Staff Software Engineer, Google Cloud Compute, Performance

Job description

Partner with Product Management and cross-functional engineering teams to define the roadmap for GCE’s next-generation VM offerings, translating high-level business goals into concrete technical execution plans. Design, architect, and develop scalable technical solutions that optimize VM performance, push the boundaries of hardware efficiency, and maximize infrastructure utilization. Lead complex, multi-functional initiatives across hardware, kernel, virtualization, and product teams to drive critical GCE performance initiatives from conception to production. Act as a trusted technical advisor to GCE’s most critical, high-profile customers. Analyze, benchmark, and optimize their massive-scale workloads to ensure performance exceeds expectations and unlocks business value. Shape the technical culture of the broader organization by mentoring junior and senior engineers, conducting design reviews, and establishing engineering best practices for performance analysis. Minimum Qualifications: Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience. 8 years of experience programming in C++. 5 years of experience building and developing large-scale infrastructure, distributed systems or networks, or experience with compute technologies, storage, or hardware architecture. Experience with CPU/memory architectures (e.g., x86, ARM) and modern server hardware performance characteristics. Experience as an architect or technical lead for multi-year infrastructure initiatives from conception to global deployment. Experience in one or more of the following domains: OS kernels, hypervisors/virtualization stacks (e.g., KVM, Xen), high-performance networking drivers, storage stacks. Preferred Qualifications: Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field. 8 years of experience with data structures and algorithms. 3 years of experience in a technical leadership role leading project teams and setting technical direction. Experience collaborating directly with principal engineers at strategic enterprise client organizations to root-cause and resolve complex, large-scale system performance bottlenecks. Understanding of hardware/software boundaries, including performance profiling tools, microarchitectural optimization, and hardware acceleration techniques. Ability to navigate ambiguity and drive technical alignment across distinct organizational boundaries, including Product Management, Hardware Engineering, and foundational Software teams.