At a Glance
- Tasks: Create innovative developer tools for AI inference and enhance the MAX framework.
- Company: Join Modular, a Qualcomm company, revolutionising AI infrastructure.
- Benefits: Enjoy competitive salary, comprehensive healthcare, and flexible remote work options.
- Other info: Collaborative team culture with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Shape the future of AI and make a real impact on technology.
- Qualifications: Experience in software engineering and a passion for developer tools.
The predicted salary is between 99600 - 150000 £ per year.
About Modular
At Modular, a Qualcomm company, 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.
About The Role
At Modular we are building a next generation AI platform to power modern applications and facilitate access to cutting-edge hardware. The MAX framework is our developer-facing layer: it defines the APIs developers use to express models, integrate custom kernels, orchestrate execution, iterate on quality and ship systems into production. As an engineer on the MAX Tools team you will build the developer tooling for Modular's AI inference stack to make the engineers who build and deploy AI models more productive. You will be working on tools to help people create, debug, and optimize models and kernels. Modular’s vertically integrated ML serving stack allows you to solve a uniquely diverse set of problems, and gives you especially broad scope for creating solutions. A growing part of our work is agent-native tooling: tools designed so that AI agents can profile, triage, and debug issues under engineer guidance.
LOCATION: Candidates based in the UK are welcome to apply. You can work out of our office in Edinburgh or remotely from home. Onboarding for new hires is conducted in person in Edinburgh.
What You Will Do
- Enhance the MAX developer experience by creating tools that can be part of traditional and agentic workflows, by surfacing data through the entire AI stack, and by supporting a widening list of heterogeneous hardware platforms.
- Design, build, and maintain key technologies that support the MAX framework, such as profiling and tracing tools, debuggers and associated tools to check correctness, and metrics and dashboards to monitor the performance and health of MAX deployments.
- Create agent-native tooling: tools that can be used by humans and agents alike, and the agentic workflows that go around them.
- Write agents to bring up models, to triage issues with running systems, and to profile and optimize based on real workloads.
- Connect MAX tools through the entire stack: by strengthening the tooling interfaces between MAX, Mojo, and the driver APIs they run on; and by integrating tool use cleanly with the orchestration layers above.
- Participate in design discussions and code reviews to uphold high engineering standards.
- Work directly with the kernel, model, and serving engineers who use your tools every day, and turn their recurring pain points into better tools.
What You Bring To The Table
- Passion for creating exceptional developer experiences and an understanding of what makes great tools feel effortless.
- Experience designing, building, and shipping developer tools, developer infrastructure, or observability systems that other engineers rely on.
- Fluency in one or more systems/performance languages (C++, Rust, Go) and one or more user-facing languages (Python; familiarity with Mojo is a plus).
- Experience measuring software performance via profiling, tracing, or benchmarking, and the systems knowledge to analyze those results.
- Clear written communication and the ability to work independently in a distributed team.
- A user-focused mindset: you seek out the people who use your tools, learn their workflows, and prioritize what makes them more productive.
Minimum Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 4+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
- OR Master's degree in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 3+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
- OR PhD in Engineering, Information Systems, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or related field and 2+ years of Software Engineering or related work experience.
- AND 2+ years of work experience with Programming Language such as Python, Mojo, Rust, C++, etc.
Helpful, But Not Required
- Experience with GPU performance tooling (Nsight Systems/Compute, rocprof, Perfetto, or similar) or GPU programming (CUDA, ROCm).
- Knowledge of basic AI implementation and modeling techniques and familiarity with AI frameworks like PyTorch, JAX, or TensorFlow.
- Experience building tooling for AI agents (e.g. agent skills, MCP).
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. Your benefits package may include comprehensive healthcare coverage, retirement and savings programs, employee stock purchase opportunities, paid time off, wellbeing resources, family support programs, and learning and development opportunities.
- Competitive Compensation. We offer very strong compensation packages, including RSU grants. 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.
The estimated base salary range for this role to be performed in the UK, is £99,600 - £150,000 GBP. 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.
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.
Staff AI Inference Tools Engineer employer: Modular, a Qualcomm company
At Modular, a Qualcomm company, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a collaborative and innovative work culture. Our Edinburgh office offers a vibrant environment where talented individuals can thrive, supported by world-class benefits, competitive compensation, and ample opportunities for professional growth. Join us to work alongside industry leaders in AI infrastructure, making a meaningful impact while enjoying a balanced work-life experience.
Contact Details:
Modular, a Qualcomm company Recruitment Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Staff AI Inference Tools Engineer
✨Join Local Tech Meetups
Get out there and mingle with fellow developers by joining local tech meetups. It’s a fantastic way to meet people who might be working at Modular, a Qualcomm company or know someone who does. Plus, you can pick up some trendy tech skills and trends while you're at it!
✨Contribute to Open Source Projects
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✨Tap into Online Developer Communities
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We think you need these skills to ace Staff AI Inference Tools Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show off your coding skills:When applying for a software engineering role, it's super important to showcase your coding skills. Make sure your CV includes your tech stack, any relevant programming languages you’re comfortable with, and examples of projects you've worked on. If you have a GitHub profile, link it up! We love to see code in action.
Tailor your portfolio:For a full-time role, we’d expect to see some solid examples of your work in your portfolio. Make sure to include at least two or three projects that highlight your problem-solving skills and your ability to work with different technologies. Focus on the projects that are most relevant to the position at Modular, a Qualcomm company.
Craft a killer cover letter:Your cover letter is your chance to stand out—make it personal! Explain why you want to work at Modular, a Qualcomm company and how your skills align with the role. Show us your passion for software development. We dig enthusiastic candidates who understand the value of collaboration and continuous learning!
Be clear and concise:When it comes to writing your CV and cover letter, clarity is key. Avoid jargon that could confuse us and stick to simple, direct language. Highlight your achievements with quantifiable results where possible, and keep everything easy to read. A well-organised application goes a long way!
How to prepare for a job interview at Modular, a Qualcomm company
✨Brush Up on Your Coding Skills
For a full-time software engineering role, it's crucial that we stay sharp with our coding abilities. Expect technical questions that might involve solving problems on the spot or discussing algorithms. Practise on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank to get comfortable with the types of questions that often come up.
✨Know Your Tools and Frameworks
Make sure we’re well-acquainted with the tools and technologies listed in the job description. Familiarise ourselves with any specific frameworks or programming languages mentioned. If Modular, a Qualcomm company uses React or Node.js, for instance, be ready to discuss how we’ve used them in previous projects or coursework.
✨Showcase Your Projects
Bring along a portfolio that highlights our best work. This could be code samples, GitHub repositories, or any side projects we’ve built. Make sure we can talk through our thought process for each project, especially the challenges we faced and how we solved them—this shows our problem-solving skills in action.
✨Prepare for Behavioural Questions
While technical skills are key, full-time positions also require cultural fit. Be ready to discuss our previous experiences and how we handle teamwork, conflict, and deadlines. Brush up on the STAR method—Situation, Task, Action, Result—to clearly articulate our past experiences when discussing how we've contributed to a team.
