Lead Software Engineer, Kernels

We are seeking a hands-on engineering TLM to lead the Kernel team. You will manage, mentor, and grow a team of kernel engineers while setting technical direction and executing. At the same time, you will be an active coding contributor by designing and implementing high-performance compute kernels for specialized AI hardware.

You will partner with the ML team to maximize output and improve diagnostic tools, and collaborate with hardware to co-design next-generation AI architectures.

What You’ll Do Here

• Manage, mentor, and build a team of highly specialized kernel engineers and software developers
• Design and optimize kernels that interface directly with our hardware
• Work in partnership with our ML Research and Hardware Engineering teams
• Provide expertise and guidance on hardware architecture from a programmer’s perspective, ensuring seamless integration with the software stack

Software Engineering, Kernel Programming, Training/Teaching, Computer Systems, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Mentoring, Kernel Programming, Team Lead/Manager, Productivity Management, Software Development, * 2+ years of engineering team management experience

• 7+ years of working directly within engineering teams experience
• Bachelor of Computer Science or equivalent degree
• Experience optimizing software for specialized hardware, employing techniques such as parallelism, SIMD programming, C, assembly-level optimization, or GPU/CUDA programming
• Language: at least one of assembly, C++, C, Zig, or Rust
• Ability to navigate ambiguity, manage escalations, and align stakeholders around infrastructure decisions.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, with a track record of translating complex technical trade-offs with the founders and stakeholders

Bonus Points If You Have

• Experience implementing kernels for ML models such as Transformers
• Experience using and implementing distributed parallelism techniques such as AllReduce, AllToAll, data parallelism, tensor parallelism.
• Familiarity with how compilers work

The US base salary for this full-time position is determined based on a variety of factors including role, experience, location, job-related skills, and relevant education and training. Career length is only a guideline for compensation.

• Early Career - $160,000 - $275,000 + equity
• Mid Career - $175,000 - $400,000 + equity
• Senior Career - $250,000 - $600,000 + equity

What We Offer

• Time off: 4 weeks PTO (accrued) + 12 company Holidays + up to 3 weeks remote work
• Health: Company-subsidized Medical (Kaiser or Anthem) for employees & dependents, Guardian Dental and Vision insurances for employee & dependents, and life insurance (employee only), plus HSA and FSA offerings via Lively.
• Financial Security: Choose from Roth or pre-tax 401K (or both) with a 5% company contribution (even if you don’t contribute), 100% company-paid life insurance (up to $300K), long-term disability and travel insurance.
• Professional Development: $1500 per year Professional Development Budget
• Team Meals: MatX provides onsite team lunch & dinner Monday - Friday, with your choice of ordering via WeBox, Specialty’s or via our reimbursement system
• Commute on Us: We pay 100% for your daily commute. Commute via our company rideshare account, reimburse public transportation, or get a Fasttrak card (or all three)
• MatX E[x]tras: $50/mo to use on the perk you value most
• Cell & Internet Reimbursement: $35/mo for cellular and $40/mo for wifi
• Remote Home Setup: Use our Amazon business account for up to $1000 in office setup purchases.
• Mental Wellbeing: 100% paid mental health benefit via SpringHealth and Guardian EAP.
• Support to Parents: Up to 12 weeks paid parental leave regardless of path to parenthood, 10 weeks pregnancy disability leave, flexible return-to-work hours, and a $6K Family Fund to cover fertility, surrogacy, adoption, menopausal health, preservation, family counseling and more.