Hardware Operations Technical Program Manager

About the Team

The Stargate team is responsible for building the physical infrastructure that powers OpenAIs largest-scale AI systems. We design deploy and operate next-generation data center infrastructure across a rapidly expanding footprint bringing together hardware networking facilities supply chain and deployment execution.

This work sits at the intersection of advanced AI hardware and real-world infrastructure delivery. Our team turns compute requirements into deployable reliable and scalable systems that support frontier AI workloads.

About the Role

We are seeking a Hardware Operations Technical Program Manager to drive execution across the lifecycle of AI infrastructure hardware programs.

In this role you will own cross-functional program execution across hardware readiness supplier coordination deployment planning rack-level integration manufacturing operations logistics field deployment and operational handoff. You will partner closely with hardware engineering data center engineering networking supply chain manufacturing deployment and operations teams to ensure critical infrastructure programs move from design intent to production readiness.

This role is ideal for someone who can operate at both the technical and programmatic level: understanding hardware systems identifying operational blockers driving accountability across teams and creating scalable processes for high-volume infrastructure deployment.

Key Responsibilities

• Drive end-to-end Hardware Operations readiness programs across AI infrastructure systems including servers racks networking hardware power and cooling interfaces and related data center infrastructure.

• Develop and operationalize scalable hardware operations processes workflows and support models spanning deployment repair operations diagnostics break/fix escalation management and sustaining operations.

• Lead cross-functional execution of Hardware Operations readiness initiatives ensuring operational capabilities tooling documentation staffing models and workflows are established prior to production deployment and operational handoff.

• Partner across Hardware Engineering Manufacturing Supply Chain Data Center Operations Network Operations Deployment Reliability Engineering and external suppliers to ensure alignment on operational requirements supportability and readiness milestones.

• Develop operational scorecards reporting frameworks and metric algorithms to measure hardware operational health repair performance deployment quality readiness status and execution efficiency.

• Identify operational technical supplier tooling and process risks early; drive mitigation plans cross-functional alignment and executive-level communication.

• Lead cross-functional issue resolution efforts during hardware deployment validation operational ramp and sustaining operations ensuring rapid containment corrective action development and long-term process improvement.

• Create and mature operational governance models including standardized readiness reviews action tracking escalation management performance reviews and operational business rhythms.

• Ensure operational knowledge sharing and alignment across internal teams external suppliers and infrastructure partners to improve execution consistency issue resolution efficiency and operational maturity.

You Might Thrive in This Role If You

• Have experience driving complex hardware or infrastructure programs from development through production and deployment.

• Are comfortable operating across engineering manufacturing supply chain deployment and operations teams.

• Can understand technical system dependencies without needing to be the deepest engineer in every domain.

• Know how to create structure in ambiguous fast-moving environments.

• Are effective at driving accountability across teams and vendors without direct authority.

• Can move between tactical execution details and executive-level communication.

• Have strong judgment around when to escalate when to unblock directly and when to create a repeatable process.

Qualifications

• 7 years of experience in technical program management hardware operations manufacturing operations infrastructure deployment or related technical execution roles.

• Experience supporting hardware systems at scale ideally including servers racks networking hardware data center infrastructure or high-performance compute environments.

• Strong understanding of hardware development and deployment lifecycle including NPI qualification manufacturing ramp logistics installation validation and operational support.

• Demonstrated ability to manage complex cross-functional schedules dependencies risks and executive communications.

• Strong technical fluency across hardware systems rack integration manufacturing readiness and infrastructure deployment.

• Proven ability to operate in ambiguous environments and create scalable execution mechanisms.

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills with the ability to influence technical and non-technical stakeholders.

• Experience with AI infrastructure hyperscale data centers cloud infrastructure or high-density compute systems is a plus.

• Bachelors degree in engineering computer science operations supply chain or equivalent practical experience.

Preferred Skills

• Experience with GPU accelerator server rack or cluster-scale infrastructure programs.

• Background in hardware operations manufacturing program management supply chain operations data center deployment or technical infrastructure TPM.

• Familiarity with rack integration power/cooling constraints cabling networking serviceability and deployment readiness.

• Experience building operating rhythms readiness reviews risk registers launch dashboards or executive program reviews.

• Experience scaling programs from prototype/NPI into repeatable production deployment.

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 OpenAIs 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 addition job duties require access to secure and protected information technology systems and related data security obligations.

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Manager