Software Engineer - Platform Infrastructure (Rust, C++)

Socket.dev; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 440,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical coverage

Vision coverage

Dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Employee discounts

Job summary

SpaceXAI in Palo Alto is seeking a talented systems programmer to design, build, and optimize a large-scale distributed system powering one of the world's largest supercomputing clusters. You will dive into the low-level stack, profiling and tuning across GPUs, Linux kernel, networking, and filesystems to achieve peak performance.

You will collaborate on hardware-software co-design, maintain scalable code, and develop tools to boost team productivity.

Qualifications

• Experience in systems programming with low-level stack exposure.
• Strong knowledge of Kubernetes and container orchestration.
• Solid understanding of OS internals and networking.

Responsibilities

• Design, build, and implement a large-scale distributed system powering a massive supercomputing cluster.
• Profile, debug, and optimize performance across GPUs, Linux kernel, networking, and filesystems.
• Collaborate on hardware-software co-design to push AI training boundaries.
• Maintain and improve codebase; develop tools to boost team productivity.

Skills

Systems programming

Kubernetes expertise

Networking fundamentals

Debugging skills

Tools

Linux kernel debugging tools (perf, gdb, strace, Wireshark)

Docker

containerd

Job description

SpaceXAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All employees are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Design, build, and implement a large-scale distributed system that powers one of the world's largest supercomputing clusters.
• Dive into the low-level stack to profile, debug, and optimize performance across diverse systems, including GPUs, Linux kernel, networking, and filesystems, to achieve peak efficiency.
• Collaborate on hardware, software, and algorithm co-design to push the boundaries of AI training.
• Maintain and innovate on our codebase to ensure scalability and reliability.
• Develop tools to enhance team productivity and streamline workflows.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Systems programming experience in C, C++, or Rust
• Computer systems fundamentals with a grasp of how computers execute code from transistors to high-level applications.
• Hands-on expertise with Kubernetes (K8s), including cluster architecture, pod lifecycle, networking (CNI), storage (CSI), service mesh, and production-grade operations

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Collaborate in a fast-paced, open environment to design and foundational systems.
• Strong debugging skills across the full stack — from kernel and OS up through container orchestration layers
• Deep knowledge of operating systems internals (process scheduling, memory management, file systems, and synchronization primitives)
• Proficiency in performance analysis, profiling, and low-level optimization techniques
• Solid understanding of computer networks and the TCP/IP stack
• Experience working with Linux kernel concepts or systems-level debugging tools (e.g., perf, gdb, strace, Wireshark)
• Proficiency deploying and managing workloads using Kubernetes manifests, Helm, Operators, and GitOps workflows
• Solid understanding of containerization technologies (Docker, containerd, crio) and their interaction with the Linux kernel
• Experience with observability and monitoring in distributed systems (Prometheus, Grafana, VictoriaMetrics, OpenTelemetry, or similar)

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at xAI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.

SpaceXAI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.