Staff Software Engineer - GenAI inference

P-1285About This RoleAs a staff software engineer for GenAI inference, you will lead the architecture, development, and optimization of the inference engine that powers Databricks Foundation Model API.. You’ll bridge research advances and production demands, ensuring high throughput, low latency, and robust scaling. Your work will encompass the full GenAI inference stack: kernels, runtimes, orchestration, memory, and integration with frameworks and orchestration systems.What You Will DoOwn and drive the architecture, design, and implementation of the inference engine, and collaborate on model-serving stack optimized for large-scale LLMs inferencePartner closely with researchers to bring new model architectures or features (sparsity, activation compression, mixture-of-experts) into the engineLead the end-to-end optimization for latency, throughput, memory efficiency, and hardware utilization across GPUs, and acceleratorsDefine and guide standards to build and maintain instrumentation, profiling, and tracing tooling to uncover bottlenecks and guide optimizationsArchitect scalable routing, batching, scheduling, memory management, and dynamic loading mechanisms for inference workloadsEnsure reliability, reproducibility, and fault tolerance in the inference pipelines, including A/B launches, rollback, and model versioningCollaborate cross-functionally on Integrating with federated, distributed inference infrastructure – orchestrate across nodes, balance load, handle communication overheadDrive cross-team collaboration: with platform engineers, cloud infrastructure, and security/compliance teamsRepresent the team externally through benchmarks, whitepapers, and open-source contributionsWhat We Look ForBS/MS/PhD in Computer Science, or a related fieldStrong software engineering background (6+ years or equivalent) in performance-critical systemsProven track record of owning complex system components and driving architectural decisions end-to-endDeep understanding of ML inference internals: attention, MLPs, recurrent modules, quantization, sparse operations, etc.Hands-on experience with CUDA, GPU programming, and key libraries (cuBLAS, cuDNN, NCCL, etc.)Strong background in distributed systems design, including RPC frameworks, queuing, RPC batching, sharding, memory partitioningDemonstrated ability to uncover and solve performance bottlenecks across layers (kernel, memory, networking, scheduler)Experience building instrumentation, tracing, and profiling tools for ML modelsAbility to lead through influence - work closely with ML researchers, translate novel model ideas into production systemsExcellent communication and leadership skills, with a proactive and ownership-driven mindsetBonus: published research or open-source contributions in ML systems, inference optimization, or model servingPay Range TransparencyDatabricks is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The pay range(s) for this role is listed below and represents the expected salary range for non-commissionable roles or on-target earnings for commissionable roles. Actual compensation packages are based on several factors that are unique to each candidate, including but not limited to job-related skills, depth of experience, relevant certifications and training, and specific work location. Based on the factors above, Databricks anticipates utilizing the full width of the range. The total compensation package for this position may also include eligibility for annual performance bonus, equity, and the benefits listed above. For more information regarding which range your location is in visit our page here.Local Pay Range$190,900—$232,800 USDAbout DatabricksDatabricks is the Data and AI company. More than 20,000 organizations worldwide — including adidas, AT&T, Bayer, Block, Mastercard, Rivian, Unilever, and 70% of the Fortune 500 — rely on the Databricks Data + AI Platform to build and scale data and AI apps, analytics and agents. Headquartered in San Francisco with 30+ offices around the globe, Databricks offers a unified platform that includes Genie, Lakebase, Agent Bricks, Lakeflow, Lakehouse, and Unity Catalog. To learn more, follow Databricks on LinkedIn, X, YouTube, and Instagram.BenefitsAt Databricks, we strive to provide comprehensive benefits and perks that meet the needs of all of our employees. For specific details on the benefits offered in your region click here.Our Commitment to Diversity and InclusionAt Databricks, we are committed to fostering a diverse and inclusive culture where everyone can excel. We take great care to ensure that our hiring practices are inclusive and meet equal employment opportunity standards. Individuals looking for employment at Databricks are considered without regard to age, color, disability, ethnicity, family or marital status, gender identity or expression, language, national origin, physical and mental ability, political affiliation, race, religion, sexual orientation, socio-economic status, veteran status, and other protected characteristics.ComplianceIf access to export-controlled technology or source code is required for performance of job duties, it is within Employer's discretion whether to apply for a U.S. government license for such positions, and Employer may decline to proceed with an applicant on this basis alone.