System Software Engineer, Linux Kernel and Device Drivers

Job Title

System Software Engineer, Linux Kernel and Device Drivers

Role Summary

Join the host system software team to architect and implement Linux kernel drivers and low-level userspace libraries for MatX AI accelerators. The role focuses on driver development, device bring-up, performance optimization, and cross-functional debugging with hardware, firmware, and platform teams.

Experience Level

Senior — 8+ years of low-level systems software experience.

Responsibilities

Primary responsibilities include design, implementation, testing, and optimization of kernel and userspace software for PCIe-based accelerators.

• Architect, design, and implement Linux kernel drivers: memory management, DMA, interrupts, and command submission paths
• Develop low-level userspace libraries and interfaces (ioctl/sysfs, mmap, direct-access utilities)
• Validate early chip features on pre-silicon platforms (simulation, emulation, FPGA) and on first silicon
• Prototype bring-up code, debug utilities, and tooling to exercise the chip before production software exists
• Drive first-silicon bring-up alongside hardware, BMC firmware, and platform engineers to debug cross-domain issues
• Profile and optimize PCIe throughput, DMA efficiency, interrupt latency, and OS overhead
• Deliver unit and regression tests for kernel and library components
• Expose device state and error information for platform telemetry and management layers
• Provide software requirements feedback to influence next-generation chip architecture and share ownership of adjacent components

Requirements

Must-have technical skills and experience; bonus items listed separately.

Must-have:

• Extensive Linux kernel development experience — written and shipped device drivers (ideally PCIe devices)
• Strong C programming skills in both kernel and userspace
• Deep understanding of MMIO, DMA, interrupts, IOMMU, virtual memory, and system architecture
• Proven ability to debug complex hardware/software interaction issues with limited visibility
• Self-driven and able to own a component from specification through bring-up and validation

Nice-to-have:

• Experience with pre-silicon validation (simulation, emulation, FPGA prototyping)
• First-silicon or new-platform bring-up experience for accelerators, NICs, or SoCs
• Familiarity with SR-IOV, dma-buf, peer-to-peer PCIe, or VFIO
• Kernel performance tuning and profiling experience (perf, ftrace, eBPF)
• Exposure to BMC/host interaction paths and sideband interfaces (I2C/SMBus)
• Rust for systems programming

Education Requirements

BS or higher in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related technical field, or equivalent practical experience.

About the Company

Company: MatX

Headquarters: Mountain View, California, USA

MatX specializes in creating faster chips for large language models (LLMs), focusing on innovative hardware and software solutions. The company fosters a collaborative and supportive work environment, welcoming candidates of all experience levels. Their approach prioritizes deep understanding and consideration of novel methods to drive efficiency and performance in their projects, particularly in silicon design and related engineering roles.