Senior Software Engineer, AI Infrastructure-Compute Efficiency

ByteDance; Seattle (WA); On-site; USD 207,000 - 368,000; Full time

Job summary

ByteDance is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for AI Infrastructure-Compute Efficiency in Seattle. You will design and optimize large-scale Kubernetes-based platforms powering AI/LLM workloads across global clusters, focusing on resource efficiency and performance.

You will improve pod lifecycle and scheduling, build observability and SLOs, and contribute to open-source projects while collaborating with teams worldwide to scale our compute infrastructure in North America, Europe and Asia

Qualifications

• Minimum qualifications: B.S./M.S. in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or related area with 3+ years of experience; Ph.D. can be an exception.
• Solid understanding of Unix/Linux environments, distributed and parallel systems, high-performance networking systems, and large-scale software systems.
• Familiarity with container and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• Proficiency in at least one major programming language such as Python, Go, C++, Rust, and Java.
• Preferred: knowledge of big data or ML workflows in a Kubernetes environment.
• Experience contributing to cloud-native open-source projects.

Responsibilities

• Design and evolve the architecture of large-scale Kubernetes-based infrastructure platforms for performance, scalability, and resilience across workloads including AI/LLM apps.
• Improve Kubernetes system performance across control and data planes, optimizing pod lifecycle and resource orchestration under high load.
• Build observability and performance analysis frameworks, define system-level SLOs, and lead data-driven tuning in production.
• Develop intelligent, unified resource management and scheduling for node and cluster resources in cloud-native environments.
• Drive standardization and optimization of container runtimes to improve workload isolation, reliability, and efficiency.

Skills

Unix/Linux environments

Distributed & parallel systems

High-performance networking systems

Large scale software systems

Python

Go

C++

Rust

Java

Education

B.S./M.S. in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

Senior Software Engineer, AI Infrastructure-Compute Efficiency

Location: Seattle

Team: Technology

Employment Type: Regular

Job Code: A59306A

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Responsibilities

About the TeamThe Compute Infrastructure - Orchestration & Scheduling team uses Kubernetes and Serverless technologies to build a large, reliable, and efficient compute infrastructure. This infrastructure powers hundreds of large-scale clusters globally, with over millions of online containers and offline jobs daily, including AI and LLM workloads. The team is dedicated to building cutting-edge, industry-leading infrastructure that empowers AI innovation, ensuring high performance, scalability, and reliability to support the most demanding AI/LLM workloads.The team is also dedicated to open-sourcing key infrastructure technologies, including projects in the K8s portfolio such as kubewharf, Serverless initiatives like Ray on K8s, and LLM inference control plan project AiBrix.At ByteDance, as we expand and innovate, powering global platforms like TikTok and various AI/ML & LLM initiatives, we face the challenge of enhancing resource cost efficiency on a massive scale within our rapidly growing compute infrastructure. We're seeking talented software engineers excited to optimize our infrastructure for AI & LLM models. Your expertise can drive solutions to better utilize computing resources (including CPU, GPU, power, etc.), directly impacting the performance of all our AI services and helping us build the future of computing infrastructure. Also, with the goal of growing compute infrastructure in overseas regions, including North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific, you will have the opportunities of working closely with leaders from ByteDance’s global business units to ensure that we continue to scale and optimize our infrastructure globally.

• - Design and evolve the architecture of large-scale Kubernetes-based infrastructure platforms to ensure performance, scalability, and resilience for diverse workloads, including microservices, big data, and AI/LLM applications.
• - Improve K8s system performance across the control and data planes, including optimizing pod lifecycle, resource orchestration, and system-level throughput under high load.
• - Build robust observability and performance analysis frameworks, define K8s system-level SLOs, and lead data-driven tuning and optimization initiatives in production.
• - Develop intelligent, unified resource management and scheduling systems (at node & cluster-level) to support a wide range of compute resources in large-scale, cloud-native environments.
• - Drive the standardization and optimization of container runtime environments to enhance workload isolation, reliability, and resource efficiency across heterogeneous compute environments.

Qualifications

• - Minimum Qualifications- B.S./M.S, degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering or a related area with 3+ years of relevant industry experience; Ph.D. degree and strong publication records can be an exception.
• - Solid understanding of at least one of the following fields: Unix/Linux environments, distributed and parallel systems, high-performance networking systems, developing large scale software systems
• - Familiarity with container and orchestration technologies such as Docker and Kubernetes.
• - Proficiency in at least one major programming language such as Python, Go, C++, Rust, and Java.
• - Preferred Qualifications- Knowledge of big data or machine learning workflows in a Kubernetes environment.
• - Experience in developing or contributing to cloud-native open-source projects.
• - Hands-on project experience with containerized applications through internships, coursework, or personal projects.
• - Familiarity with observability tools and frameworks like Prometheus, Grafana, or distributed tracing systems.

Job Information

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $207480 - $368220 annually.

Compensation may vary outside of this range depending on a number of factors, including a candidate’s qualifications, skills, competencies and experience, and location. Base pay is one part of the Total Package that is provided to compensate and recognize employees for their work, and this role may be eligible for additional discretionary bonuses/incentives, and restricted stock units.

Benefits may vary depending on the nature of employment and the country work location. Employees have day one access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) savings plan with company match, paid parental leave, short-term and long-term disability coverage, life insurance, wellbeing benefits, among others. Employees also receive 10 paid holidays per year, 10 paid sick days per year and 17 days of Paid Personal Time (prorated upon hire with increasing accruals by tenure).

The Company reserves the right to modify or change these benefits programs at any time, with or without notice.

For Los Angeles County (unincorporated) Candidates:

• 1. Interacting and occasionally having unsupervised contact with internal/external clients and/or colleagues;
• 2. Appropriately handling and managing confidential information including proprietary and trade secret information and access to information technology systems; and
• 3. Exercising sound judgment.

Qualified applicants with arrest or conviction records will be considered for employment in accordance with all federal, state, and local laws including the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers and the California Fair Chance Act. Our company believes that criminal history may have a direct, adverse and negative relationship on the following job duties, potentially resulting in the withdrawal of the conditional offer of employment:

About Us

Founded in 2012, ByteDance's mission is to inspire creativity and enrich life. With a suite of more than a dozen products, including TikTok, Lemon8, CapCut and Pico as well as platforms specific to the China market, including Toutiao, Douyin, and Xigua, ByteDance has made it easier and more fun for people to connect with, consume, and create content.

Why Join ByteDance

Inspiring creativity is at the core of ByteDance's mission. Our innovative products are built to help people authentically express themselves, discover and connect – and our global, diverse teams make that possible. Together, we create value for our communities, inspire creativity and enrich life - a mission we work towards every day.

As ByteDancers, we strive to do great things with great people. We lead with curiosity, humility, and a desire to make impact in a rapidly growing tech company. By constantly iterating and fostering an "Always Day 1" mindset, we achieve meaningful breakthroughs for ourselves, our Company, and our users. When we create and grow together, the possibilities are limitless. Join us.

Diversity & Inclusion

ByteDance is committed to creating an inclusive space where employees are valued for their skills, experiences, and unique perspectives. Our platform connects people from across the globe and so does our workplace. At ByteDance, our mission is to inspire creativity and enrich life. To achieve that goal, we are committed to celebrating our diverse voices and to creating an environment that reflects the many communities we reach. We are passionate about this and hope you are too.

Reasonable Accommodation

ByteDance is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in our recruitment processes for candidates with disabilities, pregnancy, sincerely held religious beliefs or other reasons protected by applicable laws. If you need assistance or a reasonable accommodation, please reach out to us at https://tinyurl.com/RA-request