Software Architect, GPU System

ByteDance; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 218,000 - 480,000; Full time

Job summary

ByteDance seeks a senior technical leader to drive the GPU system software strategy for data-center compute. You will define architecture and a multi-year roadmap across driver, runtime, firmware, and observability layers, guiding cross-functional teams from silicon to fleet operations.

You will ensure high-quality design reviews, performance analysis, and robust deployment while mentoring engineers and communicating decisions to executives and specialists.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in GPU, accelerator, kernel, firmware, runtime, or data-center system software, including technical leadership on complex hardware/software programs.
• Demonstrated success setting technical direction and leading a major hardware/software program from concept through production.
• Deep understanding of accelerator architecture, memory hierarchy, interconnects, operating systems, device management, and production reliability.
• Experience coordinating dependencies and technical decisions across multiple engineering teams and organizational boundaries.
• Strong coding, design-review, performance-analysis, and system-debugging capability, with evidence of continued hands-on contribution.

Responsibilities

• Define the architecture and multi-year technical roadmap for GPU system software across driver, runtime, firmware-interface, management, observability, and reliability layers.
• Set priorities and technical standards for accelerator enablement, balancing near-term product commitments with compatibility, performance, serviceability, and long-term maintenance.
• Own end-to-end integration from architecture and pre-silicon planning through bring-up, qualification, general availability, fleet monitoring, and sustained operation.
• Lead cross-functional execution among silicon, firmware, kernel, compiler, library, machine-learning framework, server, network, storage, validation, and production teams.
• Resolve ambiguous system-level tradeoffs involving APIs, resource management, memory and interconnect topology, telemetry, recovery, security, and workload performance.
• Remain technically involved through prototypes, critical-path code and design reviews, performance analysis, and leadership during high-severity failure investigations.
• Define measurable release and reliability criteria, including qualification coverage, regression thresholds, fault containment, automated repair, and fleet-health indicators.
• Mentor engineers, raise the quality of architecture and debugging practices, and communicate technical decisions to both specialist and executive audiences.

Skills

GPU software

kernel

firmware

runtime

leadership

design-review

performance-analysis

system-debugging

Education

Bachelor’s degree in CS/CE/EE

Tools

GPU driver

runtime libraries

fleet interfaces

Job description

About the Team

We are a systems software team building the foundational software for large-scale compute platforms. We work at the hardware/software boundary across the Linux kernel, accelerators, storage, firmware, and platform validation. We value rigorous engineering, clear interfaces, measurable performance and reliability, and upstream collaboration where appropriate. The team partners closely with hardware, architecture, product, validation, and production engineering groups to move new capabilities from design through dependable deployment.

About the Role

You will lead the technical strategy and cross-functional delivery of the low-level GPU software stack for data-center computing. You will connect accelerator architecture, firmware, kernel drivers, runtimes, communication, telemetry, and fleet reliability into a coherent roadmap. This is a hands-on individual-contributor role: you will make architecture decisions, guide engineers, review critical implementations, and resolve system-level issues without assuming hiring or performance-management responsibilities.

Responsibilities

• Define the architecture and multi-year technical roadmap for GPU system software across driver, runtime, firmware-interface, management, observability, and reliability layers.
• Set priorities and technical standards for accelerator enablement, balancing near-term product commitments with compatibility, performance, serviceability, and long-term maintenance.
• Own end-to-end integration from architecture and pre-silicon planning through bring-up, qualification, general availability, fleet monitoring, and sustained operation.
• Lead cross-functional execution among silicon, firmware, kernel, compiler, library, machine-learning framework, server, network, storage, validation, and production teams.
• Resolve ambiguous system-level tradeoffs involving APIs, resource management, memory and interconnect topology, telemetry, recovery, security, and workload performance.
• Remain technically involved through prototypes, critical-path code and design reviews, performance analysis, and leadership during high-severity failure investigations.
• Define measurable release and reliability criteria, including qualification coverage, regression thresholds, fault containment, automated repair, and fleet-health indicators.
• Mentor engineers, raise the quality of architecture and debugging practices, and communicate technical decisions to both specialist and executive audiences.

Qualifications

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent practical experience.
• 5+ years of hands-on experience in GPU, accelerator, kernel, firmware, runtime, or data-center system software, including technical leadership on complex hardware/software programs.
• Demonstrated success setting technical direction and leading a major hardware/software program from concept through production.
• Deep understanding of accelerator architecture, memory hierarchy, interconnects, operating systems, device management, and production reliability.
• Experience coordinating dependencies and technical decisions across multiple engineering teams and organizational boundaries.
• Strong coding, design-review, performance-analysis, and system-debugging capability, with evidence of continued hands-on contribution.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience with a major GPU computing stack and its kernel driver, runtime, libraries, tooling, and fleet-management interfaces.
• Experience defining platform APIs or hardware/software contracts across multiple accelerator generations.
• Knowledge of distributed accelerator workloads, collective communication, topology-aware placement, and large-scale serviceability.
• Track record mentoring senior engineers and building alignment where priorities, ownership, or technical evidence initially conflict.

Job Information

The base salary range for this position in the selected city is $218400 - $480000 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

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:

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;

3. Exercising sound judgment.

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