Head of Supercomputing

Etched is building the world’s first AI inference system purpose-built for transformers - delivering over 10x higher performance and dramatically lower cost and latency than a B200. With Etched ASICs, you can build products that would be impossible with GPUs, like real-time video generation models and extremely deep & parallel chain-of-thought reasoning agents. Backed by hundreds of millions from top-tier investors and staffed by leading engineers, Etched is redefining the infrastructure layer for the fastest growing industry in history.

Lead System Software development for Etched’s ground breaking Inference Acceleration Systems. As Senior Manager, System Software, you will guide talented engineering and test teams responsible for the full low-level stack (firmware, drivers, OS, monitoring, test automation). Key responsibilities include attracting and developing world-class talent, defining technical strategy, driving quality execution from silicon bring-up through production, and collaborating across hardware, software, and manufacturing partners to deliver high-performance, reliable ML platforms.

Proven experience (5+ years) managing software engineering teams, ideally in system software, embedded Linux, server firmware, or system-level validation

A strong track record of attracting, developing, mentoring, and retaining top engineering talent, fostering high-performing and diverse teams

Deep technical expertise in areas such as BIOS/UEFI, BMC firmware, Root of Trust/Secure Boot, Linux kernel, PCIe device drivers, OS-level services, and system monitoring

Solid understanding of server and hardware architecture, including CPU/SoC/ASIC design, memory hierarchies, and PCIe interconnects

Experience managing the complete software development lifecycle: requirements, design, implementation, testing, release, and maintenance

History of successfully delivering complex system software projects tightly coupled with hardware platforms

Excellent leadership, communication, and collaboration skills across functional boundaries

Strong problem-solving abilities, especially in debugging complex hardware/software system interactions

Familiarity with modern development workflows including Git, CI/CD pipelines, and software engineering best practices

System software development or validation for AI/ML accelerators or custom ASIC/SoC hardware platforms

Deploying and managing diagnostics and software tests in high-volume manufacturing environments (e.g., factory test, L10)

Working with OpenBMC, Redfish, or other modern BMC firmware stacks and related standards

Deep knowledge of system-level security: threat modeling, secure boot, and secure development lifecycle practices

Managing container technologies like Docker and Kubernetes at the node/system level

Familiarity with working alongside server contract manufacturers in APAC, including logistics and test support coordination

Etched believes in the Bitter Lesson . We think most of the progress in the AI field has come from using more FLOPs to train and run models, and the best way to get more FLOPs is to build model-specific hardware. Larger and larger training runs encourage companies to consolidate around fewer model architectures, which creates a market for single-model ASICs.

We are a fully in-person team in San Jose (Santana Row), and greatly value engineering skills. We do not have boundaries between engineering and research, and we expect all of our technical staff to contribute to both as needed.