Senior XR Runtime Engineer: OpenXR + Vulkan

Distance Technologies Oy; Helsinki; On-site; EUR 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Job summary

Distance Technologies Oy in Helsinki is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to help build the software that makes Distance’s XR displays work in real world contexts—vehicles, field deployments, and partner installations.

You’ll own architecture of the compositor and runtime stack, collaborate with hardware and vision teams, and drive cross-domain updates with a strong ownership mindset.

Qualifications

• Senior-level experience in systems software, with deep expertise in at least two of the following: real-time graphics, multi-process IPC, OpenXR or comparable runtime APIs, and applications built on a platform you also engineered.
• Strong modern C++ skills across a large multi-library codebase (CMake, services, shared infrastructure).
• Demonstrated ownership of complex runtime or platform software, and the client or operator applications that consume it.
• Expertise in Vulkan (or equivalent) at the implementation and architecture levels, including cross-process resource sharing and synchronization.
• Experience defining integration contracts and release pairing between platform and application teams.
• Independent and ownership-oriented working style.
• Capability and willingness to lead both technical and people-related topics (note: the role does not include people manager responsibilities).
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, including experience with design docs, ADRs, and constructive technical leadership in reviews.

Responsibilities

• Architecture & Implementation: Own the architecture for the compositor, OpenXR runtime, graphics core, and IPC services. Define graphics/compositor frameworks, including Vulkan/OpenGL resources, display paths, and performance on desktop and embedded GPUs.
• Runtime & Application Contract: Define OpenXR runtime behavior, client-facing stability, and API design. Manage the runtime-to-application contract, including compatibility rules and integration standards.
• System Reliability & Delivery: Set multi-process reliability expectations (crash recovery, session reuse, IPC stress). Extend automated test coverage, drive product definition, and mentor the engineering team on cross-stack changes.

Skills

Real-time graphics

Multi-process IPC

C++

Architecture ownership

Release contracts

Independent working

English communication

Tools

OpenXR

Vulkan

CMake

Job description

Distance Technologies Oy in Helsinki is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to help build the software that makes Distance’s XR displays work in real world contexts—vehicles, field deployments, and partner installations.

You’ll own architecture of the compositor and runtime stack, collaborate with hardware and vision teams, and drive cross-domain updates with a strong ownership mindset.