Application Engineer, Data Center Software

Utilidata•Ann Arbor, MI

1d•$165,000 - $195,000•Remote

About The Position

Utilidata is seeking an Application Engineer, Data Center Software to join their Technical Programs team. This is a founding role in a new Application Engineering function, responsible for building the integration layer between their Karman platform and the diverse software environments operated by their data center customers. This role involves creating custom API connectors, configuration checkers, and test frameworks. The engineer will collaborate directly with customer operations and engineering teams to define requirements, lead technical discussions, and translate customer needs into integration designs. This position offers significant influence over the development of Karman's software integrations, including the processes, tools, and standards for future engineers. The ideal candidate is technically proficient, customer-focused, and thrives in a dynamic product environment.

Requirements

8+ years of server software engineering experience with hands-on work in or with data center server environments
Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or similar field OR equivalent training and on the job experience
Strong proficiency in Linux system administration, including server builds, OS configuration, and service management
Demonstrated ability to design and implement API integrations between disparate software systems, including REST APIs and other common patterns
Solid experience with Kubernetes, containers, and virtual machines, including bare metal Kubernetes deployments
Demonstrated ability to write test frameworks, configuration checkers, and validation scripts; experience with both benchmark-driven and exploratory performance testing
Language agnostic, with Python or Rust proficiency as a baseline
Familiarity with communication protocols and serialization patterns (e.g., ZeroMQ, Protobuf, gRPC, Kafka)
Strong communication and interpersonal skills with the ability to engage customer data center operations teams and translate requirements into integration designs
Demonstrated ability to work independently and own complex technical problems end-to-end
High learning agility across diverse customer software environments
Experience integrating with DCIM platforms, hypervisors, or data center management APIs (e.g., Redfish, IPMI, or vendor-specific management interfaces)

Nice To Haves

Familiarity with observability and monitoring tooling common in data center environments (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana)
Experience building or contributing to structured software integration processes, checklists, or validation frameworks
Prior experience in a customer-facing technical role such as systems integration engineer, solutions engineer, or platform engineer
Experience with GitOps-based deployment workflows (e.g., ArgoCD, Helm)

Responsibilities

Work directly with customer data center operations and engineering teams to assess software environments, lead integration discussions, and translate requirements into actionable designs across DCIM platforms, custom dashboards, hypervisors, and management APIs
Design, develop, and validate custom API connectors between Karman and customer-specific data center software systems
Validate server builds against Karman's software requirements; write and execute configuration checkers and test suites for installation across customer environments
Conduct benchmark-driven and exploratory performance testing to identify and resolve bottlenecks
Debug integration issues and installation failures independently, leveraging deep familiarity with the Karman platform built through close collaboration with internal software engineering teams
Drive execution and sign-off of software installation requirement checklists for each customer engagement
Take an AI-first approach to automating processes and generating test frameworks, configuration checkers, integration artifacts, and deployment documentation
Build the software integration playbook — repeatable processes, templates, and documentation that scale the function beyond individual customer engagements
Create and maintain software integration artifacts, including SW validation checklists, test plans, configuration guides, KPI trackers, and After-Action Reports
Participate in roadmap meetings, engineering design reviews, and sprint planning to maintain a current understanding of the Karman platform
Serve as the feedback loop between customer deployments and core engineering, translating integration learnings into platform improvements
Support the TechOps team with software integration expertise for escalated production incidents related to initial installation