Senior Runtime Engineer

Cerebras; Raleigh (NC); On-site; USD 140,000 - 230,000; Full time

Job summary

Cerebras Systems is hiring for a role focused on building and optimizing distributed runtime software that orchestrates massive compute and data pipelines across heterogeneous clusters. You will push concurrency, throughput, and scalability for AI workloads at scale, collaborating with ML and compiler teams, and shaping end-to-end model execution from data ingestion to distributed execution.

Ideal candidates have strong C/C++ skills, experience with distributed systems, and a background in

Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience in high-performance or distributed system software.
• Strong C/C++ programming skills with multithreading, memory management and optimization.
• Experience with distributed systems, networking, or IPC.
• Solid understanding of data structures, concurrency, and system-level resource management.
• Ability to debug, profile and optimize code across scales—from threads to clusters.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or equivalent in CS/EE.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement distributed runtime components to efficiently manage large-scale execution workloads.
• Develop and optimize high-performance data and communication pipelines that fully utilize CPU, memory, storage, and network resources.
• Enable scalable execution across multiple compute nodes, ensuring high concurrency and minimal bottlenecks.
• Collaborate with ML and compiler teams to integrate new model architectures and hardware-specific optimizations.
• Diagnose and resolve complex performance issues across the software stack using profiling tools.
• Contribute to system design, architecture reviews, and roadmap planning for large-scale AI workloads.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Multithreading

Distributed systems

Profiling & debugging

Concurrency

Memory management

System resource management

Education

Bachelor’s or Master’s in CS/EE

Tools

Python

PyTorch

MPI/Distributed tooling

Job description

Cerebras Systems builds the world's largest AI chip, 56 times larger than GPUs. This architecture allows Cerebras to deliver industry‑leading training and inference speeds; over 10 times faster than GPU‑based hyperscale cloud inference services. This order of magnitude increase in speed is transforming the user experience of AI applications, unlocking real‑time iteration and increasing intelligence via additional agentic computation.

About The Role

We are building the next generation of large‑scale AI systems that power training and inference workloads at unprecedented scale and efficiency. You will design and develop high‑performance distributed software that orchestrates massive compute and data pipelines across heterogeneous clusters. Your work will push the limits of concurrency, throughput, and scalability—enabling efficient execution of models at massive scale. This role sits at the intersection of systems engineering and machine learning performance, demanding both architectural depth and low‑level implementation skills. You will help shape how models are executed and optimized end‑to‑end, from data ingestion to distributed execution, across cutting‑edge hardware platforms. We’re hiring for runtime roles across both Training and Inference.

Responsibilities

• Design and implement distributed runtime components to efficiently manage large‑scale execution workloads.
• Develop and optimize high‑performance data and communication pipelines that fully utilize CPU, memory, storage, and network resources.
• Enable scalable execution across multiple compute nodes, ensuring high concurrency and minimal bottlenecks.
• Collaborate closely with ML and compiler teams to integrate new model architectures, training regimes, and hardware‑specific optimizations.
• Diagnose and resolve complex performance issues across the software stack using profiling and instrumentation tools.
• Contribute to overall system design, architecture reviews, and roadmap planning for large‑scale AI workloads.

Skills & Qualifications

• 3+ years of experience developing high‑performance or distributed system software.
• Strong programming skills in C/C++, with expertise in multi‑threading, memory management, and performance optimization.
• Experience with distributed systems, networking, or inter‑process communication.
• Solid understanding of data structures, concurrency, and system‑level resource management (CPU, I/O, and memory).
• Proven ability to debug, profile, and optimize code across scales—from threads to clusters.
• Bachelor’s, Master’s, or equivalent experience in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field.

Preferred Skills & Qualifications

• Familiarity with machine learning training or inference pipelines, especially distributed training and large‑model scaling.
• Exposure to Python and PyTorch, particularly in the context of model training or performance tuning.
• Experience with compiler internals, custom hardware interfaces, or low‑level protocol design.
• Prior work on high‑performance clusters, HPC systems, or custom hardware/software co‑design.
• Deep curiosity about how to unlock new levels of performance for large‑scale AI workloads.

Why Join Cerebras

• Build a breakthrough AI platform beyond the constraints of the GPU.
• Publish and open source your cutting‑edge AI research.
• Work on one of the fastest AI supercomputers in the world.
• Enjoy job stability with startup vitality.
• Our simple, non‑corporate work culture that respects individual beliefs.

Find out more about what it’s like to work at Cerebras here.

Apply today and become part of the forefront of groundbreaking advancements in AI!

Cerebras Systems is committed to creating an equal and diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe inclusive teams build better products and companies. We try every day to build a work environment that empowers people to do their best work through continuous learning, growth and support of those around them.

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