Site Reliability Engineer

Northeastern University; Boston (MA); On-site; USD 88,000 - 124,000; Full time

Job summary

Northeastern University’s Khoury College and the National Deep Inference Fabric (NDIF) invite an experienced Site Reliability Engineer to strengthen production systems and scale a research platform. You will own reliability, build observability, and drive automation across distributed services, with emphasis on AI safety and interpretability.

The role emphasizes hands-on engineering, collaboration with the NDIF team, and advancing CI/CD, IaC, and debugging workflows in a fast-moving AI research

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• At least 3 years of experience in site reliability engineering or a closely related role.
• Strong Python skills and backend services experience.
• Experience with observability tooling such as Prometheus and Grafana, or equivalent tools.

Responsibilities

• Measure and improve the reliability, availability, and performance of the platform used by research teams.
• Build and maintain observability systems to detect issues early and enable proactive debugging.
• Improve CI/CD, automated testing, and infrastructure as code tooling.
• Create workflows for debugging across the distributed stack, including Ray connectivity, GPU scheduling, and resource allocation.
• Partner with the NDIF team to keep the system dependable and usable as needs grow.
• Establish and advocate for operational best practices as the platform scales.

Skills

Python

Distributed systems

CI/CD

Observability

Infrastructure as Code

Production systems

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Equivalent practical experience

Tools

Prometheus

Grafana

Ray

Job description

About the OpportunityAbout Khoury CollegeKhoury College is committed to building a community of belonging among students, faculty and staff. We strongly encourage applicants from individuals with disabilities, veterans, and those with varied experiences and backgrounds. We invite you to join a fast-moving, ambitious college with an underlying mission that is driven by our motto of “CS for Everyone.”About the National Deep Inference FabricThe National Deep Inference Fabric (NDIF) is an artificial intelligence (AI) research infrastructure project funded by $9 million from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and more than $4 million from private foundations. Its mission is to create an innovative, highly transparent, large-scale AI inference infrastructure that enables cutting-edge scientific research on the largest open AI models.Job SummaryNDIF is seeking an experienced Site Reliability Engineer to advance the reliability and coordinate the day-to-day operations of its growing research platform. This role creates systems that keep distributed services healthy and available, makes clusters easier to debug and operate, and builds tooling that enables the platform to scale as demand and deployments grow. This is a hands-on role with significant latitude for assessing complex technical problems, determining priorities, and delivering innovations with minimal oversight. A research background is not required, but knowledge of machine learning operations (MLOps) is highly desirable. The successful candidate will have experience operating production systems, a commitment to operating them well, and motivation to contribute to AI safety and interpretability.Key Responsibilities & AccountabilitiesMeasure and improve the reliability, availability, and performance of the platform used by research teamsBuild and maintain observability systems so issues are detected early and debugging is proactive rather than reactiveImprove operational tooling and automation, including continuous integration and continuous delivery (CI/CD), automated testing, and infrastructure as codeCreate effective workflows for debugging and resolving issues across the distributed stack, including Ray connectivity, graphics processing unit (GPU) and resource allocation, and schedulingPartner with the broader NDIF team to keep the system dependable and usable as user needs evolveEstablish and advocate for operational best practices as the platform growsMinimum QualificationsRequiredBachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, or a related field, or equivalent practical experienceAt least 3 years of experience or more in site reliability engineering (SRE) or a closely related roleExperience operating distributed systems in production, with a track record of owning complex systems end to endStrong Python skills and comfort working with backend servicesExperience with observability tooling such as Prometheus and Grafana, or equivalent toolsWorking command of CI/CD pipelines, automated testing, and infrastructure as codeJudgment to debug and optimize systems with minimal guidance, along with communication skills that keep teams alignedGenuine interest in AI safety, interpretability, and supporting interdisciplinary researchPreferredKnowledge of MLOpsRequired DocumentsResumePosition TypeInformation TechnologyAdditional InformationNortheastern University considers factors such as candidate work experience, education and skills when extending an offer.Northeastern has a comprehensive benefits package for benefit eligible employees. This includes medical, vision, dental, paid time off, tuition assistance, wellness & life, retirement- as well as commuting & transportation. Visit https://hr.northeastern.edu/benefits/ for more information.All qualified applicants are encouraged to apply and will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, disability status, or any other characteristic protected by applicable law.Compensation Grade/Pay Type:111SExpected Hiring Range:$87,785.00 - $123,998.75With the pay range(s) shown above, the starting salary will depend on several factors, which may include your education, experience, location, knowledge and expertise, and skills as well as a pay comparison to similarly-situated employees already in the role. Salary ranges are reviewed regularly and are subject to change.