Manufacturing Technical Program Manager

About the Team:
OpenAI, in close collaboration with our partners, is building one of the world’s most advanced AI infrastructure ecosystems. The Stargate team is central to this mission, setting core infrastructure strategy and executing this vision. From site selection to buildout, this team operates at the intersection of commercial, technical, strategic, and operational domains, working with teams and executives across and outside of OpenAI.

About the Role:
We are seeking a driven and experienced manufacturing leader to join the Industrial Compute team supporting Stargate. This person will lead partnerships, systems integration, and processes related to manufacturing for our data center systems. The role involves managing the full lifecycle of factory and production line buildouts—across the U.S. and internationally—to deliver scalable, high-density AI infrastructure. It begins as a senior individual contributor role with the opportunity to grow into a multi-site leadership position.

In this role, you will:

• Design and launch greenfield and brownfield production lines for data center equipment and rack system assembly.

• Establish and monitor key manufacturing metrics (e.g., yield, cycle time, OEE, first-pass yield) via real-time dashboards.

• Develop and implement quality systems across suppliers, inspections, traceability, and final testing.

• Lead new product introduction and ramp-up phases from pilot builds to production, working closely with engineering teams.

• Ensure factory readiness across domestic and international sites—including layout, material flow, safety, staffing, and documentation.

• Scale supply chains and associated systems for modular components and negotiate vendor agreements for efficient inventory and delivery.

• Drive continuous improvement through lean manufacturing, Six Sigma, and simulation-based process modeling.

• Coordinate with Construction, Logistics, Data Center Operations, and Sourcing to align factory output with deployment schedules.

• Provide regular updates on program status—including schedule, budget, and risks—to executive and partner stakeholders.

• Travel approximately 30% to OpenAI headquarters and partner sites across various regions.

You might thrive in this role if you:

• Have 10+ years of experience in manufacturing, industrial, or quality engineering programs (preferably related to data centers or rack systems).

• Have led the launch of at least one complex, low-volume production line (e.g., enclosures, switchgear, or electromechanical assemblies).

• Are proficient in manufacturing and quality methodologies (e.g., PFMEA, SPC, line balancing, work measurement).

• Understand data center infrastructure and how upstream factory decisions affect site-level deployment.

• Are action-oriented, adaptable, and comfortable building systems from scratch.

• Communicate effectively with executives and can toggle between strategic and technical details.

• Thrive in multicultural environments and can lead global teams.

• Hold a degree in Manufacturing, Industrial, Mechanical, or Electrical Engineering (or equivalent experience).

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.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with applicable law, including the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, and the California Fair Chance Act. 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.

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