Member of Technical Staff, Hardware, Kernel Engineer (Custom Silicon)

• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Engineering, Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, and 5+ years of practical industry experience in low-level performance programming.
• Deep understanding of hardware programming models (e.g., CUDA, Triton, CUTLASS, or custom accelerator assembly) and a proven track record of shipping highly optimized kernels.
• Advanced knowledge of Computer Architecture, including vector units, execution pipelines, register files, and complex memory hierarchies (caches, SRAM, HBM/DRAM).
• Proficiency in modern C++ for building robust, scalable meta-programming and code-generation frameworks.
• Strong mathematical foundation in linear algebra operations and deep learning primitives.
• A highly collaborative mindset to push boundaries and co-design effectively with hardware and compiler teams.

Preferred Qualifications: (We encourage you to apply even if you don't meet all of these)

• Deep familiarity with implementing microarchitectural optimizations for Tensor Cores, matrix multiply-accumulate units, or custom vector extensions.
• Experience utilizing advanced C++ template metaprogramming or code-generation techniques to automate the creation of heavily parameterized kernel variants.
• Advanced experience with low-level hardware profiling tools, execution tracing, and utilizing performance counters to identify cache misses, pipeline stalls, and ALU bubbles.

• Location: This role is based in Austin, Texas or Palo Alto, California .
• Compensation: Depending on background, skills, experience, and location, the expected annual salary range for this position is $200,000 - $420,000 USD.
• Visa Sponsorship: We sponsor visas. We can't guarantee success for every candidate or role, but if you're the right fit, we're committed to working through the visa process.
• Benefits: River AI offers generous health, dental, and vision benefits, unlimited PTO, and relocation support as needed.