Staff Systems Engineer - Low Latency & Networking (New York)

Reference: 25407Location: New York, NY, United StatesIndustry: Crypto/Web3Posted: 2026-05-11Contact: Mike LaTulipEmail: View email address on apply.placed-app.com Systems Engineer - Low Latency & NetworkingLocation: RemoteAbout the OpportunityWe are seeking a high-caliber Systems Engineer to join a premier infrastructure team building the next generation of high-performance distributed systems. This role is designed for a technical expert who thrives at the intersection of application logic, kernel internals, and hardware optimization. If you are the person others escalate to when performance bottlenecks seem unsolvable and root causes are buried deep in the stack, this is your next challenge.ResponsibilitiesArchitect and refine low-latency infrastructure where microsecond-level performance is a primary requirement.Diagnose and resolve complex, cross-layer issues spanning network protocols, operating system behavior, and hardware constraints.Optimize end-to-end network performance, including NIC tuning, congestion control analysis, and the implementation of kernel-bypass techniques.Develop bespoke observability tooling and leverage eBPF, hardware performance counters, and flamegraphs to identify non-obvious bottlenecks.Read and interpret kernel source code or assembly when necessary to debug socket buffer interactions or memory contention.Collaborate on the development of production-grade systems using Rust and other low-level programming languages.Requirements (Must-have)10+ years of professional experience in systems programming, networking, or performance-critical infrastructure.Expert-level Linux knowledge, specifically regarding networking stack internals, scheduling interactions, and kernel interfaces.Deep Networking Proficiency: Ability to analyze packet captures and reason about protocol behavior (TCP/UDP, ICMP, etc.) under extreme load.High-Performance I/O: Hands-on experience with technologies such as DPDK, XDP, io_uring, or similar kernel-bypass frameworks.Systems Programming Mastery: Strong fundamentals in Rust, C, or C++, with a focus on writing correct, concurrent, and memory-efficient code.Performance Profiling: Proven track record using tools like perf, eBPF, and trace-based debugging to optimize real-world workloads.Preferred Qualifications (Nice-to-have)Background in High-Frequency Trading (HFT), real-time systems, or high-performance distributed networks.Experience with custom memory allocators or deep optimization of the memory subsystem.Knowledge of virtualization internals and passthrough networking (SR-IOV, vDPA).Familiarity with blockchain infrastructure or high-throughput transaction environments.Compensation & BenefitsAnnual Salary: $220,000 – $275,000 (commensurate with experience).Equity: Highly competitive total compensation package including multiple forms of equity.Health: 100% employer-covered health insurance premiums.Perks: Weekly meal stipends and fully funded team retreats and industry conferences.#LI-ML1