Sr/Staff Lustre Engineer

DDN; United States; Remote; USD 150,000 - 210,000; Full time

Job summary

DDN is seeking an experienced Lustre software engineer to contribute to Lustre architecture and lead implementation of new features across core subsystems. You will write high-performance code in the Lustre kernel module and user-space utilities, owning full development lifecycle from design to upstream patch submission.

The role focuses on improving scalability for multi-petabyte Lustre environments, modernizing internals, and collaborating with hardware teams to translate workload needs into

Qualifications

• 7+ years of Lustre software development experience.
• Contributions to Lustre codebase in production or open-source.
• Designed and upstreamed Lustre features into major releases.
• Deep understanding of Lustre internals: MDS/OSS, LDLM, journaling, DNE, DoM, FLD, layout, quota, security.
• Expert C programming and strong Linux kernel development experience.
• Knowledge of distributed systems and high‑performance I/O.
• Experience with Lustre build, development and debugging tooling (lctl, llstat, strace, perf).
• Python and/or Bash skills for tooling and automation.
• Bachelors or Masters in CS/CE related field.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Contribute to Lustre architecture and lead feature implementation across core subsystems.
• Write high‑performance code in the Lustre kernel module and user space utilities.
• Own full development lifecycle for major features, from design to upstream patch submission.
• Improve scalability for multi‑petabyte Lustre environments and I/O paths.
• Modernize Lustre internals with kernel API updates and RDMA enhancements.
• Prototype and evaluate NVMe-oF, CXL, and other next‑gen storage approaches.
• Strengthen regression and performance validation using Lustre tools.
• Perform deep code‑level performance analysis with Lustre tracing tools and profilers.
• Collaborate with Principal Engineers and hardware teams; translate workload needs into improvements.
• Mentor other developers and contribute design docs and engineering reviews.

Skills

Lustre

C programming

Linux kernel

Distributed systems

High‑performance I/O

Python

Bash

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s degree in CS

Tools

lctl

llstat

strace

perf

kernel tracers

Job description

What you’ll do

• Contribute to Lustre architecture and lead implementation of new features across core subsystems including MDS/OSS, LDLM, DNE, DoM, FLD, layout, snapshot, quota, security, and recovery

• Write high-performance, production-grade code across the Lustre kernel module, user-space utilities, and supporting libraries

• Own the full development lifecycle for major features, from design and coding through testing, performance tuning, and upstream patch submission

• Improve scalability for multi-petabyte Lustre environments, including metadata performance, I/O path optimization, and integration with modern interconnects and storage fabrics

• Modernize Lustre internals through kernel API updates, locking improvements, RDMA enhancements, and cloud/container-oriented capabilities

• Prototype and evaluate emerging technologies such as NVMe-oF, CXL, and other next-generation storage approaches for potential Lustre integration

• Strengthen regression, stress, and performance validation using tools such as IOR, mdtest, fio, and custom Lustre test tooling

• Perform deep code-level performance analysis using Lustre tracing tools, perf, lockstat, and kernel profilers

• Work closely with Principal Engineers, hardware teams, and application owners to translate real workload needs into practical Lustre improvements

• Mentor other developers and contribute design docs, technical guides, and engineering reviews

What we’re looking for

• 7+ years of progressive, hands‑on Lustre software development experience

• A strong track record of meaningful contributions to the Lustre codebase in production or open-source environments

• Demonstrated success designing, implementing, and upstreaming Lustre features that made it into major releases

• Deep understanding of Lustre internals, including MDS/OSS architecture, LDLM locking and recovery, journaling, DNE, DoM, FLD, layout, quota, and security

• Expert‑level C programming and strong Linux kernel development experience

• Strong knowledge of distributed systems, parallel file systems, and high‑performance I/O

• Experience with Lustre build, development, and debugging tooling such as lctl, llstat, strace, perf, and kernel tracers

• Python and/or Bash skills for tooling and automation

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related field

• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to explain complex technical concepts effectively

Nice to have

• 7+ years in HPC or storage software development

• Visible contributions to the Lustre open-source community, including accepted patches, LUG participation, or public technical talks

• Experience running or developing Lustre in cloud environments such as AWS FSx for Lustre, Azure Lustre, or custom cloud deployments

• Familiarity with adjacent systems such as Ceph, DAOS, BeeGFS, WekaIO, or GPFS

• Exposure to RDMA, NVMe-oF, CXL, computational storage, or AI/ML I/O workloads

• Conference presentations, technical publications, or other public engineering contributions

You’ll likely be a strong fit if you…

• Have built inside Lustre itself, not just around it

• Enjoy solving hard kernel, performance, and distributed systems problems

• Care about code quality, upstream contribution, and long‑term architectural impact

• Want to work on infrastructure that operates at real scale under real performance constraints

This role is probably not the right fit if you…

• Have mainly supported or administered Lustre rather than developed it

• Come from general storage or kernel backgrounds without clear Lustre code contribution history

• Prefer high‑level application engineering over low‑level systems and kernel work