Software Development Engineer

Insight Global; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Insight Global in Palo Alto is seeking a senior engineer to work on ESXi kernel and hardware enablement, collaborating across cross-geo development teams and with partner software groups to develop solutions.

You will design and implement virtualization features, support new hardware platforms, and contribute to system architecture while maintaining production-grade code and addressing complex customer issues.

Qualifications

• BS/MS/PhD with extensive industry experience and seniority requirements.
• Deep OS and kernel internals knowledge (Linux, BSDs, or Windows NT).
• Strong understanding of modern microprocessor architectures (multiprocessor systems, cache architecture, memory barriers).
• Experience with PCI, ACPI, IOMMU, DMA, UEFI I/O subsystems.
• Experience on x86 PC or ServerReady Arm platforms.
• Experience with version control and code review tools (Git, Gerrit, Perforce).
• Ability to work with and troubleshoot build systems, makefiles, and Linux shell scripts.

Responsibilities

• Day-to-day development and debugging of ESXi kernel and hypervisor components.
• Design and implement CPU, memory, and I/O virtualization functionality.
• Enable and support new hardware platforms, including boot, chipset, and driver development.
• Maintain and enhance Arm and x86 architecture support within the ESXi kernel.
• Collaborate with silicon vendors and partners on new hardware technologies.
• Participate in system architecture, research, and future capability planning for ESXi.
• Support high-quality production code and assist with complex customer or platform issues.

Skills

Kernel internals

OS knowledge

CPU architectures

I/O subsystems

Build system troubleshooting

Shell scripting

Version control concepts

Education

BS in Computer Science or Computer Engineering

MS in Computer Science or Computer Engineering

PhD in Computer Science or related field

Tools

Git

Gerrit

Perforce

Makefiles

Linux shell

Job description

In this role the engineer is expected to be able to successfully work on large systems and hardware enablement projects and collaborate across multiple cross-geo development teams. The candidate should be comfortable with all technical aspects of a project and should be able to represent the team technically internally and externally with partners. In addition, the candidate would need to collaborate with engineers from partner’s software development teams to jointly develop solutions on ESXi. The candidate would be part of a strong technical team that is fully motivated and engaged, working across the full stack from bootloader to configuration scripts. Further, the candidate is expected to foster a research mindset focused towards developing new solutions.

Job Description

• Day-to-day development and debugging of ESXi kernel and hypervisor components
• Design and implement CPU, memory, and I/O virtualization functionality
• Enable and support new hardware platforms, including boot, chipset, and driver development
• Maintain and enhance Arm and x86 architecture support within the ESXi kernel
• Collaborate with silicon vendors and partners on new hardware technologies
• Participate in system architecture, research, and future capability planning for ESXi
• Support high-quality production code and assist with complex customer or platform issues

Required Skills & Experience

• BS in Computer Science or Computer Engineering with 12+ years of industry experience OR MS with 10+ years OR PhD with 7+ years of industry experience
• Deep operating systems and kernel internals knowledge (Linux, BSDs, or Windows NT)
• Strong understanding of modern microprocessor architectures (multiprocessor systems, cache architecture, memory barriers)
• Experience with modern computer systems and I/O subsystems (PCI, ACPI, IOMMU, DMA, UEFI)
• Experience on x86 PC or ServerReady Arm platforms
• Experience with version control and code review tools (Git, Gerrit, Perforce)
• Ability to work with and troubleshoot build systems, makefiles, and Linux shell scripts

Nice to Have Skills & Experience

• Experience with virtualization platforms (ESXi, KVM, Hyper‑V)
• Hardware bring-up experience (CPU, boot loaders, chipset, SMP/NUMA, interrupt controllers, SMMUs)
• Experience with AMD and/or Intel x86 CPU architecture design and implementation
• Assembly programming experience (Arm, x86, or RISC)
• Kernel performance analysis and optimization experience