At a Glance
- Tasks: Own and engineer critical infrastructure for AI search systems at scale.
- Company: Join a pioneering team focused on revolutionising AI search technology.
- Benefits: Shape foundational tech, work with cutting-edge tools, and enjoy a collaborative environment.
- Other info: Opportunity to influence architectural decisions and contribute to open-source projects.
- Why this job: Make a real impact on the future of AI by building essential infrastructure.
- Qualifications: 3+ years in systems engineering, fluent in Rust and Python, experience with cloud infrastructure.
The predicted salary is between 60000 - 80000 € per year.
About Us and the Problem
We're building the best search for AI. Search is becoming the core primitive for AI. Every agent workflow, every reasoning system, every tool call needs context from the web and beyond, but today's search infrastructure was built for a different era. We're building the stack that makes the web accessible to how agents actually work: content at scale, structured for reasoning, designed for deep research across thousands of sources. Information Retrieval is in a renaissance, LLMs are changing not just what we need to build but how we can build it, and we combine first-principles research with hard engineering to solve web-scale indexing for agentic use. How agents access the web is one of the foundational questions of the next decade of software, and the infrastructure is what makes the answer fast, cheap, and possible at scale. You'd be building the layer underneath everything: storage, retrieval, indexing, serving. The kind of work that ends up in papers and the kind of work that ends up running in production, often the same week.
What You'll Be Doing
- Own critical infrastructure end-to-end: Take a layer of the stack (search and storage, data lake, ingestion, serving, or ML systems) from architecture through production.
- Set the technical direction: Make the hard calls on storage formats, query algorithms, scheduling models, and cost vs latency trade-offs that the team will live with for years.
- Engineer at petabyte scale: Drive concurrency, networking, IO, caching, scheduling, query latency, and cost down to the last percent.
Who You Are
A mid to senior-level engineer with 3+ years building, shipping, and operating systems-intensive infrastructure in production. Deep experience in distributed systems, operating systems, networking, databases, data engineering, search infrastructure, or ML systems with the judgement and taste that comes from having owned them at scale. Our systems are written in Rust and Python. You must be fluent in these and other systems languages (C, C++, Go) are a bonus. Comfortable working with cloud infrastructure, containerised workloads, Kubernetes, and large compute environments. Have made architectural decisions you've had to live with, and know what you'd do differently next time. Strong builder who wants meaningful ownership over real infrastructure and is comfortable using AI tools as part of their engineering workflow.
Bonus Points
- Prior experience scaling infrastructure at a search, large-scale data, or ML company.
- Track record of owning production systems at scale.
- Have built or significantly contributed to open-source infrastructure projects (databases, distributed systems, data engines).
- Published research, conference talks, or writing on systems, IR, or ML infrastructure.
- Experience with GCP, AWS, Kubernetes, Terraform, observability, workload orchestration, or large distributed worker pools.
- Experience with search databases, vector databases, retrieval systems, feature stores, training pipelines, or evaluation infrastructure.
Why Join
We are a small team with few abstractions between you and the system you're building. The infrastructure is the product, what you ship is the infrastructure agents run on. As a senior hire, you'll shape the direction of a foundational layer, not just contribute to it. If you want to build systems that will serve as core primitives for agents, reach out: careers@valyu.ai
Systems & Infrastructure Engineer employer: Valyu
At Valyu, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer that fosters a culture of innovation and collaboration. Our small, agile team allows for meaningful ownership of projects, enabling you to directly influence the foundational infrastructure that powers cutting-edge AI applications. With opportunities for professional growth, a commitment to open-source contributions, and a dynamic work environment, you'll find your role as a Systems & Infrastructure Engineer both rewarding and impactful.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Systems & Infrastructure Engineer
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to folks in the industry, attend meetups, and connect with people on LinkedIn. You never know who might have the inside scoop on job openings or can refer you directly.
✨Tip Number 2
Show off your skills! Create a portfolio or GitHub repository showcasing your projects, especially those related to systems and infrastructure. This gives potential employers a taste of what you can do and how you think.
✨Tip Number 3
Prepare for technical interviews by brushing up on your knowledge of distributed systems, databases, and cloud infrastructure. Practice coding challenges and system design questions to boost your confidence.
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! We love seeing candidates who are genuinely interested in our mission. Tailor your application to highlight your experience with search infrastructure and systems engineering.
We think you need these skills to ace Systems & Infrastructure Engineer
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Passion for Infrastructure:When writing your application, let us see your enthusiasm for systems and infrastructure. Share specific examples of projects you've worked on that relate to the role, especially those involving distributed systems or search infrastructure.
Be Clear and Concise:We appreciate clarity! Make sure your application is easy to read and straight to the point. Highlight your relevant experience and skills without unnecessary fluff, so we can quickly see why you're a great fit for the team.
Tailor Your Application:Don’t just send a generic application. Tailor it to our job description! Mention your experience with Rust, Python, or any other relevant technologies, and how they align with what we're building at StudySmarter.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It helps us keep track of applications and ensures you’re considered for the role you’re excited about!
How to prepare for a job interview at Valyu
✨Know Your Tech Stack
Make sure you’re well-versed in the technologies mentioned in the job description, especially Rust and Python. Brush up on your knowledge of distributed systems, cloud infrastructure, and containerisation. Being able to discuss your experience with these technologies confidently will show that you're ready to take ownership of critical infrastructure.
✨Prepare for Technical Questions
Expect to dive deep into technical discussions during your interview. Prepare to explain your architectural decisions and the trade-offs you've made in past projects. Think about how you would approach problems related to storage formats, query algorithms, and cost vs latency trade-offs, as these are key aspects of the role.
✨Showcase Your Problem-Solving Skills
Be ready to tackle hypothetical scenarios or case studies that test your problem-solving abilities. Think about how you would handle issues like scaling infrastructure or optimising query latency. Demonstrating your thought process and how you approach challenges will impress the interviewers.
✨Highlight Your Ownership Experience
Share specific examples of projects where you had meaningful ownership over systems or infrastructure. Discuss the impact of your contributions and any lessons learned from those experiences. This will help convey your readiness to shape the direction of foundational layers in their infrastructure.
