Systems Engineer - Compute

Neuralink
Austin +1 more
On-site

Who this role is best for

Aimed at mid-to-senior level systems engineers who thrive in hands-on, infrastructure-focused environments.

Best fit for

  • Candidates with hands-on data center experience and a background in HPC or GPU cluster management
    — “Experience building and supporting HPC or high-density compute environments: GPU clusters, high-performance storage”
  • Individuals who can manage infrastructure as code and design scalable systems from the ground up
    — “build this infrastructure from the ground up, manage it as code”
  • Professionals who are comfortable with both physical hardware and software automation tools
    — “equal comfort on the data center floor and at the keyboard”

Things to consider

  • On-call availability is a key requirement, with no mention of remote flexibility
    — “maintain 24/7 on-call readiness for compute and storage incidents”
  • The role requires compliance with strict data handling and security standards
    — “Ensure all systems comply with HIPAA, PII handling requirements, and applicable cybersecurity standards”

How to stand out

  • Highlight experience with PXE/HTTP boot and configuration management tools like Terraform
    — “Experience automating bare-metal provisioning (PXE/HTTP boot) and configuration management with Terraform, Ansible, or Puppet”
  • Emphasize your ability to design and operate data center environments with attention to power and cooling
    — “Design, build, and operate data center environments including power infrastructure (PDUs, UPS, generators), cooling systems (CRAC/CRAH, liquid cooling), and scalable racking”
  • Showcase your expertise in Linux server administration and OS optimization
    — “Administer Linux and Windows server environments including OS deployment, patching, hardening, and performance tuning”
Pace · Fast PacedCollaboration · MediumAutonomy · MediumDecision Impact · Team

Derived from job-description analysis by Serendipath's career intelligence engine.

What success looks like

  • End-to-end lifecycle of compute and storage infrastructure
  • Operate infrastructure monitoring and alerting
Typical background
Experience building and supporting HPC or high-density compute environments

Skills & requirements

Required

Data Center DesignBuild And OperationsHPC ClustersGPU ClustersHigh-performance StorageAutomationLinux Server AdministrationWindows Server AdministrationInfrastructure Monitoring

Preferred

Cluster Resource ManagementDCIM Tools

Stack & domain

Data Center DesignBuildOperationsServer And Storage LifecycleHPC And GPU ClustersHigh-performance Storage SystemsAutomationLinux And Windows Server EnvironmentsInfrastructure MonitoringHIPAAPII HandlingCybersecurity StandardsSystems Design DocumentsRack And Power DiagramsRunbooksSopsHardware InventoryDCIM RecordsTeamworkProblem-solvingLeadershipITData CenterServer Infrastructure

About the role

Original posting from Neuralink via Greenhouse

About Neuralink:

We are creating devices that enable a bi-directional interface with the brain. These devices allow us to restore movement to the paralyzed, restore sight to the blind, and revolutionize how humans interact with their digital world.

Team Description:

Neuralink's Information Technology team owns the corporate environment that every engineer, scientist, and clinician depends on to do their work. Within IT, the Compute function is responsible for the physical and server infrastructure that powers neural recording training, data processing, and engineering workloads: the data center floor itself, the GPU and HPC clusters that run on it, and the storage, provisioning, and monitoring that keep those systems healthy. We build this infrastructure from the ground up, manage it as code, and treat uptime for research workloads as production.

Job Description and Responsibilities:

Neuralink is looking for a hands-on Systems Engineer with deep expertise in data center design, build, and operations. You will own the end-to-end lifecycle of our compute and storage infrastructure, from site buildout and hardware procurement through deployment, automation, and day-to-day operations. The ideal candidate brings equal comfort on the data center floor and at the keyboard, thrives in a fast-paced, high-stakes environment, and has a passion for building reliable, scalable systems from the ground up. The job responsibilities will include:

Design, build, and operate data center environments including power infrastructure (PDUs, UPS, generators), cooling systems (CRAC/CRAH, liquid cooling), and scalable racking; drive capacity planning for power, cooling, and floor space

Own the full server and storage lifecycle: hardware selection and procurement, rack and cable, commissioning with BIOS/firmware tuning and integration testing, maintenance, and decommission

Administer and manage HPC and GPU clusters and high-performance storage systems

Automate server provisioning using PXE/HTTP boot, scripting (Bash, PowerShell, Python), and configuration management tools such as Terraform, Ansible, and Puppet

Administer Linux and Windows server environments including OS deployment, patching, hardening, and performance tuning

Operate infrastructure monitoring and alerting; drive capacity planning for compute and storage from the data

Plan and coordinate maintenance windows, upgrades, and expansions; maintain 24/7 on-call readiness for compute and storage incidents

Ensure all systems comply with HIPAA, PII handling requirements, and applicable cybersecurity standards (ISO, NIST)

Author and maintain systems design documents, rack and power diagrams, runbooks, SOPs, hardware inventory, and DCIM records

Required Qualifications:

Experience building and supporting HPC or high-density compute environments: GPU clusters, high-performance storage

Hands-on experience with data center power, cooling, and racking design and operations

Strong Linux server administration experience; working knowledge of Windows Server

Experience automating bare-metal provisioning (PXE/HTTP boot) and configuration management with Terraform, Ansible, or Puppet

Familiarity with DCIM tools and infrastructure monitoring (Prometheus, Grafana, or similar)

Working knowledge of TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, and NTP as they apply to server deployment and troubleshooting

Bachelor's degree in a technical field OR equivalent practical experience

Preferred Qualifications:

Familiarity with cluster resource managers (Slurm, LSF, PBS)

Experience with virtualization platforms (VMware/Hyper-V/Proxmox) and storage ecosystems (NAS/SAN, NFS/iSCSI)

Hands-on experience deploying liquid-cooled GPU racks

Exposure to real-time systems and industrial telemetry environments

Experience with GitLab CI/CD for infrastructure pipelines

Industry certifications such as CDCP, RHCE, or equivalent data center and Linux certifications

Expected Compensation:

The anticipated base salary for this position is expected to be within the following range. Your actual base pay will be determined by your job-related skills, experience, and relevant education or training. We also believe in aligning our employees’ success with the company's long-term growth. As such, in addition to base salary, Neuralink offers equity compensation (in the form of Restricted Stock Units (RSU)) for all full-time employees.

Base Salary Range:$83,000—$138,000 USD

What We Offer:

Full-time employees are eligible for the following benefits listed below.

An opportunity to change the world and work with some of the smartest and most talented experts from different fields

Growth potential; we rapidly advance team members who have an outsized impact

Excellent medical, dental, and vision insurance through a PPO plan

Paid holidays

Commuter benefits

Meals provided

Equity (RSUs) *Temporary Employees & Interns excluded

401(k) plan *Interns initially excluded until they work 1,000 hours

Parental leave *Temporary Employees & Interns excluded

Flexible time off *Temporary Employees & Interns excluded

Source: Neuralink careers (Greenhouse)

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