GenAI Inference Systems Tech Lead

About Modular

At Modular, we’re on a mission to revolutionize AI infrastructure by systematically rebuilding the AI software stack from the ground up. Our team, made up of industry leaders and experts, is building cutting-edge, modular infrastructure that simplifies AI development and deployment. By rethinking the complexities of AI systems, we’re empowering everyone to unlock AI’s full potential and tackle some of the world’s most pressing challenges.

If you’re passionate about shaping the future of AI and creating tools that make a real difference in people’s lives, we want you on our team. You can read about our culture and careers to understand how we work and what we value.

About The Role:

ML developers today face significant friction in taking trained models into deployment. They work in a highly fragmented space, with incomplete and patchwork solutions that require significant performance tuning and non-generalizable, model-specific enhancements. At Modular, we are building the Modular platform: a next generation AI platform that will radically improve the way developers build and deploy AI models.

We’re continuously working to improve the performance and scalability of the Modular platform by extending existing features and adding new features for users to try. As a GenAI Inference Systems Tech Lead, you’d be working on technologies like MAX Serve, Modular’s flagship product for GenAI inference. In the MAX Serve team, you would work on creating a scalable, production-ready framework for serving, offline inference, batch inference, as well as the APIs and abstractions that enable an extensible, community driven library of state-of-the-art ML models. You will also partner closely with the E2E Optimizations team to implement cutting edge optimizations for auto-regressive text generation, image generation, and beyond, either on the edge, locally or at any scale in the cloud.

LOCATION: Candidates based in the US or Canada are welcome to apply. You can work in our office in Los Altos, CA or remotely from home. Onboarding for new hires is conducted in-person in our Los Altos, CA office.

What You Will Do:

• Design, scope, implement, productionize and support GenAI serving and inference solutions in the MAX framework
• Serve as the tech lead for the serving and inference team
• Develop and support applications and executables that package MAX technologies into easy to use components
• Work on distributed endpoints, including RESTful and RPC APIs
• Optimize serving components for maximum resource utilization
• Work cross-functionally to support deploying of MAX Serve at scale, in various enterprise environments
• Work cross-functionally to design and support GenAI specific architectural designs

What You Bring To The Table:

• 6+ years of working experience as Full Stack or Backend engineer
• 6+ years of working experience in Machine Learning, Deep Learning, or Generative AI
• In-depth knowledge of the Python programming language
• Extensive experience with cloud distributed systems, Kubernetes, containers, distributed inference, etc.
• Experience developing other machine learning frameworks like vLLM, SGLang, etc.
• Experience profiling and reducing latency in GenAI applications
• Deep interest in applied machine learning technologies and architectures
• Creativity and curiosity for solving complex problems, a team-oriented attitude that enables you to work well with others, and alignment with our culture

What Modular Brings To The Table:

• Amazing Team. We are a progressive and agile team with some of the industry’s best engineering and product leaders.
• World-class Benefits. In order to attract the best, we need to offer the best. Premier insurance plans, up to 5% 401k matching, flexible paid time off, and more are available to you! Please note that specific benefit packages may vary based on your location.
• Competitive Compensation. We offer very strong compensation packages, including stock options. We want people to be focused on their best work and believe in tailoring compensation plans to meet the needs of our workforce. 
• Team Building Events. We organize regular team onsites and local meetups in Los Altos, CA as well as different cities. Traveling 2-4 times a year is expected for all roles. 

Working at Modular will enable you to grow quickly as you work alongside incredibly motivated and talented people who have high standards, possess a growth mindset, and a purpose to truly change the world.

The estimated base salary range for this role to be performed in the US, regardless of the state, is $234,000.00 - $319,000.00 USD. 
The estimated base salary range for this role to be performed in Canada, regardless of the province, is $221,000.00 - $301,000.00 CAD.
The salary for the successful applicant will depend on a variety of permissible, non-discriminatory job-related factors, which include but are not limited to education, training, work experience, business needs, or market demands. This range may be modified in the future. The total compensation for a candidate will also include annual target bonus, equity, and benefits, with equity making up a significant portion of your total compensation.

For candidates who fall outside of the listed requirements, we nevertheless encourage you to apply as we may have openings that are lower/higher level than the ones advertised. 

Modular is proud to emphasize an equal opportunity, safe environment for people to do their best work. Modular is an affirmative action employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities regardless of race, color, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender identity, or Veteran status. We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, consistent with legal requirements.
If you require reasonable accommodations to participate in the interview process, please let your recruiter know, and we will work with you to meet your needs in compliance with the ADA.

This employer participates in E-Verify and will provide the federal government with your Form I-9 information to confirm that you are authorized to work in the U.S. If E-Verify cannot confirm that you are authorized to work, this employer is required to give you written instructions and an opportunity to contact Department of Homeland Security (DHS) or Social Security Administration (SSA) so you can begin to resolve the issue before the employer can take any action against you, including terminating your employment. Employers can only use E-Verify once you have accepted a job offer and completed the Form I-9.