Staff Software Engineer - Observability

Cerebras Systems builds the world's largest AI chip, 56 times larger than GPUs. This architecture allows Cerebras to deliver industry-leading training and inference speeds; over 10 times faster than GPU-based hyperscale cloud inference services. This order of magnitude increase in speed is transforming the user experience of AI applications, unlocking real-time iteration and increasing intelligence via additional agentic computation.Cerebras works with the leading model labs, global enterprises, and cutting-edge AI-native startups. OpenAI recently announced a multi-year partnership with Cerebras, to deploy 750 megawatts of scale, transforming key workloads with ultra high-speed inference.About the teamThe Cerebras Inference team’s mission is to deliver the world’s most performant, secure, and reliable enterprise-grade AI service. We build and operate large-scale distributed systems that power AI inference at unprecedented speed and efficiency. Join us to help scale inference and accelerate AI.We’re looking for a Software Engineer focused on Observability to build and evolve the systems that give us deep visibility into large-scale, performance-critical production systems.You’ll design and implement metrics, logging, tracing, and alerting infrastructure that enables fast debugging, high reliability, and confident operation of complex distributed systems. This role sits at the intersection of platform engineering, distributed systems, and reliability.This is not a dashboards-only role — you’ll be writing production software, shaping internal platforms, and working closely with engineers across the stack.ResponsibilitiesDesign and implement observability instrumentation across services and platformsBuild and maintain telemetry pipelines for metrics, logs, and traces at scaleDevelop internal observability platforms, libraries, and toolingDefine and operationalize SLIs, SLOs, and alerting strategiesPartner with engineers to make systems debuggable by designReduce MTTR by enabling fast root-cause analysis during incidentsCreate clear, actionable dashboards and alerts that reflect real system healthBalance telemetry signal vs cost, noise, and performance impactImprove the developer experience around observability and debuggingQualifications:Core Engineering SkillsStrong experience in backend or systems software engineeringProficiency in one or more of:Go, C++, Rust, Java, PythonSolid understanding of:Distributed systemsNetworking fundamentalsConcurrency and performance tradeoffsObservability & Reliability ExperienceHands-on experience with:Metrics, logs, and distributed tracingProduction monitoring and alertingFamiliarity with tools such as:OpenTelemetryPrometheusGrafanaDatadog / Elastic / Jaeger / Tempo (or similar)Experience designing:High-signal alertsScalable telemetry pipelinesService-level indicators and objectivesPreferred Qualifications:Experience in high-performance computing, AI/ML systems, or inference platformsHardware-aware observability (accelerators, GPUs, custom hardware)Prior SRE or platform engineering backgroundExperience debugging large-scale production incidentsBuilding internal developer platforms or shared librariesWhy Join CerebrasPeople who are serious about software make their own hardware. At Cerebras, we have built a breakthrough architecture that is unlocking new opportunities for the AI industry. With dozens of model releases and rapid growth, we’ve reached an inflection point in our business. Members of our team tell us there are five main reasons they joined Cerebras:Build a breakthrough AI platform beyond the constraints of the GPU.Publish and open source their cutting-edge AI research.Work on one of the fastest AI supercomputers in the world.Enjoy job stability with startup vitality.Our simple, non-corporate work culture that respects individual beliefs.Find out more about what it's like to work at Cerebras here! Apply today and become part of the forefront of groundbreaking advancements in AI!Cerebras Systems is committed to creating an equal and diverse environment and is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate different backgrounds, perspectives, and skills. We believe inclusive teams build better products and companies. We try every day to build a work environment that empowers people to do their best work through continuous learning, growth and support of those around them.This website or its third-party tools process personal data. For more details, click here to review our CCPA disclosure notice.LocationSunnyvale, CAEmployment TypeFull timeLocation TypeHybridDepartmentSoftware Engineering