PitchMeAI
Fireworks AI

Member of Technical Staff, Cloud Infrastructure

Fireworks AI · San Mateo, CA

  • On site
  • Full-time
  • $220,000 / year
  • San Mateo, CA

Job highlights

  • Architect foundational AI infrastructure systems.
  • Build a global virtual cloud for AI workloads.
  • Ensure reliability, efficiency, and scalability.
  • Collaborate on ML, DevOps, and product needs.
  • Use cloud-native and open-source technologies.

About the role

About Us:

At Fireworks, we’re building the future of generative AI infrastructure. Our platform delivers the highest-quality models with the fastest and most scalable inference in the industry. We’ve been independently benchmarked as the leader in LLM inference speed and are driving cutting-edge innovation through projects like our own function calling and multimodal models. Fireworks is a Series C company valued at $4 billion and backed by top investors including Benchmark, Sequoia, Lightspeed, Index, and Evantic. We’re an ambitious, collaborative team of builders, founded by veterans of Meta PyTorch and Google Vertex AI.

The Role:

As a Software Engineer on our Cloud Infrastructure team, you'll be at the forefront, architecting and building the foundational systems that power Fireworks AI's revolutionary generative AI platform. You'll spearhead the creation of one of the world's first virtual clouds, seamlessly serving AI workloads across the globe and every cloud provider. Your mission: to deliver unparalleled reliability, efficiency, and scalability, fueling the world's most innovative AI products. This is a highly technical role requiring deep expertise in distributed systems, cloud-native infrastructure, and machine learning platforms. You’ll partner closely with engineering partners, product teams, and infrastructure stakeholders to design solutions that balance performance, cost-efficiency, and operational simplicity across compute, storage, and networking layers.

Key Responsibilities:

  • Architect and build scalable, resilient, and high-performance backend infrastructure to support distributed training, inference, and data processing pipelines.
  • Lead technical design discussions, mentor other engineers, and establish best practices for building and operating large-scale ML infrastructure.
  • Design and implement core backend services (e.g., job schedulers, resource managers, autoscalers, model serving layers) with a focus on efficiency and low latency.
  • Drive infrastructure optimization initiatives, including compute cost reduction, storage lifecycle management, and network performance tuning.
  • Collaborate cross-functionally with ML, DevOps, and product teams to translate research and product needs into robust infrastructure solutions.
  • Continuously evaluate and integrate cloud-native and open-source technologies (e.g., Kubernetes, Ray, Kubeflow, MLFlow) to enhance our platform’s capabilities and reliability.
  • Own end-to-end systems from design to deployment and observability, with a strong emphasis on reliability, fault tolerance, and operational excellence.

Minimum qualifications:

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related technical field (or equivalent practical experience).
  • 5+ years of experience designing and building backend infrastructure in cloud environments (e.g., AWS, GCP, Azure).
  • Proven experience in ML infrastructure and tooling (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow, Vertex AI, SageMaker, Kubernetes, etc.).
  • Strong software development skills in languages like Python, or C++.
  • Deep understanding of distributed systems fundamentals: scheduling, orchestration, storage, networking, and compute optimization.

Preferred qualifications:

  • Master’s or PhD in Computer Science or related field.
  • Experience leading infrastructure projects supporting large-scale ML/AI workloads or high-throughput systems.
  • Familiarity with infrastructure-as-code and CI/CD tooling (e.g., Terraform, ArgoCD, GitOps).
  • Track record of driving system performance, reliability, and cost-efficiency improvements.
  • Contributions to open-source cloud or ML infrastructure projects a plus.

Total compensation and benefits:

Total compensation for this role also includes meaningful equity in a fast-growing startup, along with a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. Base salary is determined by a range of factors including individual qualifications, experience, skills, interview performance, market data, and work location. The listed salary range is intended as a guideline and may be adjusted.

Why Fireworks AI?

  • Solve Hard Problems: Tackle challenges at the forefront of AI infrastructure, from low-latency inference to scalable model serving.
  • Build What’s Next: Work with bleeding-edge technology that impacts how businesses and developers harness AI globally.
  • Ownership & Impact: Join a fast-growing, passionate team where your work directly shapes the future of AI—no bureaucracy, just results.
  • Learn from the Best: Collaborate with world-class engineers and AI researchers who thrive on curiosity and innovation.

Fireworks AI is an equal-opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all innovators.

Key skills/competency:

  • Cloud Infrastructure
  • Distributed Systems
  • ML Infrastructure
  • Backend Development
  • Kubernetes
  • Scalability
  • Reliability
  • Performance Tuning
  • Python
  • Software Engineering

Skills & topics

  • Software Engineer
  • Cloud Infrastructure
  • Generative AI
  • Distributed Systems
  • ML Infrastructure
  • Backend Development
  • Kubernetes
  • Python
  • AWS
  • GCP
  • Azure
  • Scalability
  • Reliability

How to get hired

  • Tailor your resume: Highlight your 5+ years of backend infrastructure experience, cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure), and ML tooling (Kubernetes, PyTorch, etc.).
  • Showcase your skills: Emphasize your deep understanding of distributed systems, including scheduling, orchestration, storage, networking, and compute optimization.
  • Demonstrate ML expertise: Detail your proven experience with ML infrastructure and tools like PyTorch, TensorFlow, Vertex AI, or SageMaker.
  • Prepare for technical deep dives: Be ready to discuss your experience architecting scalable, resilient systems and optimizing for cost and performance.
  • Highlight leadership and collaboration: Showcase any experience leading infrastructure projects or contributing to open-source cloud/ML projects.

Technical preparation

Master distributed systems concepts.,Practice Python or C++ for backend development.,Study Kubernetes and cloud-native architecture.,Build projects with ML infrastructure tools.

Behavioral questions

Describe a complex infrastructure problem you solved.,How do you mentor junior engineers?,Discuss a time you improved system efficiency.,How do you collaborate with product teams?

Frequently asked questions

What are the key technical skills required for the Software Engineer, Cloud Infrastructure role at Fireworks AI?
The role demands a strong foundation in distributed systems, cloud-native infrastructure, and ML platforms. Key technical skills include 5+ years of experience in backend infrastructure design and development within cloud environments (AWS, GCP, Azure), proficiency in languages like Python or C++, and deep knowledge of distributed systems fundamentals such as scheduling, orchestration, storage, networking, and compute optimization. Proven experience with ML infrastructure and tooling like PyTorch, TensorFlow, Kubernetes, and similar technologies is also essential.
What does 'building one of the world's first virtual clouds' mean for a Software Engineer at Fireworks AI?
This means you will be architecting and building the core systems that enable a unified, global platform for serving AI workloads across any cloud provider. It involves creating seamless abstractions over diverse infrastructure, ensuring high availability, performance, and scalability for distributed training, inference, and data processing pipelines. It's about creating a resilient and efficient environment for cutting-edge AI development.
How does Fireworks AI foster learning and growth for its Cloud Infrastructure team?
Fireworks AI emphasizes learning from the best by fostering a collaborative environment with world-class engineers and AI researchers. The 'Learn from the Best' principle suggests ample opportunities for mentorship, knowledge sharing, and working on challenging problems at the forefront of AI infrastructure. The company culture thrives on curiosity and innovation, providing a fertile ground for professional development.
What is the expected impact of a Software Engineer on the Cloud Infrastructure team at Fireworks AI?
As a Software Engineer on the Cloud Infrastructure team, your impact will be significant. You will be architecting and building the foundational systems that power Fireworks AI's revolutionary generative AI platform. Your work will directly influence the reliability, efficiency, and scalability of AI workloads globally, supporting the development of innovative AI products and enabling businesses and developers to harness AI.
What differentiates Fireworks AI's generative AI platform, and how does the Cloud Infrastructure role contribute to this?
Fireworks AI's platform is differentiated by its industry-leading LLM inference speed and scalability, backed by its own innovations in function calling and multimodal models. The Cloud Infrastructure role is central to this differentiation by building and optimizing the core systems that deliver this high performance and scalability. Your efforts in architecting resilient backend infrastructure and driving efficiency directly contribute to the platform's competitive edge.