Senior Software Engineer, Systems, Pixel Stability

Socket.dev; Mountain View (CA); On-site; USD 174,000 - 252,000; Full time

Job summary

Google's Pixel Stability team ensures that every Pixel device delivers a smooth, dependable experience across its lifecycle. Working at the intersection of hardware, kernel, and user space, you will help define stability benchmarks, build automated triage and testing infrastructure, and address crashes, panics, and regressions across the fleet.

Android is Google's mobile operating system powering billions of devices worldwide.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of software development experience in one or more languages (C, C++, Python, or Rust).
• 3 years testing, maintaining, or launching software products, and 1 year in software design/architecture.
• 3 years working with embedded OS, Linux kernel internals, or low-level systems programming.
• 2 years debugging and triaging system stability failures (memory corruption, deadlocks, kernel crashes).
• Master’s degree or PhD preferred in related field.
• 5 years experience with data structures/algorithms and low-level performance optimization.
• 1 year in technical leadership leading cross-functional debugging/stability workstreams.
• Experience developing accessible technologies or resilient system software for all users.
• Experience with Android internals, Android Framework, bootloaders, and scripting on consumer devices (Python/Bash).

Responsibilities

• Write and test product or system development code, including kernel patches, on-device diagnostics, and automated stability triage tools for Pixel devices.
• Participate in design reviews to decide among technologies, stability test harnesses, and monitoring infrastructure.
• Review code and ensure best practices, style, testing, and efficiency.
• Contribute to documentation and educational content, updating it with product/program changes and user feedback.
• Triage issues and debug/track/resolve kernel panics, deadlocks, and hardware/service impacts.

Skills

Programming languages experience

Testing and verification

Software design and architecture

Embedded systems / Linux kernel

Debugging and triage

Algorithms (data structures)

Technical leadership

Accessibility-focused design

Android internals scripting

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science / Electrical Engineering / Computer Engineering or related field

Master’s degree or PhD in related field (preferred)

Job description

Minimum qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5 years of experience with software development in one or more programming languages (such as C, C++, Python, or Rust).
• 3 years of experience testing, maintaining, or launching software products, and 1 year of experience with software design and architecture.
• 3 years of experience working with embedded operating systems, Linux kernel internals, or low-level systems programming.
• 2 years of experience debugging, triaging, and isolating system stability failures (such as memory corruption, deadlocks, or kernel crashes).

Preferred qualifications:

• Master's degree or PhD in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Computer Engineering, or related technical field.
• 5 years of experience with data structures and algorithms and low-level performance optimization.
• 1 year of experience in a technical leadership role leading cross-functional debugging efforts or stability workstreams.
• Experience developing accessible technologies or designing resilient system software that enhances accessibility and reliability for all users.
• Experience with Android internals, Android Framework, Android BSP, bootloaders, and writing automated test/reproduction scripts (e.g., in Python or Bash) on consumer devices.

About the job:

Google's software engineers develop the next-generation technologies that change how billions of users connect, explore, and interact with information and one another. Our products need to handle information at massive scale, and extend well beyond web search. We're looking for engineers who bring fresh ideas from all areas, including information retrieval, distributed computing, large-scale system design, networking and data storage, security, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, UI design and mobile; the list goes on and is growing every day. As a software engineer, you will work on a specific project critical to Google’s needs with opportunities to switch teams and projects as you and our fast-paced business grow and evolve. We need our engineers to be versatile, display leadership qualities and be enthusiastic to take on new problems across the full-stack as we continue to push technology forward.

The Pixel Stability team ensures that every Pixel device delivers a smooth, dependable experience across its entire lifecycle. Operating directly at the intersection of hardware, kernel, and user space, the team defines stability benchmarks, creates automated triage and testing infrastructure, and addresses complex crashes, kernel panics, and regressions across the fleet.

Android is Google’s mobile operating system powering more than 3 billion devices worldwide. Android is about bringing computing to everyone in the world. We believe computing is a super power for good, enabling access to information, economic opportunity, productivity, connectivity between friends and family and more. We think everyone in the world should have access to the best computing has to offer. We provide the platform for original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and developers to build compelling computing devices (smartphones, tablets, TVs, wearables, etc) that run the best apps/services for everyone in the world.

Individual pay is determined by factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training.

US: $174000 - $252000 (USD) + 15% bonus target + equity + benefits

Learn more about benefits at Google.

Responsibilities:

• Write and test product or system development code, including low-level kernel/driver patches, on-device diagnostics, and automated stability triage tools for Pixel devices.
• Participate in, or lead design reviews with peers and stakeholders to decide amongst available technologies, stability test harnesses, and system monitoring infrastructure.
• Review code developed by other developers and provide feedback to ensure best practices (e.g., style guidelines, checking code in, accuracy, testability, and efficiency).
• Contribute to existing documentation or educational content and adapt content based on product/program updates, user feedback, and cross-functional triage playbooks.
• Triage product or system issues and debug/track/resolve by analyzing the sources of issues (e.g., kernel panics, deadlocks) and the impact on hardware, network, or service operations and quality.