Senior Systems Engineer, Kernel Performance & Observability
CoreWeave is seeking a Systems Kernel Engineer focused on Performance and Observability to join our HAVOCK Team. In this role, you will build the next generation of automated introspection tools that detect issues before our customers do. You will leverage eBPF and programmable debuggers to create "OOB (Out of Band) Kernel Introspection" capabilities, allowing us to analyze live systems and core dumps with unprecedented depth. You will turn manual debugging steps into automated software solutions.
Hardware - Acceleration - Virtualization - Operating Systems - Containerization - Kubelet
Our Team’s Stack:
- Observability: eBPF (BCC/libbpf), drgn, bpftrace, perf
- Python, Go, C
- Custom Linux Kernel, Ubuntu
- Prometheus, Victoria Metrics, Grafana
- Docker, kubernetes (k8s)
Focus Areas:
- Advanced Observability – Designing eBPF-based tracing tools to analyze latency, resource contention, and locking in real-time.
- Introspection Tooling – Advancing our usage of programmable debuggers (like drgn) to analyze live kernels and core dumps.
- Automated Triage – Building systems that automatically categorize kernel crashes (RIP registers, stack traces) and reporting.
- Out-of-Band (OOB) Debugging – Implementing stealth forensics to debug hosts via DPUs without impacting the main CPU.
- Performance Analytics – Correlating kernel metrics with fleet-wide telemetry in Grafana.
Responsibilities:
- Develop eBPF programs to trace complex performance regressions in production.
- Build and maintain Debug images and associated tooling.
- Automate the analysis of soft lockups and crash dumps (automating crash/drgn workflows).
- Work on "OOB Kernel Introspection," enabling memory traces and debugging.
- Collaborate with the fleet team to integrate kernel metrics into high-level dashboards.
Requirements:
- 5+ years of experience in Systems Engineering or Kernel Development.
- eBPF Mastery: Strong experience writing eBPF programs (using bcc, bpftrace, or libbpf) for production environments.
- Scripting for Debugging: Proficiency in Python (specifically for drgn or GDB scripting) to automate analysis.
- Deep Linux Internals: Understanding of how to trace the scheduler, memory subsystem, and block layer.
- Experience connecting system metrics to visualization tools (Prometheus, Grafana).
Nice-to-haves:
- Experience with OOB (Out of Band) management
- Experience with Fuzzing (Syzkaller) or Sanitizers (KASAN, UBSAN)
- Previous work on "Self-Healing" infrastructure or automated remediation
- Experience upstreaming tooling to the open-source community
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.
What We Offer
The range we’ve posted represents the typical compensation range for this role. To determine actual compensation, we review the market rate for each candidate which can include a variety of factors. These include qualifications, experience, interview performance, and location.
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
Our 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
California Consumer Privacy Act - California applicants only
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.
As part of this commitment and consistent with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), CoreWeave will ensure that qualified applicants and candidates with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations for the hiring process, unless such accommodation would cause an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact: [email protected].
Export Control Compliance
This position requires access to export controlled information. To conform to U.S. Government export regulations applicable to that information, applicant must either be (A) a U.S. person, defined as a (i) U.S. citizen or national, (ii) U.S. lawful permanent resident (green card holder), (iii) refugee under 8 U.S.C. § 1157, or (iv) asylee under 8 U.S.C. § 1158, (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 from the applicable U.S. government agency. CoreWeave may, for legitimate business reasons, decline to pursue any export licensing process.
Top Skills
CoreWeave Sunnyvale, California, USA Office
CoreWeave Sunnyvale, CA Office
Sunnyvale, California, United States
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