Staff Software Engineer - Kernel and Virtualization

Crusoe Energy Systems LLC; San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 250,000 - 320,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading AI-first cloud infrastructure company as a Staff Software Engineer specializing in virtualization and Linux kernel development. You will lead a team to innovate and scale cloud platforms optimized for AI workloads, ensuring high performance and reliability. This role offers competitive compensation and a comprehensive benefits package, including stock options and health insurance.

Benefits

Industry competitive pay

Restricted Stock Units

Health insurance package options

Employer contributions to HSA

Paid Parental Leave

Paid life insurance

401(k) with 100% match

Generous paid time off

Cell phone reimbursement

Tuition reimbursement

Qualifications

• 10+ years in systems software engineering focused on virtualization and kernel development.
• 3+ years in a technical leadership role managing infrastructure teams.

Responsibilities

• Oversee design and implementation of high-performance virtualization layers.
• Lead a cross-functional team to build scalable compute infrastructure.
• Perform debugging and root-cause analysis of OS and hardware issues.

Skills

Virtualization

Linux Kernel

Communication

Tools

KVM

Xen

VMware

C

C++

Go

Rust

CUDA

ROCm

InfiniBand

RoCE

Job description

Crusoe is building the World’s Favorite AI-first Cloud infrastructure company. We’re pioneering vertically integrated, purpose-built AI infrastructure solutions trusted by Fortune 500 companies to power their most advanced AI applications. Crusoe is redefining AI cloud infrastructure, with a mission to align the future of computing with the future of the climate. Our AI platform is recognized as the "gold standard" for reliability and performance. Our data centers are optimized for AI workloads and are powered by clean, renewable energy.

Be part of the AI revolution with sustainable technology at Crusoe. Here, you'll drive meaningful innovation, make a tangible impact, and join a team that’s setting the pace for responsible, transformative cloud infrastructure.

Staff Software Engineer – Virtualization & Linux Kernel Specialist

Crusoe is building the World’s Favorite AI-first Cloud infrastructure company. We’re pioneering vertically integrated, purpose-built AI infrastructure solutions trusted by Fortune 500 companies to power their most advanced AI applications. Crusoe is redefining AI cloud infrastructure, with a mission to align the future of computing with the future of the climate. Our AI platform is recognized as the "gold standard" for reliability and performance. Our data centers are optimized for AI workloads and are powered by clean, renewable energy.

Be part of the AI revolution with sustainable technology at Crusoe. Here, you'll drive meaningful innovation, make a tangible impact, and join a team that’s setting the pace for responsible, transformative cloud infrastructure.

About the Role:

Crusoe is seeking a senior technical leader with deep expertise in both virtualization infrastructure and Linux kernel development to help build and scale our cloud platform optimized for AI and HPC workloads. This role will oversee the end-to-end design and implementation of high-performance virtualization layers, while also driving the development of kernel-level software that interfaces closely with hardware accelerators and hypervisors.

You will lead a cross-functional team focused on building robust, scalable, and efficient compute infrastructure — combining deep systems-level engineering with cloud-native scalability. Your leadership will directly shape the performance, reliability, and functionality of Crusoe’s cloud compute offerings.

What You’ll Be Working On:

• Virtualization Architecture & Implementation:

  • Design and implement advanced virtualization technologies tailored for GPU-accelerated AI and HPC workloads.

  • Make architectural decisions on hypervisors, device emulation, and hardware-software integration (e.g., GPUs, TPUs, networking).
    Optimize virtualization stacks for performance, scalability, and low latency across cloud-native and bare-metal configurations.
    

• Linux Kernel & Driver Development:

  • Develop and maintain Linux kernel modules, including device drivers, to support new hardware and ensure reliable kernel performance.

  • Optimize kernel-level performance (memory management, scheduling, I/O) for high-throughput and low-latency workloads.

  • Focus on integration between kernel, hypervisors, and hardware accelerators to support advanced compute use cases.
    

• Debugging & Performance Analysis:

  • Perform deep-dive debugging and root-cause analysis of issues at the OS, hypervisor, and hardware level.
    Collaborate closely with hardware engineers to understand IP block functionality and ensure seamless software integration.
    Drive system performance improvements through kernel and virtualization optimizations.
    

• Team Leadership & Collaboration:

  • Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing team of engineers across kernel, systems, and virtualization domains.
    Collaborate with product, infrastructure, hardware, and AI/ML teams to align technical direction with business goals.
    Contribute to a culture of engineering excellence through technical mentorship, code/design reviews, and cross-functional communication.
    

What You’ll Bring to the Team:

• 10+ years of experience in systems software engineering, with a focus on both virtualization and kernel-level development.
  3+ years in a technical leadership role managing infrastructure or low-level systems teams.

• Deep expertise with virtualization technologies (e.g., KVM, Xen, VMware) and hypervisor development.

• Strong knowledge of Linux kernel internals, including memory management, I/O, scheduling, and interrupt handling.

• Experience writing performant, reliable device drivers in C, C++, Go, or Rust.

• Familiarity with accelerators (GPUs, TPUs) and related technologies like CUDA or ROCm.

• Experience with high-performance networking (e.g., InfiniBand, RoCE) and tuning virtualization stacks for HPC workloads.

• Proven ability to lead complex projects from concept to production while mentoring others along the way.

• Excellent communication skills and ability to drive alignment across diverse engineering teams

Benefits:

• Industry competitive pay

• Restricted Stock Units in a fast growing, well-funded technology company

• Health insurance package options that include HDHP and PPO, vision, and dental for you and your dependents

• Employer contributions to HSA accounts

• Paid Parental Leave

• Paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability

• Teladoc

• 401(k) with a 100% match up to 4% of salary

• Generous paid time off and holiday schedule

• Cell phone reimbursement

• Tuition reimbursement

• Subscription to the Calm app

• MetLife Legal

• Company paid Commuter FSA benefit of $200 per month

Compensation Range

Compensation will be paid in the range of $250,000 - $320,000. Restricted Stock Units are included in all offers. Compensation to be determined by the applicants knowledge, education, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Crusoe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, citizenship, marital status, sex/gender, sexual preference/ orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, national origin, or any other status protected by law or regulation.