Systems Engineer, Kernel

CoreWeave is the AI Hyperscaler™, delivering a cloud platform of cutting edge services powering the next wave of AI. Our technology provides enterprises and leading AI labs with the most performant, efficient and resilient solutions for accelerated computing. Since 2017, CoreWeave has operated a growing footprint of data centers covering every region of the US and across Europe. CoreWeave was ranked as one of the TIME100 most influential companies of 2024.

As the leader in the industry, we thrive in an environment where adaptability and resilience are key. Our culture offers career-defining opportunities for those who excel amid change and challenge. If you’re someone who thrives in a dynamic environment, enjoys solving complex problems, and is eager to make a significant impact, CoreWeave is the place for you. Join us, and be part of a team solving some of the most exciting challenges in the industry.  

CoreWeave powers the creation and delivery of the intelligence that drives innovation. 

What You’ll Do:

CoreWeave is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Systems Kernel Engineer to join our HAVOCK Team, reporting into the Manager of Systems Engineering. In this role, you will be a key contributor to the stability, performance, and evolution of CoreWeave’s Linux based infrastructure. As a kernel generalist, you will be responsible for debugging kernel-level issues, analyzing and fixing crashes, panics, dumps, and upstreaming fixes and features that improves the performance and reliability of our stack.

This position is ideal for someone who thrives in low-level systems engineering, and understands how modern workloads stress kernels, and is excited to work across a diverse hardware/software ecosystem including CPUs, GPUs, DPUs, networking, and storage.

Kernel H ardware - A cceleration - V irtualization - O perating Systems - C ontainerization - K ubelet

Our Team’s Stack:

• Python, Go, bash/sh, C
• Prometheus, Victoria Metrics, Grafana
• Linux Kernel (custom build), Ubuntu
• Intel/AMD/ARM CPUs, Nvidia GPUs, DPUs, Infiniband and Ethernet NICs
• Docker, kubernetes (k8s), KubeVirt, containerd, kubelet

Focus Areas:

• Kernel Debugging – Analyze kernel crashes, oopses, panics, and dumps to identify root causes and propose fixes.

• Upstream Contributions – Develop patches for the Linux kernel and upstream them where applicable (networking, storage, virtualization, GPU/DPU enablement).

• Stack-Wide Support – Ensure kernel support and stability across:

  • Virtualization (KubeVirt, QEMU, vFIO)
  • Container runtimes (containerd, nydus, kubelet)
  • HPC/AI workloads (CUDA, GPUDirect, RoCE/InfiniBand)

• Kernel-Hardware Enablement – Support new hardware bring-up across Intel, AMD, ARM CPUs, NVIDIA GPUs, DPUs, and NICs.

• Performance & Stability – Tune kernel subsystems for latency, throughput, and scalability in distributed HPC/AI clusters.

About the role:

• Triage and fix kernel crashes and performance regressions.
• Develop, test, and upstream kernel patches relevant to CoreWeave’s hardware/software environment.
• Collaborate with hardware vendors and the Linux community on feature enablement.
• Implement diagnostics and tooling for kernel-level observability.
• Work closely with HPC and Fleet teams to ensure kernel readiness for production workloads.
• Provide kernel-level expertise during incident response and root-cause investigations.

Who You Are:

• 5+ years of professional experience in Linux kernel engineering or systems-level development.
• Deep understanding of kernel internals (memory management, scheduling, networking, storage, drivers).
• Experience debugging kernel crashes, dumps, and panics using tools like crash, gdb, kdump.
• Strong C programming skills with the ability to write maintainable and upstream-quality code.
• Experience working with kernel modules, drivers, and subsystems.
• Strong problem-solving abilities with a “full-stack” systems perspective.

Preferred:

• Contributions to the Linux kernel or related open-source projects.
• Familiarity with virtualization (KVM, QEMU, VFIO) and container runtimes.
• Networking stack expertise (InfiniBand, RoCE, TCP/IP performance tuning).
• GPU/DPU bring-up and driver experience.
• Experience in HPC or large-scale distributed systems.
• Familiarity with QA/QE best practices
• Experience working in Cloud environments
• Experience as a software engineer writing large-scale applications
• Experience with machine learning is a huge bonus

The base salary range for this role is $165,000 to $242,000. The starting salary will be determined based on job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and market location. We strive for both market alignment and internal equity when determining compensation. In addition to base salary, our total rewards package includes a discretionary bonus, equity awards, and a comprehensive benefits program (all based on eligibility). 

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: View email address on swooped.co .

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.