Staff HPC Systems Architect

Lambda is hiring a Staff HPC Systems Architect. It pays $314k-$465k a year and Level rates it ; you can apply on Lambda.

Level's read on this job

Level rates this role Builds AI ●●●●: the job is building AI systems.
Some of the work can be done remotely, according to the posting.
The posting mentions Nvlink, Infiniband and Roce among its tools and skills.
Level classes it as a lead role.
Lambda has 92 other open roles on Level.

AI in this role

Architect and define scalable compute platforms optimized for AI/ML workloads and large GPU clusters.

nvlinkinfinibandroce

hpcgpu-architecturecompute-platformscloud-infrastructure

Lambda, The Superintelligence Cloud, is a leader in AI cloud infrastructure serving tens of thousands of customers. Our customers range from AI researchers to enterprises and hyperscalers. Lambda's mission is to make compute as ubiquitous as electricity and give everyone the power of superintelligence. One person, one GPU.

If you'd like to build the world's best AI cloud, join us.

*Note: This position requires presence in our San Jose, San Francisco, or Bellevue office location 4 days per week; Lambda’s designated work from home day is currently Tuesday.

What You’ll Do

Architect and define scalable compute platforms optimized for AI/ML, simulation, and high-throughput workloads.
Develop compute system standards and design patterns to ensure consistency, performance, and maintainability across infrastructure.
Evaluate emerging CPU, GPU, and accelerator technologies, owning architectural tradeoff decisions that impact compute density, power, cooling, and total cost.
Collaborate with product and engineering teams to map workload requirements to compute platform capabilities across bare metal and cloud deployments.
Experience converting ambiguous business or customer needs into measurable platform requirements, technical specifications, acceptance criteria, and architecture decisions.
Define compute platform roadmaps and architectural reference designs that guide hardware selection, firmware baselines, rack-level, and cluster design.
Act as a technical lead during new platform introductions, guiding validation and performance characterization efforts.
Mentor systems engineers and cross-functional stakeholders on compute performance tuning, sizing, and architectural decisions.

You

Proven experience (7+ years) architecting large-scale 10k-100k+ GPU HPC or cloud compute platforms.
Deep knowledge of CPU/GPU architectures, memory hierarchies, and accelerator topologies.
Experience designing systems around high-bandwidth, low-latency fabrics (NVLink, InfiniBand, and RoCE).
Strong understanding of system performance tuning, resource scheduling, thermal and power optimization, and compute lifecycle management.
Comfortable working across hardware and software boundaries, especially at the intersection of compute architecture, OS behavior, and orchestration layers.
Skilled at balancing architectural tradeoffs for density, power efficiency, cooling, and performance.
Strong analytical and communication skills, with a track record of influencing technical strategy across teams.
Strong ownership and can do attitude, self-starter who feels comfortable working in ambiguity.

Nice to Have

Hands-on experience with AI/ML workloads and their compute performance characteristics.
Familiarity with orchestration tools used in HPC. (Slurm, Kubernetes, etc)
Experience with virtualization technologies, specifically GPU virtualization.
Exposure to hardware validation, vendor collaboration, and long-term OEM roadmap alignment.
Background in compute telemetry, real-time performance profiling, or large-scale A/B infrastructure testing.

Salary Range Information

The annual salary range for this position has been set based on market data and other factors. However, a salary higher or lower than this range may be appropriate for a candidate whose qualifications differ meaningfully from those listed in the job description.

About Lambda

Founded in 2012, with 500+ employees, and growing fast
Our investors notably include TWG Global, US Innovative Technology Fund (USIT), Andra Capital, SGW, Andrej Karpathy, ARK Invest, Fincadia Advisors, G Squared, In-Q-Tel (IQT), KHK & Partners, NVIDIA, Pegatron, Supermicro, Wistron, Wiwynn, Gradient Ventures, Mercato Partners, SVB, 1517, and Crescent Cove
We have research papers accepted at top machine learning and graphics conferences, including NeurIPS, ICCV, SIGGRAPH, and TOG
Our values are publicly available: https://lambda.ai/careers
We offer generous cash & equity compensation
Health, dental, and vision coverage for you and your dependents
Wellness and commuter stipends for select roles
401k Plan with 2% company match (USA employees)
Flexible paid time off plan that we all actually use

Equal Opportunity Employer

Lambda is an Equal Opportunity employer. Applicants are considered without regard to race, color, religion, creed, national origin, age, sex, gender, marital status, sexual orientation and identity, genetic information, veteran status, citizenship, or any other factors prohibited by local, state, or federal law.

How we rate this

Staff HPC Systems Architect at Lambda rates 90 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.

Classification

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.

Key facts

Staff HPC Systems Architect is an open job at Lambda.
Level rates this role AI Level 4 of 4: Builds AI.
The listed salary is $314k-$465k a year.
The role is based in San Jose Office (First St) and is marked remote.
The job was posted on September 14, 2026.
Seniority: lead.
Applications are handled by Lambda. Apply on Lambda

Prepare for this job

Built from this posting and from similar jobs on Level.

Skills and AI tools this role asks for

HpcGPU ArchitectureCompute PlatformsCloud InfrastructureNvlinkInfinibandRoce

Questions you could be asked

Tell me about a project where hpc was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where gpu architecture was part of your work. What did you do?
Tell me about a project where compute platforms 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?
Walk me through how you've used Nvlink in your day-to-day work.

Adapt your resume

List these exact terms on your resume: Hpc, GPU Architecture, Compute Platforms, Cloud Infrastructure, and Nvlink. 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.

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