Network Infrastructure Lead

Compensation: $177K - $285K per year

About the Role

Lead OpenAI’s site network infrastructure delivery, coordinating the physical installation and readiness of network systems with the central network team and contracted installation providers.

You will be OpenAI’s accountable on-site lead for physical network infrastructure construction and deployment, directing and overseeing the work of general contractors, specialist contractors and other service providers within your discipline. You will combine practical subject-matter depth with hands-on field leadership, managing contracted support to deliver safe, high-quality work to the integrated construction plan.

Reporting and scope

Report to the Site Construction Manager, who reports through the applicable project-management leadership. Maintain functional alignment with the Network Infrastructure leader and central network engineering team.

Own day-to-day discipline execution and contractor performance within the assigned site scope and delegated authority. Coordinate priorities and interfaces through the Site Construction Manager; escalate material cost, schedule, design and acceptance decisions to the appropriate owners.

This is a senior site delivery role, suited to an experienced superintendent, supervisor, manager or trade lead. Accountability is for an assigned discipline and site work packages. Site assignment, duration and any shared coverage follow project phase, workload and the staffing plan; effective on-site coverage is required during critical activities.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage structured-cabling contractors, fiber installers, network installation partners and other service providers against the site delivery plan.
• Translate approved network designs into executable field packages and coordinate bills of materials, material availability and installation sequencing with the central network team.
• Oversee pathways, duct banks and building-entry interfaces, fiber and copper cabling, racks, patching, labeling and network-equipment installation as applicable.
• Direct fiber and cabling quality assurance, review test results and traceability, and drive correction of defective or incomplete installations.
• Coordinate power, cooling, space and physical access readiness with electrical, mechanical and CSLA leads and hardware deployment teams.
• Coordinate network provisioning, connectivity validation and handover with authorized network engineering and operations teams; maintain accurate installation and as-built records.
• Set clear contractor deliverables and work priorities; review staffing, progress and quality, identify constraints early, and drive recovery actions through the Site Construction Manager.
• Provide concise progress and risk reporting, evaluate field impacts of proposed changes, and maintain accountable handoffs between construction partners and OpenAI teams.

Qualifications

• Typically 8–10 years of large-scale data center network deployment, structured cabling, physical-layer installation or infrastructure delivery, with demonstrated field and contractor leadership. Equivalent depth of practical delivery experience will be considered.
• Strong understanding of physical data center network topologies, network components, bills of materials, rack constraints and installation sequencing; translate approved designs into executable field plans.
• Deep practical knowledge of fiber and copper plant installation, trunks, panels, terminations, cleaning, labeling and cable administration, including routing diversity and pathway separation.
• Ability to oversee and assess port-to-port verification, continuity, optical power and optical time-domain reflectometer (OTDR) testing; troubleshoot field installation and mapping discrepancies and verify remediation.
• Experience defining contractor work packages and statements of work, evaluating delivery requirements, forecasting labor needs and tracking quality, throughput, cost drivers and schedule performance within delegated authority.
• Experience coordinating deployment prerequisites with engineering and construction teams and completing formal operations handover with as-builts, port maps, test evidence and clear ownership transfer.
• Comfort with ticket-based execution, change control, incident escalation and documentation workflows that make network installation repeatable and auditable.
• Demonstrated ability to lead contractors and service providers through changing site conditions, set clear deliverables and acceptance criteria, and resolve performance gaps across organizations without relying on direct reporting authority.
• Strong written and verbal communication: maintain accurate field records, action and decision logs, and explain technical risks, schedule impacts and recovery options to site leadership, engineers and delivery partners.
• Sound judgment when information is incomplete: identify assumptions, prerequisites and interfaces, determine what work can proceed within approved authority, and escalate unresolved risks before they affect safety, quality or delivery.
• Relevant trade, apprenticeship, technical or degree-based preparation, or equivalent practical experience. Demonstrated field leadership and subject-matter competence are central to this site role.

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.