Senior Systems Engineer - AI Infrastructure

About Clockwork SystemsClockwork.io – Software Driven Fabrics to increase GPU cluster utilizationClockwork Systems was founded by Stanford researchers and veteran systems engineers who share a vision for redefining the foundations of distributed computing. As AI workloads grow increasingly complex, traditional infrastructure struggles to meet the demands of performance, reliability, and precise coordination. Clockwork is pioneering a software-driven approach to AI fabrics by delivering cross-stack observability to catch and quickly resolve problems, workload fault tolerance to keep jobs running through failures, and performance acceleration that dynamically routes and paces traffic to avoid congestion.To learn more, visit www.clockwork.io.About the RoleWe're building infrastructure for fault-tolerant, high-performance distributed GPU training. You'll work at the intersection of GPU systems, high-speed networking, and distributed coordination—designing and implementing systems that run at scale.This is a systems building role. You'll dig into internals, understand why things break under pressure, and design solutions that handle the messy reality of distributed systems.What You'll DoDesign and implement low-level systems software for GPU clustersWork with internals of frameworks like PyTorch, NCCL, CUDA runtime—not as a user, but modifying and extending themBuild components that make large-scale GPU training more reliable and efficientDebug complex distributed/concurrent systems where failures are subtle and non-deterministicOwn systems end-to-end: from design through productionWhat We're Looking For Required: Systems building experienceYou've designed and built complex systems—not just deployed or operated them Examples:Kernel subsystems, device drivers, or OS-level componentsDistributed storage, databases, or coordination systemsRuntimes, profilers, or performance toolingNetwork stacks, protocols, or high-performance I/O systemsLarge-scale infrastructure at the systems layerCore technical skills:Strong C/C++ in systems contexts (not just application code)Deep understanding of concurrency, memory models, and failure modesExperience reasoning about distributed system behavior: consistency, ordering, partial failuresComfortable reading and modifying large, unfamiliar code basesNice to have:GPU programming (CUDA) or GPU systems experienceHigh-performance networking (RDMA, Infin iBand)ML framework or runtime internalsCluster scheduling or orchestration systemsWe believe strong systems engineers pick up domain-specific tools quickly. We value your ability to reason about complex systems over checkbox familiarity with our specific stack.Senior ExpectationsLead design of significant system componentsNavigate ambiguity and define technical directionMentor engineers and raise team capabilities8+ years building systems softwareEnjoyChallenging projects.A friendly and inclusive workplace culture.Competitive compensation.A great benefits package.Catered lunch.Compensation for this position will vary based on the skills and experience you bring, as well as internal equity considerations. For candidates hired at the posted level, the expected base salary range is $150,000 - $230,000. The offered compensation package may also include stock options or other equity awards, subject to Clockwork’s equity program and applicable approvals.Clockwork Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building world-class teams by welcoming bright, passionate individuals from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. We believe diversity drives innovation, and we grow stronger together.