7% | 16.3% | — |
| Atherton, CA | 49 mi | $3,501 | $2,000,001 | $250,001 | 7.0% | 26.0% | — |
Occupations close to Mechanical engineers in the official classification, with pay, outlook and whether there are open jobs for them on this site right now.
| Occupation ⇅ | National median pay ⇅ | Growth 2025–35 ⇅ | Openings a year (US) ⇅ | Open jobs here ⇅ |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Industrial engineers | $102,440 | +12.4% | 23,100 | 14 open |
| Engineers, all other | $122,930 | +3.7% | 8,800 | none right now |
How far San Francisco, CA is from the 20 largest US cities, in straight-line miles (not driving distance). Click a column to sort.
| From ⇅ | Straight-line distance (miles) ⇅ | Population of that city ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco, CA | 0 mi | 830,235 |
| San Jose, CA | 73 mi | 990,138 |
| Los Angeles, CA | 364 mi | 3,857,263 |
| San Diego, CA | 475 mi | 1,389,526 |
| Phoenix, AZ | 678 mi | 1,642,323 |
| Seattle, WA | 684 mi | 754,195 |
| Denver, CO | 986 mi | 718,877 |
| Oklahoma City, OK | 1,420 mi | 697,125 |
| Fort Worth, TX | 1,484 mi | 963,194 |
| Dallas, TX | 1,515 mi | 1,307,930 |
| San Antonio, TX | 1,516 mi | 1,479,835 |
| Austin, TX | 1,530 mi | 979,539 |
| Houston, TX | 1,673 mi | 2,328,253 |
| Chicago, IL | 1,885 mi | 2,711,226 |
| Indianapolis, IN | 1,979 mi | 885,860 |
| Columbus, OH | 2,142 mi | 914,802 |
| Charlotte, NC | 2,332 mi | 903,844 |
| Jacksonville, FL | 2,403 mi | 977,670 |
| Philadelphia, PA | 2,550 mi | 1,579,706 |
| New York, NY | 2,602 mi | 8,483,844 |
| City ⇅ | Straight-line distance ⇅ | Open jobs ⇅ |
|---|---|---|
| Alameda, CA | 42 mi | 38 |
| Belmont, CA | 43 mi | 2 |
| Redwood City, CA | 47 mi | 45 |
| Palo Alto, CA | 54 mi | 298 |
| Sunnyvale, CA | 60 mi | 83 |
| Fremont, CA | 62 mi | 6 |
| Pleasanton, CA | 63 mi | 6 |
| Milpitas, CA | 66 mi | 2 |
| Campbell, CA | 67 mi | 7 |
| San Jose, CA | 73 mi | 698 |
| Capitola, CA | 79 mi | 1 |
| Sacramento, CA | 103 mi | 53 |
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A private-sector role in technology (cloud, it and infrastructure) listed 21 days ago. The full description is on this page and on the employer's page.
San Francisco, CA.
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The listing does not publish pay. For the closest occupation (Mechanical engineers) the national median is $104,110 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Median rent in San Francisco is $2,476 a month and median household income $140,970 (ACS 2020–2024).
It was posted on 2026-10-19 (21 days ago). Jobs older than 90 days are not shown.
Yes: browse cloud, it and infrastructure jobs in California.
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