Senior Software Engineer, Virtualization and Linux Kernel

Description

The company has spent more than 25 years working on computer graphics, PC gaming and accelerated computing, and is now applying AI to shape the next stage of computing, where its GPUs act as the processing core of computers, robots and self-driving cars.

The GPU Virtualization team is hiring a Senior System Software Engineer to extend open-source Linux kernel support for the company GPUs. You will build virtualization features in Rust and C, contribute to the upstream kernel, and work directly with open-source maintainers and partners. You will help shape vGPU support in Nova, the upstream Rust driver for the company GPUs, along with the wider Linux virtualization stack. The team wants someone who owns technical problems, communicates clearly and can work independently across globally distributed teams.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, test, document and maintain upstream Linux kernel support for the company GPU virtualization, including vGPU enablement in Nova.
• Work across KVM, QEMU and VFIO on device assignment, PCIe SR-IOV, memory management and virtual-device lifecycle.
• Take technical proposals and patch series through upstream design discussion, review and merge. Work with subsystem maintainers, act on their feedback and review other people's contributions.
• Find and fix functional, performance and reliability problems across host drivers, hypervisors and GPU firmware interfaces.
• Work with internal software, hardware and architecture teams and the open-source community to define features, check integration and keep support working as the kernel changes.

Requirements

• A BS or higher in computer science, computer engineering or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• 12+ years of experience in Linux kernel development or virtualization.
• A track record of relevant patches accepted into the upstream Linux kernel, including preparing patch series, responding to review and working with subsystem maintainers.
• Proficiency in Rust and C, including a solid grasp of Rust ownership, lifetimes, memory safety and Rust-to-C interoperability.
• Deep knowledge of Linux kernel internals, including the device-driver model, memory management, synchronization and concurrency.
• A strong grasp of virtualization, covering host and guest interaction, memory translation, device assignment, interrupts and resource isolation.
• Strong debugging and analysis skills, with hands-on use of tools such as GDB, KGDB, ftrace or perf on complex kernel and system problems.
• Clear technical writing and communication, including explaining design trade-offs and working well with distributed engineering teams and open-source communities.
• Nice to have: knowledge of GPU architecture, GPU drivers or GPU virtualization, and experience with DRM, Nouveau, Nova or similar graphics and compute driver stacks.
• Nice to have: contributions to Rust-for-Linux or Rust development for kernel subsystems.
• Nice to have: hands-on work with KVM, QEMU, VFIO, IOMMU or PCIe SR-IOV.
• Nice to have: experience as an open-source maintainer or reviewer, or leading patch series across several kernel subsystems.
• Nice to have: familiarity with device emulation, low-level firmware interfaces or virtual-device migration.

Conditions

Applications are accepted until at least October 26, 2026.

This role fills an existing vacancy.

The company uses AI tools in parts of its recruiting process.

Base salary depends on location, experience and the pay of people in similar roles. The base range is 224,000 USD to 356,500 USD for Level 5, and 272,000 USD to 431,250 USD for Level 6.

The company is an equal opportunity employer and does not discriminate on any basis protected by law.

Benefits

• Highly competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. Details are on the company's benefits site.