Senior Principal Machine Learning Engineer, Distributed vLLM Inference Kubernetes

Job Summary

At Red Hat we believe the future of AI is open and we are on a mission to bring the power of open-source LLMs and vLLM to every enterprise. Red Hat Inference team accelerates AI for the enterprise and brings operational simplicity to GenAI deployments. As leading developers, maintainers of the vLLM and LLM‑D projects, and inventors of state‑of‑the‑art techniques for model quantization and sparsification, our team provides a stable platform for enterprises to build, optimize, and scale LLM deployments.

As a Machine Learning Engineer focused on distributed vLLM () infrastructure in the LLM‑D ((Use the "Apply for this Job" box below).) project, you will collaborate with our team to tackle the most pressing challenges in scalable inference systems and Kubernetes‑native deployments. Your work with distributed systems and cloud infrastructure will directly impact enterprise AI deployments. If you want to solve challenging technical problems in distributed systems and cloud‑native infrastructure the open‑source way, this is the role for you.

Join us in shaping the future of AI!

• Develop and maintain distributed inference infrastructure leveraging Kubernetes APIs, operators, and the Gateway Inference Extension API for scalable LLM deployments.
• Create system components in Go and/or Rust to integrate with the vLLM project and manage distributed inference workloads.
• Design and implement KV cache‑aware routing and scoring algorithms to optimize memory utilization and request distribution in large‑scale inference deployments.
• Enhance the resource utilization, fault tolerance, and stability of the inference stack.
• Contribute to the design, development, and testing of various inference optimization algorithms.
• Actively participate in technical design discussions and propose innovative solutions to complex challenges.
• Provide timely and constructive code reviews.
• Mentor and guide fellow engineers, fostering a culture of continuous learning and innovation.

• Strong proficiency in Python and at least one systems programming language (GoLang, Rust, or C++), with GoLang being highly preferred.
• Experience with the Kubernetes ecosystem, including core concepts, custom APIs, operators, and the Gateway API inference extension for GenAI workloads (a plus).
• Experience with cloud‑native Kubernetes service mesh technologies/stacks such as Istio, Cilium, Envoy (WASM filters), and CNI.
• A solid understanding of Layer 7 networking, HTTP/2, gRPC, and the fundamentals of API gateways and reverse proxies.
• Working knowledge of high‑performance networking protocols and technologies including UCX, RoCE, Infini Band, and RDMA is a plus.
• Experience with GPU performance benchmarking and profiling tools like NVIDIA Nsight or distributed tracing libraries/techniques like Open Telemetry is a plus.
• Excellent communication skills, capable of interacting effectively with both technical and non‑technical team members.
• A Bachelor's or Master's degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related field. A Ph.D. in an ML‑related domain is a significant advantage.

The salary range for this position is $ - $. Actual offer will be based on your qualifications.

Red Hat determines compensation based on several factors including but not limited to job location, experience, applicable skills and training, external market value, and internal pay equity. Annual salary is one component of Red Hat’s compensation package. This position may also be eligible for bonus, commission, and/or equity. For positions with Remote-US locations, the actual salary range for the position may differ based on location but will be commensurate with job duties and relevant work experience.

Red Hat () is the world’s leading provider of enterprise open source () software solutions, using a community‑powered approach to deliver high‑performing Linux, cloud, container, and Kubernetes technologies. Spread across 40+ countries, our associates work flexibly across work environments, from in‑office, to office‑flex, to fully remote, depending on the requirements of their role. Red Hatters are encouraged to bring their best ideas, no matter…