Is the Senior Systems Engineer - AI Infrastructure role remote?

No — this is an on-site role in On Site, Palo Alto, California.

What's the salary range?

Clockwork Systems lists $150,000–$210,000 for this role.

Where is the role based?

Clockwork Systems is hiring for this position in On Site, Palo Alto, California.

What's the tech stack?

Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: C++, CUDA, NCCL, PyTorch, distributed systems, high-speed networking.

What seniority level is this role?

Clockwork Systems targets senior candidates for this position.

Is this full-time or contract?

Full-time for this Senior Systems Engineer - AI Infrastructure role at Clockwork Systems.

Senior Systems Engineer - AI Infrastructure at Clockwork Systems

Joblaze summary

In this role, the Senior Systems Engineer focuses on designing and implementing low-level systems software for GPU clusters, ensuring high performance and fault tolerance in distributed environments. Key skills include strong proficiency in C/C++, a deep understanding of concurrency and distributed system behavior, and experience with complex systems design. This position is ideal for seasoned engineers with a background in systems building, particularly those familiar with GPU programming and high-performance networking. Clockwork Systems fosters a collaborative culture, emphasizing innovative solutions to complex infrastructure challenges.

Joblaze insights

Listed 4 days ago — first seen on Joblaze October 15, 2026. Last confirmed on Clockwork Systems's careers page October 19, 2026.
This exact title is also open at 1 other location at Clockwork Systems: On Site, Palo Alto, California.
Salary band is below the typical range for AI/ML roles (median ~$190,000).
Starts above 8% of 60 comparable senior ai/ml roles in United States that list PyTorch we track (median $200,000 across 31 companies).
PyTorch appears in 17.7% of 542 comparable senior ai/ml roles in United States; NCCL appears in 1.7% of 542 comparable senior ai/ml roles in United States.

Quick facts

Is the Senior Systems Engineer - AI Infrastructure role remote?: No — this is an on-site role in On Site, Palo Alto, California.
What's the salary range?: Clockwork Systems lists $150,000–$210,000 for this role.
Where is the role based?: Clockwork Systems is hiring for this position in On Site, Palo Alto, California.
What's the tech stack?: Joblaze extracted these technologies from the posting: C++, CUDA, NCCL, PyTorch, distributed systems, high-speed networking.
What seniority level is this role?: Clockwork Systems targets senior candidates for this position.
Is this full-time or contract?: Full-time for this Senior Systems Engineer - AI Infrastructure role at Clockwork Systems.

From the original posting

About Clockwork Systems

To learn more, visit www.clockwork.io.

About the Role

We're building infrastructure for fault-tolerant, high-performance distributed GPU training. You'll work at the intersection of GPU systems, high-speed networking, and distributed coordination—designing and implementing systems that run at scale.

This is a systems building role. You'll dig into internals, understand why things break under pressure, and design solutions that handle the messy reality of distributed systems.

What You'll Do

Design and implement low-level systems software for GPU clusters
Work with internals of frameworks like PyTorch, NCCL, CUDA runtime—not as a user, but modifying and extending them
Build components that make large-scale GPU training more reliable and efficient
Debug complex distributed/concurrent systems where failures are subtle and non-deterministic
Own systems end-to-end: from design through production

What We're Looking For

Required: Systems building experience

You've designed and built complex systems—not just deployed or operated them. Examples:

Kernel subsystems, device drivers, or OS-level components
Distributed storage, databases, or coordination systems
Runtimes, profilers, or performance tooling
Network stacks, protocols, or high-performance I/O systems
Large-scale infrastructure at the systems layer

Core technical skills:

Strong C/C++ in systems contexts
Deep understanding of concurrency, memory models.
Experience reasoning about distributed system behavior: consistency, ordering, partial failures
Comfortable reading and modifying large, unfamiliar codebases

Nice to have:

GPU programming (CUDA) or GPU systems experience
High-performance networking (RDMA, InfiniBand)
ML framework or runtime internals
Cluster scheduling or orchestration systems

We believe strong systems engineers pick up domain-specific tools quickly. We value your ability to reason about complex systems over checkbox familiarity with our specific stack.

Enjoy

Challenging projects.
A friendly and inclusive workplace culture.
Competitive compensation.
A great benefits package.
Catered lunch.

Compensation for this position will vary based on the skills and experience you bring, as well as internal equity considerations. For candidates hired at the posted level, the expected base salary range is $150,000 - $210,000. In addition to cash compensation, this role is eligible to participate in the company’s equity program, which may include stock options granted in accordance with the company’s equity plan and subject to approval and applicable vesting schedules.

Clockwork Systems is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to building world-class teams by welcoming bright, passionate individuals from all backgrounds. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, ancestry, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, disability, or protected veteran status. We believe diversity drives innovation, and we grow stronger together.

Standard company text repeated across Clockwork Systems's postings is omitted here.