# Senior Backend Engineer, Managed Kubernetes & Slurm [Lightningai](https://gurify.com/jobs?q=Lightningai) · New York, United States · Posted 7 weeks ago Senior [Backend](https://gurify.com/jobs/backend) [Cloud](https://gurify.com/jobs/cloud) [Apply on the original posting → (opens in a new tab)](https://job-boards.greenhouse.io/lightningai/jobs/7816026003) ## Job description ### Who We Are Lightning AI is the company behind PyTorch Lightning. Founded in 2019, we build an end-to-end platform for developing, training, and deploying AI systems—designed to take ideas from research to production with less friction. Through our merger with Voltage Park, a neocloud and AI Factory, Lightning AI combines developer-first software with cost-efficient, large-scale compute. Teams get the tools they need for experimentation, training, and production inference, with security, observability, and control built in. We serve solo researchers, startups, and large enterprises. Lightning AI operates globally with offices in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and London, and is backed by Coatue, Index Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and Firstminute. ### The Way We Work The people who thrive here are builders who move fast, communicate openly, take ownership, and continuously improve themselves, their teams, and our company. Here's what that looks like in practice: - Move with Urgency: We move quickly, make thoughtful decisions, and keep momentum. We value action over perfection and learn by shipping. - Take Ownership: We own outcomes, not just our individual work. We make decisions that move the company forward and follow through. - Communicate Openly: We communicate directly, seek to understand, and create clarity for others. Honest conversations help us move faster together. - Build Great Teams: We lead by example, empower others, and create healthy teams where people can do their best work. - Raise the Bar: We're always improving ourselves. We learn from feedback, consistently challenge ourselves to grow, and focus on the work that matters most. - Think Long-Term: We design for what's next. We create scalable systems, simplify complexity, and use AI and automation to amplify our impact. ### What We're Looking For Lightning AI runs one of the largest AI-native clouds, with 25,000+ H100, B200, and GB300 GPUs powering organizations building, training, and deploying AI at scale. To deliver that experience, our Managed Services team builds the systems that make complex GPU infrastructure simple, reliable, and easy for customers to use without managing the underlying infrastructure themselves. As a Senior Backend Engineer on the Managed Services team, you'll build the control planes, backend services, and automation that provision, operate, and scale Kubernetes and Slurm clusters across our GPU fleet. Your work will turn raw GPU capacity into production-ready environments where customers can seamlessly train models, run inference, and deploy AI workloads. This isn't a traditional SaaS backend role. You'll solve challenging distributed systems and cloud infrastructure problems, building the automation and platform capabilities that keep large-scale Kubernetes and Slurm environments scalable, observable, and resilient. This role is based in one of our U.S. office hubs (San Francisco, NYC, or Seattle, with SF and NYC preferred), with a minimum of 2 in-office days per week and occasional team and company offsites. We are not able to provide visa sponsorship for this position at this time. ### What You’ll Do - Design, build, and operate backend services in Go or Python that power Lightning AI's managed infrastructure platform. - Develop control plane services that provision, orchestrate, and manage Kubernetes and Slurm clusters across large-scale GPU infrastructure. - Build distributed systems that automate cluster lifecycle management, workload scheduling, infrastructure provisioning, and platform operations.. - Develop platform capabilities using Kubernetes APIs, controllers, operators, and other cloud-native technologies. - Improve the reliability, scalability, security, and observability of our managed platform through automation and operational excellence. - Diagnose and resolve complex production issues across Kubernetes, distributed systems, networking, and cloud infrastructure. - Collaborate with infrastructure, AI, and platform engineering teams to shape the future of our cloud platform. - Contribute to technical design, architecture, mentoring, engineering best practices, and on-call operations. ### What You’ll Need ### Required Qualifications - Significant professional experience designing, building, and operating production backend systems using Go or Python. - Deep hands-on experience with Kubernetes or Slurm, including operating large-scale production environments. - Strong understanding of distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, and production infrastructure. - Experience designing and building scalable backend services, APIs, and automation for infrastructure or platform operations. - Strong understanding of networking, storage, and cloud infrastructure fundamentals. - Familiarity with observability, CI/CD, testing, production operations, and incident response. - Ability to own complex technical projects while collaborating effectively across engineering teams. ### Ideal Experience ### Experience with one or more of the following: - Kubernetes platform development, including operators, controllers, CRDs, or control plane components - Slurm administration, scheduling, or HPC environments - Infrastructure-as-Code or GitOps tooling such as Terraform, Crossplane, Helm, Argo CD, Flux, or Kustomize - GPU infrastructure, AI platforms, or large-scale compute environments - Kubernetes networking, storage, or multi-tenant platform architecture - Event-driven systems, gRPC, or distributed messaging - Building CI/CD systems for production environments - Contributions to cloud-native or open source infrastructure projects ### Compensation We are committed to offering competitive compensation that reflects the value each team member brings to our mission. Final offers are based on factors such as experience, skills, geographic location, and role expectations. In addition to base salary, our total rewards package for eligible roles includes a discretionary bonus, a meaningful equity component, and comprehensive benefits. The anticipated annual base salary range for this role is: $180,000—$250,000 USD ### Benefits and Perks We offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support our employees’ health, well-being, and long-term success: - Comprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents. - Meaningful Equity: RSUs that give employees a stake in the company's long-term success. - Retirement Savings: 401(k) matching (U.S.) and pension contributions (U.K.). - Flexible Time Off: Unlimited PTO, company holidays, and floating holidays to support work-life balance. - Company-Wide Winter Break: Two weeks of company closure each winter to disconnect and recharge. - Paid Parental & Family Leave: Paid leave to support you and your family through life's important moments. - Professional Development: Annual learning and development allowance to support your professional growth. - Wellness Benefits: Wellness and work-from-home stipends to support your physical and mental well-being. - Sabbatical Program: Four weeks of paid sabbatical leave after four years of service. - Flexible Work: Flexible schedules and a hybrid work model for our office-based teams. - In-Office Meals: Complimentary meals at our office hubs. Benefits may vary by location, team, and role. At Lightning AI, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We believe that diverse teams drive innovation and create better products. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. We are dedicated to building a culture where everyone can thrive and contribute to their fullest potential. **Live in Lightningai’s hiring system.** Read from the company's own applicant tracking system, not reposted from a job board — so it's a real, open requisition rather than an ad that outlived the role. 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Founded in 2019, we build an end-to-end platform for developing, training, and deploying AI systems\u2014designed to take ideas from research to production with less friction.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThrough our merger with Voltage Park, a neocloud and AI Factory, Lightning AI combines developer-first software with cost-efficient, large-scale compute. Teams get the tools they need for experimentation, training, and production inference, with security, observability, and control built in.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe serve solo researchers, startups, and large enterprises. Lightning AI operates globally with offices in New York City, San Francisco, Seattle, and London, and is backed by Coatue, Index Ventures, Bain Capital Ventures, and Firstminute.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EThe Way We Work\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe people who thrive here are builders who move fast, communicate openly, take ownership, and continuously improve themselves, their teams, and our company. Here\u0026#39;s what that looks like in practice:\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMove with Urgency: We move quickly, make thoughtful decisions, and keep momentum. We value action over perfection and learn by shipping.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ETake Ownership: We own outcomes, not just our individual work. We make decisions that move the company forward and follow through.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECommunicate Openly: We communicate directly, seek to understand, and create clarity for others. Honest conversations help us move faster together.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBuild Great Teams: We lead by example, empower others, and create healthy teams where people can do their best work.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ERaise the Bar: We\u0026#39;re always improving ourselves. We learn from feedback, consistently challenge ourselves to grow, and focus on the work that matters most.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EThink Long-Term: We design for what\u0026#39;s next. We create scalable systems, simplify complexity, and use AI and automation to amplify our impact.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhat We\u0026#39;re Looking For\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003ELightning AI runs one of the largest AI-native clouds, with 25,000\u002B H100, B200, and GB300 GPUs powering organizations building, training, and deploying AI at scale. To deliver that experience, our Managed Services team builds the systems that make complex GPU infrastructure simple, reliable, and easy for customers to use without managing the underlying infrastructure themselves.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAs a Senior Backend Engineer on the Managed Services team, you\u0026#39;ll build the control planes, backend services, and automation that provision, operate, and scale Kubernetes and Slurm clusters across our GPU fleet. Your work will turn raw GPU capacity into production-ready environments where customers can seamlessly train models, run inference, and deploy AI workloads.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis isn\u0026#39;t a traditional SaaS backend role. You\u0026#39;ll solve challenging distributed systems and cloud infrastructure problems, building the automation and platform capabilities that keep large-scale Kubernetes and Slurm environments scalable, observable, and resilient.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThis role is based in one of our U.S. office hubs (San Francisco, NYC, or Seattle, with SF and NYC preferred), with a minimum of 2 in-office days per week and occasional team and company offsites. We are not able to provide visa sponsorship for this position at this time.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhat You\u2019ll Do\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDesign, build, and operate backend services in Go or Python that power Lightning AI\u0026#39;s managed infrastructure platform.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDevelop control plane services that provision, orchestrate, and manage Kubernetes and Slurm clusters across large-scale GPU infrastructure.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBuild distributed systems that automate cluster lifecycle management, workload scheduling, infrastructure provisioning, and platform operations..\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDevelop platform capabilities using Kubernetes APIs, controllers, operators, and other cloud-native technologies.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EImprove the reliability, scalability, security, and observability of our managed platform through automation and operational excellence.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDiagnose and resolve complex production issues across Kubernetes, distributed systems, networking, and cloud infrastructure.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECollaborate with infrastructure, AI, and platform engineering teams to shape the future of our cloud platform.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EContribute to technical design, architecture, mentoring, engineering best practices, and on-call operations.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EWhat You\u2019ll Need\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ERequired Qualifications\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESignificant professional experience designing, building, and operating production backend systems using Go or Python.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EDeep hands-on experience with Kubernetes or Slurm, including operating large-scale production environments.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EStrong understanding of distributed systems, cloud-native architectures, and production infrastructure.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EExperience designing and building scalable backend services, APIs, and automation for infrastructure or platform operations.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EStrong understanding of networking, storage, and cloud infrastructure fundamentals.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFamiliarity with observability, CI/CD, testing, production operations, and incident response.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EAbility to own complex technical projects while collaborating effectively across engineering teams.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EIdeal Experience\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EExperience with one or more of the following:\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EKubernetes platform development, including operators, controllers, CRDs, or control plane components\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESlurm administration, scheduling, or HPC environments\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EInfrastructure-as-Code or GitOps tooling such as Terraform, Crossplane, Helm, Argo CD, Flux, or Kustomize\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EGPU infrastructure, AI platforms, or large-scale compute environments\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EKubernetes networking, storage, or multi-tenant platform architecture\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EEvent-driven systems, gRPC, or distributed messaging\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EBuilding CI/CD systems for production environments\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EContributions to cloud-native or open source infrastructure projects\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Ch3\u003ECompensation\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe are committed to offering competitive compensation that reflects the value each team member brings to our mission. Final offers are based on factors such as experience, skills, geographic location, and role expectations. In addition to base salary, our total rewards package for eligible roles includes a discretionary bonus, a meaningful equity component, and comprehensive benefits.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EThe anticipated annual base salary range for this role is:\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003E$180,000\u2014$250,000 USD\u003C/p\u003E\u003Ch3\u003EBenefits and Perks\u003C/h3\u003E\u003Cp\u003EWe offer a comprehensive and competitive benefits package designed to support our employees\u2019 health, well-being, and long-term success:\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EComprehensive Health Coverage: Medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and eligible dependents.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EMeaningful Equity: RSUs that give employees a stake in the company\u0026#39;s long-term success.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ERetirement Savings: 401(k) matching (U.S.) and pension contributions (U.K.).\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFlexible Time Off: Unlimited PTO, company holidays, and floating holidays to support work-life balance.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ECompany-Wide Winter Break: Two weeks of company closure each winter to disconnect and recharge.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EPaid Parental \u0026amp; Family Leave: Paid leave to support you and your family through life\u0026#39;s important moments.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EProfessional Development: Annual learning and development allowance to support your professional growth.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EWellness Benefits: Wellness and work-from-home stipends to support your physical and mental well-being.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003ESabbatical Program: Four weeks of paid sabbatical leave after four years of service.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EFlexible Work: Flexible schedules and a hybrid work model for our office-based teams.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cul\u003E\u003Cli\u003EIn-Office Meals: Complimentary meals at our office hubs.\u003C/li\u003E\u003C/ul\u003E\u003Cp\u003EBenefits may vary by location, team, and role.\u003C/p\u003E\u003Cp\u003EAt Lightning AI, we are committed to fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace. We believe that diverse teams drive innovation and create better products. We provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants without regard to race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or any other protected characteristic. 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