Systems Engineer, Kernel (Automation/Validation)

Overview CoreWeave is The Essential Cloud for AI. Built for pioneers by pioneers, CoreWeave delivers a platform of technology, tools, and teams that enables innovators to build and scale AI with confidence. Trusted by leading AI labs, startups, and global enterprises, CoreWeave combines superior infrastructure performance with deep technical expertise to accelerate breakthroughs and turn compute into capability. Founded in 2017, CoreWeave became a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: CRWV) in March 2025. Learn more at www.coreweave.com. Position Senior Systems Engineer, Kernel Automation & Validation CoreWeave is seeking a specialized Kernel Automation Engineer to join our HAVOCK Team. In this role, you will be the architect of our validation infrastructure. You will design the framework that ensures stability across the entire vertical stack—from Firmware to Kernel to NCCL to Slurm. You will build the CI/CD pipelines and hardware-in-the-loop test harnesses that validate our custom Linux builds against next-generation GPUs, high-speed interconnects, and AI schedulers. Our Team’s Stack Languages: Python (expert level), Go, Bash, C CI/CD & Automation: GitHub Actions, Jenkins, Ansible, Terraform, ArgoCD Validation Tools: LAVA (Linaro), LabGrid, kselftest, Pytest, Syzkaller The Stack: BIOS/BMC Firmware, Linux Kernel, OFED/RDMA drivers, NCCL, Slurm Hardware: Bare metal provisioning (PXE, IPMI), NVIDIA GPUs, ConnectX Focus Areas End-to-End Test Framework: building a unified test harness that triggers validation from low-level firmware up to high-level Slurm job scheduling. Hardware-in-the-Loop: Managing and automating a fleet of bare-metal DUTs (Device Under Test) for kernel regression testing. Performance Validation: Automating benchmarks for NCCL and RDMA to catch latency regressions before production. Build Pipeline Evolution: Refactoring the Havock build system to allow any engineer to spin up a custom kernel and test it on real hardware via CLI. Firmware/Driver Interop: Automating matrix testing between different Kernel versions, NVIDIA Drivers, and NIC Firmware. Responsibilities Design and implement a full-stack validation pipeline that ensures a kernel change doesn't break NCCL rings or Slurm scheduling logic. Develop a CLI tool (Go/Python) that allows kernel engineers to launch ad-hoc test runs on specific hardware SKUs. Automate the provisioning of test nodes, including BIOS/BMC configuration and firmware flashing. Integrate standard kernel tests (LTP, kselftest, blktests) into a modern CI/CD workflow. Write glue code to connect low-level kernel outputs (dmesg, serial logs) to high-level reporting dashboards. Requirements 5+ years of experience in Test Automation, Release Engineering, or Systems Development. Strong Python/Go skills: Ability to write complex test frameworks and CLI tools beyond simple scripting. The vertical perspective: Experience debugging or testing interactions between Firmware, Kernel, and Userspace. CI/CD Expertise: Experience building pipelines that manage hardware resources, not just software builds. HPC Knowledge: Familiarity with Slurm (job scheduling), MPI, or NCCL (collective communications). Experience with bare-metal provisioning (PXE, iPXE, Kickstart). Nice-to-haves Experience testing RDMA/InfiniBand networks. Familiarity with NVIDIA GPU architecture and the CUDA ecosystem. Experience writing Reproducers for kernel bugs in C. Knowledge of PyTorch distributed training flows. Compensation and Benefits Our compensation reflects the cost of labor across several US geographic markets. The base pay for this position ranges from $153,000/year in our lowest geographic market up to $242,000/year in our highest geographic market. Pay is based on a number of factors including market location and may vary depending on job-related knowledge, skills, and experience. In addition to a competitive salary, we offer a variety of benefits to support your needs, including: Medical, dental, and vision insurance - 100% paid for by CoreWeave Company-paid Life Insurance Voluntary supplemental life insurance Short and long-term disability insurance Flexible Spending Account Health Savings Account Tuition Reimbursement Ability to Participate in Employee Stock Purchase Program (ESPP) Mental Wellness Benefits through Spring Health Family-Forming support provided by Carrot Paid Parental Leave Flexible, full-service childcare support with Kinside 401(k) with a generous employer match Flexible PTO Catered lunch each day in our office and data center locations A casual work environment A work culture focused on innovative disruption Workplace While we prioritize a hybrid work environment, remote work may be considered for candidates located more than 30 miles from an office, based on role requirements for specialized skill sets. New hires will be invited to attend onboarding at one of our hubs within their first month. Teams also gather quarterly to support collaboration. Legal California Consumer Privacy Act - California applicants only. Equal Opportunity Employer: CoreWeave is an equal opportunity employer, committed to fostering an inclusive and supportive workplace. All qualified applicants and candidates will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, disability, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran status, or genetic information. Export Control Compliance: This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicants must either be (A) a U.S. person, (B) eligible to access the export controlled information without a required export authorization, or (C) eligible and reasonably likely to obtain the required export authorization. CoreWeave may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process. #J-18808-Ljbffr