Compute Engineer, R&D Technical Lead

Fluidstack; Austin (TX); On-site; USD 261,000 - 310,000; Full time

Job summary

Fluidstack is seeking a senior hardware validation leader to drive the qualification program for frontier compute hardware. You will define test methods, own tough platforms, and drive automation to scale lab throughput.

You will mentor engineers, diagnose root causes, and collaborate with vendors to ensure readiness across new silicon and systems in a fast-paced AI compute environment.

Qualifications

• Senior technical voice in hardware validation or systems engineering.
• Qualified early hardware, engineering samples, or first-run systems, and shipped the findings.
• Built test automation others still use.
• Your failure analyses go to root cause, not to plausible.
• You mentor engineers up the debugging stack.
• Bonus: Accelerator architecture depth, signal and power integrity, large-scale burn-in design, vendor engineering relationships.

Responsibilities

• Set the technical direction for compute qualification: methods, tooling, and the standards the lab holds hardware to.
• Own the hardest qualifications yourself: first silicon, new platforms, and the failures nobody can explain.
• Build the automation: test harnesses and data pipelines that multiply the lab's throughput.
• Represent Labs to vendors and the fleet: the technical voice on what’s ready and what isn’t.

Skills

Hardware validation

Systems engineering

Test automation

Root-cause analysis

Mentoring

Vendor relations

Job description

About Fluidstack

We exist to make humanity more free. For most of human history, you farmed or you starved. Technology gave people more time for the things they wanted to do, instead of things they had to do. Powerful AI will be the biggest lever for human choice we've ever built - but only if models are aligned with what humanity actually wants. There are groups building AI who don't share these goals. Whoever deploys frontier compute infrastructure fastest will decide whether AI expands human freedom or shrinks it. We're singularly focused on delivering 10 to 100s of GWs of compute faster than anyone else, rethinking every layer of the stack. We acquire power, design and build data centers, and operate them - with teams spanning hardware and software. Speed and scale are our key differentiators. Come be a part of building civilization-scale infrastructure for AI.

How We Operate

• Extreme ownership. Full autonomy. Own things end to end often taking on scope outside your core role without being asked to get things done.
• Velocity. We drive everything forward as fast as possible.
• First principles. Challenge every assumption. Zero analogy thinking, no egos, the best idea wins.
• Love of the game. The frontier of AI is the most interesting problem of our time. We put in long hours at high intensity to push the frontier forward.

Role Scope

• Set the technical direction for compute qualification: methods, tooling, and the standards the lab holds hardware to.
• Own the hardest qualifications yourself: first silicon, new platforms, and the failures nobody can explain.
• Build the automation: test harnesses and data pipelines that multiply the lab's throughput.
• Represent Labs to vendors and the fleet: the technical voice on what’s ready and what isn’t.

What We’re Looking For

• The below is a starting point. We always make space for exceptional people, so if you don’t fit this role exactly, tell us where you would.
• You’ve been the senior technical voice in hardware validation or systems engineering.
• You’ve qualified early hardware, engineering samples or first‑run systems, and shipped the findings.
• You’ve built test automation others still use.
• Your failure analyses go to root cause, not to plausible.
• You mentor engineers up the debugging stack.
• Bonus: Accelerator architecture depth. Signal and power integrity exposure. Large‑scale burn‑in design. Vendor engineering relationships.

We are committed to pay equity and transparency.

Compensation Range: $261K - $310K

Fluidstack is an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity, disability and protected veterans’ status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Fluidstack will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records pursuant to applicable law.