Performance & Debug Software Engineer – AI Inference

Positron Corporation

97d • $200,000 - $300,000 • Remote

About The Position

Improve end-to-end large language model inference performance on Positron's custom AI accelerators, including FPGA-based Atlas systems and Titan systems built on the Asimov ASIC. The work spans hardware-accelerated attention, accelerator tuning, distributed KV cache, and scalable inference serving architectures, covering profiling, algorithms, GPU-side data preparation, host-to-device data movement, runtime behavior, and measurement on production-relevant models.

Join a small, performance-focused team responsible for optimizing the whole stack rather than isolated kernel interfaces. The team aims to establish a repeatable path from observing workload symptoms to identifying root causes and delivering measured improvements. The role may be leveled more senior for the right candidate, with responsibilities and impact expectations tailored to the final hire's experience and seniority.

Within the first 12 months, success includes creating a repeatable baseline performance scorecard for priority workloads; removing at least one major bottleneck in hardware-accelerated attention, accelerator tuning, or distributed inference and adding an automated regression guard; and implementing a key distributed inference data path with its end-to-end cost quantified.

The position is remote-first. Candidates must already be authorized to work in the U.S.; new visa sponsorship is not available, though H-1B transfers may be facilitated for eligible candidates.

Requirements

• Strong C++ and Python skills.
• Hands-on experience profiling and optimizing complex systems that exercise Linux VFIO interfaces.
• Deep understanding of memory hierarchy, concurrency, data movement, batching, scheduling, and performance measurement.
• Hands-on experience using profilers, counters, traces, and statistical methods to distinguish signal from noise.
• Demonstrated ability to debug across application, runtime, driver, firmware, and hardware boundaries.
• Experience bringing up software on new silicon and debugging and analyzing performance optimizations in customer production deployments.
• Enthusiasm for AI-accelerated software development, including using coding agents and orchestrating subagents without compromising engineering outcomes.
• Currently authorized to work in the U.S.

Nice To Haves

• Experience with CUDA, HIP, Triton, GPU kernel development, distributed inference, or KV cache systems.
• Familiarity with transformer inference, mixture-of-experts (MoE) models, model serving, FPGA or ASIC accelerators.
• Working knowledge of Perfetto, Linux perf, eBPF, simulation, or hardware performance counters.

Responsibilities

• Profile and optimize latency, throughput, utilization, and efficiency across hardware-accelerated attention, accelerator configuration, the device runtime, host software, and on-device execution.
• Use performance counters, hardware and software traces, telemetry, and simulation to isolate regressions and validate fixes.
• Develop and optimize distributed inference capabilities, including efficient KV cache management and data movement across heterogeneous hardware.
• Build representative benchmarks and workload traces that expose bottlenecks in compute, memory, chip-to-chip interconnect, networking, scheduling, and model loading.
• Partner with embedded test engineers to turn performance findings into durable regression tests and release gates.
• Influence hardware and software architecture and interfaces when measured performance reveals a structural limitation.

Benefits

• Fully company-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance for employees and their dependents.
• Company-paid life and disability coverage, with voluntary options to add more.
• Supplemental hospital, critical illness, and accident coverage available.
• Unlimited paid time off.
• 13 paid company holidays.
• Remote-first culture with a company-provided computer and home office setup.
• Competitive salary and equity.
• 401(k) with company matching, eligible from day one.

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior
• Education Level: No Education Listed