Software Engineering Director - Inference Platform

Software Engineering Director - Inference PlatformSan Jose, California, United StatesThe era of pervasive AI has arrived. In this era, organizations will use generative AI to unlock hidden value in their data, accelerate processes, reduce costs, drive efficiency and innovation to fundamentally transform their businesses and operations at scale.SambaNova Suite™ is the first full-stack, generative AI platform, from chip to model, optimized for enterprise and government organizations. Powered by the intelligent SN40L chip, the SambaNova Suite is a fully integrated platform, delivered on-premises or in the cloud, combined with state-of-the-art open-source models that can be easily and securely fine-tuned using customer data for greater accuracy.

Once adapted with customer data, customers retain model ownership in perpetuity, so they can turn generative AI into one of their most valuable assets.About the RoleWe help enterprises and service providers host their own AI inference platforms, powered by our state-of-the-art RDU (Reconfigurable Dataflow Unit) hardware architecture. Our cloud-agnostic, enterprise-grade inference serving platform enables seamless deployment, management, and scaling of foundation model workloads at production scale.As an Engineering Director on the SambaStack team, you will lead a high-performing team of engineers while remaining a hands-on technical contributor. You will be responsible for the growth and effectiveness of your team, the technical quality of their output, and driving key engineering initiatives while continuing to contribute directly on the platform's most important challenges.This is a high-impact, high-visibility role combining:People leadership and team developmentAI infrastructureEnterprise softwareSystems architecture and designPeople & Team LeadershipLead, grow, and inspire a software team, fostering a culture of technical excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvementOwn hiring for your team: define roles, assess candidates, and build a diverse, high-performing engineering organizationDrive the career development of your engineers through regular 1:1s, meaningful feedback, and clear growth plansSet clear goals and expectations, track team progress, and remove blockers to keep the team executing effectivelyPartner with Product, ML, QA, and DevOps leadership to align team priorities with broader organizational objectivesTechnical ContributionContribute directly as a software engineer: designing systems, writing code, and leading implementation on critical platform initiativesParticipate in and lead design reviews, providing authoritative technical guidance on major features and cross-cutting changesEstablish and uphold engineering standards, best practices, and coding quality across the teamProactively identify and drive the resolution of systemic risks: performance bottlenecks, reliability gaps, and scaling constraintsStay current on emerging technologies and AI inference trends to inform the team's technical directionRequired Qualifications12+ years of software engineering experience, including 2+ years leading and managing engineering teamsDemonstrated ability to manage, develop, and hire strong engineers while remaining a hands-on technical contributorStrong technical depth in backend systems built with Python, Go, or RustExperience with AI inference serving, orchestration, and the infrastructure challenges of LLM workloads at production scaleProven ability to drive engineering excellence across an engineering teamExcellent communication skills: able to work effectively with engineers, cross-functional partners, and senior leadershipExperience running iterative engineering processes in a fast-paced environmentPreferred QualificationsExperience with Kubernetes ecosystem tooling, including Operators and Helm ChartsBackground in ML application optimization and productionizationExperience building or managing teams that deliver cloud-native platforms for enterprise customersFamiliarity with AI coding assistants and the developer tooling ecosystemExperience at a high-growth AI infrastructure companyBase Salary Range:$245,000 - $325,000 USDEEO Policy SambaNova Systems is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard basis of age (40 and over), color, disability, gender identity, genetic information, marital status, military or veteran status, national origin/ancestry, race, religion, creed, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding), sexual orientation, and any other applicable status protected by federal, state, or local laws.