Software Engineer, Compute Infra
Cursor is hiring a Software Engineer, Compute Infra in San Francisco, United States. It pays $140k-$225k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Cursor.
Level's read on this job
- On Level's scale, this software engineer role is Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
- The posting mentions Grok, Firecracker and Cloud Hypervisor among its tools and skills.
- Level classes it as a mid-level role.
- Cursor has 113 other open roles on Level.
- Posted in the last few days.
AI in this role
Software engineer building sandbox infrastructure, virtual machines, and compute orchestration to power AI coding agents and models.
SpaceX was founded under the belief that a future where humanity is out exploring the stars is fundamentally more exciting than one where we are not. Today, SpaceX is actively developing the technologies to make this possible, with the ultimate goal of making life multiplanetary and expanding consciousness to the stars.
SpaceXSI is building Super Intelligence to help humanity understand the universe. Our teams are building the full Super Intelligence stack: from our Colossus supercomputers, to Grok models, to our suite of applications, including Grok Bot, Grok Build, Grok Imagine, Grok Voice, and X. We're creating a powerful flywheel where more compute trains better models, better models power more useful products, and what we learn from people using those products shapes what we build next.
SOFTWARE ENGINEER, COMPUTE INFRA
As a Software Engineer on Compute Infra at SpaceXSI, you'll build the sandbox infrastructure that gives every agent its own VM. These VMs power coding agents, Grok Bot, reinforcement learning, and more. We operate one of the largest sets of sandbox clusters in the world, at millions of CPU cores, across third- and first-party datacenters. You'll own developing a cloud for agents, including the virtualization layer (Firecracker and Cloud Hypervisor microVMs), control plane scaling, and the networking/connectivity layer on top.
RESPONSIBILITIES:
Rearchitect the control plane and scheduler to support 1 million concurrent VMs per cluster
Build a ublk block device that can dedupe, lazy load, and efficiently snapshot VM data
Design an egress proxy and network isolation to securely filter, monitor, and route agent traffic
Design resilient systems that can operate across a mixture of cloud and on-premise datacenters
BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:
Bachelor's degree in computer science, engineering, math, or scientific discipline; OR 2+ years of professional experience building software in lieu of a degree
PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:
Experience building compute orchestration (e.g. Kubernetes, Mesos)
Experience building and operating large fleets of VMs or isolated sandboxes
Experience with the Linux kernel and virtualization technologies
Interest in the infrastructure primitives that future agents will require
ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:
Onsite role: must be able to work in person at the San Francisco or New York office
COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS:
The annual compensation range for this role is listed below.
Annual Salary:
$140,000 - $225,000 USD
Your actual level and base salary will be determined on a case-by-case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job-related knowledge and skills, education, and experience.
Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at SpaceXSI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.
How we rate this
Software Engineer, Compute Infra at Cursor rates 85 out of 100 for how much of the daily work is AI. That makes it Builds AI (AI Level 4 of 4). The level is about AI in the job, not seniority.
Builds AI. The job is building AI systems.
- ●●●● Builds AI80 to 100
- ●●●○ Works on AI60 to 79
- ●●○○ Uses AI40 to 59
- ●○○○ Little AI0 to 39
Levels come from how often the tools, models and workflows of the role are named in the posting itself. Read the description and count the AI tools, models and workflows it names.
Prepare for this job
Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.
Skills and AI tools this role asks for
Pay
- This job starts at
- $140k
- Typical software engineer job
- $167k
This posting starts 16% below the typical software engineer job. See software engineer jobs
Questions you could be asked
- Tell me about a project where virtualization was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where cloud infrastructure was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where distributed systems was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where kernel was part of your work. What did you do?
- Tell me about a project where networking was part of your work. What did you do?
Adapt your resume
- List these exact terms on your resume: Virtualization, Cloud Infrastructure, Distributed Systems, Kernel, and Networking. An applicant tracking system matches the wording, not the idea.
- Attach one line of real, concrete experience to at least one of them. A tool named with nothing behind it rarely survives a human read.
- Lead with what you built, trained or shipped. This role is judged on the AI system itself, not the tools around it.
Get your CV reviewed before you apply
Send your CV and the role you want next. Your review arrives by email within 3 days.
Get new software engineer jobs (Builds AI ●●●●) by email
One email a week, each job rated for how much AI is in the work. No recruiter spam, unsubscribe in one click.
Free.
Similar roles
Software Engineering roles that build AI, at other companies.
What kind of AI work fits you?
Answer 12 practical questions in about three minutes. Get a simple profile, the work it points to, and live roles to explore next.
Find my next step