Staff Software Engineer, Linux Kernel
Sunnyvale, CA, USA · Staff · Full-time · Posted Oct 30, 2026
- Experience
- 8 years programming in C++; 5 years testing and launching software products; 5 years in large-scale infrastructure, distributed systems, networks, or compute, storage, or hardware architecture; 3 years in software design and architecture. Preferred: 8 years with data structures and algorithms; 3 years in technical leadership; 3 years in a complex, matrixed organization.
- Education
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
About the job
Leads technical strategy and delivery for Linux kernel subsystems supporting the efficiency, scale, and reliability of Google’s compute infrastructure.
What you'll do
- Set architecture and technical strategy for kernel subsystems, including memory management, CPU scheduling, BPF, and filesystems.
- Guide critical systems engineering initiatives and coordinate roadmaps with technical and cross-functional leaders.
- Oversee project execution and promote testing, optimization, and performance profiling to protect fleet efficiency and data integrity.
What they ask for
- Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
- 8 years of experience programming in C++.
- 5 years of experience testing and launching software products.
- 5 years of experience building large-scale infrastructure, distributed systems, networks, or working with compute technologies, storage, or hardware architecture; 3 years of software design and architecture experience; and experience with computer architecture, operating systems, and kernel programming.
Nice to have
- Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
- Experience with Linux Kernel, CPU scheduling, memory management, and virtualization; technical leadership and cross-functional project experience.
Pay
$207000 - $300000 (USD) base salary
Tools
Linux kernel, C++, BPF, CPU scheduling, memory management, filesystems, virtualization
AI focus
The role supports compute infrastructure used for AI capabilities and models; no direct AI development duties are specified.
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