Principal HPC Architect

KLA; Milpitas (CA); On-site; USD 162,700 - 284,700; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical/dental/vision

401(k) matching

Employee stock purchase plan

Job summary

KLA is seeking a Principal HPC Architect to design, build, optimize, and support large-scale compute environments used for scientific computing, AI/ML workloads, and data-intensive research. You will partner with researchers, developers, and IT to deliver reliable, scalable HPC infrastructure and lead engineering initiatives.

The role emphasizes systems engineering, performance tuning, and DevOps, with responsibility for capacity planning, security, and reliability across clusters and storage.

Qualifications

• Extensive Linux systems engineering experience in large-scale compute environments.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems and cloud infrastructure.
• Expertise with HPC schedulers (Slurm preferred) and MPI stacks.
• Knowledge of high-speed interconnects (InfiniBand, RoCE) and distributed storage.
• Proficiency in Python, Go, Bash and automation frameworks.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and optimize large-scale HPC clusters for AI/ML workloads.
• Develop automation for provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management.
• Tune CPU/GPU/memory/I/O for peak performance and throughput.
• Maintain HPC clusters, schedulers, and distributed filesystems.
• Lead collaboration with researchers and engineers and mentor juniors.

Skills

Linux systems engineering

Distributed systems

HPC schedulers

MPI/OpenMP

CUDA/NVIDIA GPUs

Containerization

Scripting (Python/Go/Bash)

InfiniBand/RoCE networking

Performance tuning

Education

Doctorate (Academic) Degree

Master's Degree

Bachelor's Degree

Tools

NVIDIA CUDA

Singularity/Apptainer

Docker

Kubernetes

Slurm

Job description

Company Overview

KLA is a global leader in diversified electronics for the semiconductor manufacturing ecosystem. Virtually every electronic device in the world is produced using our technologies. No laptop, smartphone, wearable device, voice-controlled gadget, flexible screen, VR device or smart car would have made it into your hands without us. KLA invents systems and solutions for the manufacturing of wafers and reticles, integrated circuits, packaging, printed circuit boards and flat panel displays. The innovative ideas and devices that are advancing humanity all begin with inspiration, research and development. KLA focuses more than average on innovation and we invest 15% of sales back into R&D. Our expert teams of physicists, engineers, data scientists and problem-solvers work together with the world's leading technology providers to accelerate the delivery of tomorrow's electronic devices. Life here is exciting and our teams thrive on tackling really hard problems. There is never a dull moment with us.

Group/Division

The Information Technology (IT) group at KLA is involved in every aspect of the global business. IT's mission is to enable business growth and productivity by connecting people, process, and technology. It focuses not only on enhancing the technology that enables our business to thrive but also on how employees use and are empowered by technology. This integrated approach to customer service, creativity and technological excellence enables employee productivity, business analytics, and process excellence.

Job Description/Qualifications

The Principal HPC Architect designs, builds, optimizes, and supports large scale compute environments used for scientific computing, AI/ML workloads, simulation, and data intensive research. This role blends systems engineering, performance tuning, cluster architecture, and hands on troubleshooting. The engineer partners with researchers, developers, and IT teams to deliver reliable, scalable, and high performance compute infrastructure.

Key Responsibilities:

• HPC Architecture & Engineering
• Design and implement HPC clusters, including compute, storage, networking, and jobscheduling components.
• Evaluate and integrate new technologies (GPUs, accelerators, interconnects, filesystems).
• Develop automation for cluster provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management.
• Architect solutions for largescale parallel workloads, AI/ML pipelines, and dataintensive applications.

Performance Optimization:

• Profile and tune applications for CPU, GPU, memory, and I/O performance.
• Optimize MPI, OpenMP, CUDA, and other parallel programming frameworks.
• Benchmark hardware and software stacks to guide procurement and architecture decisions.

Operations & Reliability:

• Maintain and monitor HPC clusters, job schedulers (Slurm, PBS, LSF), and distributed filesystems (Lustre, GPFS, BeeGFS).
• Troubleshoot complex system issues across compute, storage, and network layers.
• Implement security best practices, patching, and compliance controls.
• Ensure high availability and efficient resource utilization.

Automation & DevOps:

• Build and maintain CI/CD pipelines for HPCrelated software and infrastructure.
• Use tools such as Ansible, Terraform, Kubernetes, or custom scripts to automate workflows.
• Develop monitoring and observability solutions (Prometheus, Grafana, ELK, etc.).

Collaboration & Leadership:

• Work closely with researchers, data scientists, and engineering teams to support workload optimization.
• Provide technical leadership, mentorship, and guidance to junior engineers.
• Document architectures, procedures, and best practices.
• Participate in capacity planning and longterm HPC strategy.

Required Qualifications:

• Extensive experience with Linux systems engineering in largescale compute environments.
• Solid understanding of distributed systems and cloud infrastructure
• Deep knowledge of HPC schedulers (Slurm preferred), MPI stacks, and parallel computing models.
• Strong understanding of highspeed interconnects (InfiniBand, RoCE) and distributed storage systems.
• Proficiency in scripting languages (Python, Go, Bash) and automation frameworks.
• Experience with GPUs (NVIDIA CUDA, MIG, NVLink) and acceleratorbased computing.
• Familiarity with containerization (Singularity/Apptainer, Docker) in HPC contexts.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across hardware, OS, and application layers.
• Understanding of networking fundamentals (TCP/IP, DNS, load balancing)
• Background in high-availability and distributed systems at scale

Soft Skills:

• Excellent communication and crossfunctional collaboration.
• Ability to translate research needs into technical solutions.
• Strong ownership mindset and ability to lead complex initiatives.

Minimum Qualifications

Doctorate (Academic) Degree and related work experience of 8 years; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 12 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 15 years

Base Pay Range: $162,700.00 - $284,700.00 AnnuallyPrimary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLAKLA's total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave.

Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.

KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at [e-mail] or at [phone] to request accommodation.

Be aware of potentially fraudulent job postings or suspicious recruiting activity by persons that are currently posing as KLA employees. KLA never asks for any financial compensation to be considered for an interview, to become an employee, or for equipment. Further, KLA does not work with any recruiters or third parties who charge such fees either directly or on behalf of KLA. Please ensure that you have searched KLA's Careers website for legitimate job postings. KLA follows a recruiting process that involves multiple interviews in person or on video conferencing with our hiring managers. If you are concerned that a communication, an interview, an offer of employment, or that an employee is not legitimate, please send an email to [e-mail] to confirm the person you are communicating with is an employee. We take your privacy very seriously and confidentially handle your information.