Manufacturing Test Engineer

About the Team

The hardware group at OpenAI is focused on building AI-first silicon and tightly coupled system solutions designed for the heavy demands of advanced AI workloads. Inspired by initiatives such as Jalapeño, the team is creating the next wave of AI-native chips and integrated platforms to support frontier model infrastructure. Through close coordination across chips, systems, tools, and development methods, the team aims to deliver hardware that is faster, more efficient, and ready for production at scale.

About the Role

OpenAI is looking for a Manufacturing Test Engineer to lead the strategy, development, and rollout of manufacturing test for sophisticated AI hardware platforms. The role covers test coverage across the full product journey, including ICT, functional circuit testing, tray-level functional testing, and system manufacturing tests.

You will collaborate with hardware design, diagnostics and software, manufacturing, quality, as well as external system integrators and suppliers. The goal is to convert product needs into reliable, scalable test solutions that are suitable for production. You will also analyze test data, investigate failures, improve yield, and make sure manufacturing test is ready from early development through high-volume production.

What You'll Do

• Own and advance the manufacturing test approach for boards, trays, and complete system assemblies through EVT, DVT, PVT, and production ramp stages.
• Build and maintain coverage for ICT and structural testing, board-level functional testing, tray-level functional and integration testing, and system-level manufacturing and bring-up testing.
• Work with electrical, system, and diagnostic/software teams to define test needs, assess manufacturing scripts and diagnostics, confirm failure isolation requirements, and strengthen logging, debug support, and production screening methods.
• Convert engineering goals into practical test plans that can scale, and review EVT/DVT/PVT and production test plans, acceptance criteria, and release checkpoints while balancing coverage, test duration, debugging efficiency, cost, and throughput.
• Coordinate with system integrators, JDMs, contract manufacturers, and equipment suppliers to deploy and qualify stations, fixtures, automation, software, calibration methods, operator instructions, golden-unit matching, and production flows.
• Examine manufacturing test outcomes, logs, diagnostics, yield patterns, failure distributions, false-failure rates, and station correlation information to find issues and trigger corrective actions.
• Support or lead debug efforts for test failures by working across functions to identify whether the root cause is design-related, process-related, fixture-related, software-related, component-related, or due to operator variation.
• Improve test processes continuously by expanding coverage, lowering cycle time, increasing parallel execution, improving power and cooling efficiency, raising station reliability, strengthening data quality, and reducing test escapes.
• Prepare manufacturing test readiness for new product launches, including test specifications, validation plans, GR&R and correlation studies, station acceptance, and production release criteria.
• Help define repeatable standards and best practices for manufacturing test development across OpenAI’s expanding hardware portfolio.

What Success Looks Like

• Experience delivering manufacturing test solutions for complex electronics, servers, networking hardware, or high-performance compute platforms.
• Working knowledge of board-level and system-level test methods such as ICT, boundary scan, functional testing, burn-in, stress testing, and production diagnostics.
• Comfort operating across both engineering development and factory execution, translating design intent into production implementation.
• Strong practical debugging ability, using test results, BMC and host logs, diagnostic logs, thermal and power telemetry, schematics, and lab measurements to isolate root causes and drive corrective action.
• Clear communication skills for working with internal partners and external vendors, especially when aligning on requirements, resolving ambiguous problems, and driving closure under pressure.
• Ability to perform well in a fast-moving environment with high ownership, ambiguity, and strong execution expectations.

Qualifications

A bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, Manufacturing Engineering, or a related technical discipline is required, or equivalent hands-on experience.

You should have at least 5 years of experience in manufacturing test engineering, product test, NPI test development, or a closely related hardware testing role.

Relevant background should include one or more of the following on servers and/or AI accelerators: ICT or structural board testing, board-level functional test development, tray/chassis/system manufacturing test, production diagnostics and debug workflows, or test fixture/rack/station development.

Experience working with contract manufacturers, JDMs, system integrators, or test equipment vendors to deploy and support production test solutions is expected.

You should also bring strong analytical skills, with experience reviewing test data, yield information, failure trends, and manufacturing metrics, along with the ability to work across hardware, diagnostics/software, manufacturing, quality, and supplier teams.

Preferred Qualifications

Additional value comes from experience with servers and AI accelerators, along with networking, power, or data center hardware systems.

Hands-on knowledge of manufacturing test automation, Python, Bash, Linux-based diagnostics, data pipelines, CI and release controls, and factory test software frameworks is preferred.

Experience supporting large production ramps and factory bring-up in Asia or other global manufacturing settings is also an advantage.

Knowledge of DFT principles and how design choices affect testability, debugging, and production yield will be helpful.

Background in failure analysis, root-cause investigations, and corrective action workflows in manufacturing environments is preferred.

About OpenAI

OpenAI is an artificial intelligence research and deployment company focused on ensuring that general-purpose AI benefits everyone. The company works to extend the capabilities of AI systems and safely bring them into the world through its products. OpenAI emphasizes safety and human needs while valuing the broad range of perspectives, voices, and experiences that represent humanity.

Equal Opportunity and Hiring Notes

OpenAI is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability, genetic information, or other legally protected characteristics.

Background screening may be conducted in line with applicable law, and applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered where permitted by law. For certain U.S.-based candidates, this includes compliance with relevant fair chance and employment laws. Some roles may involve access to secure hardware, protected systems, and confidential information, with corresponding responsibility for safeguarding company property and information.

Reasonable accommodations are available for applicants with disabilities.

Privacy

OpenAI also provides a global applicant privacy policy for candidates.