Field Hardware Engineer, HPC at Mistral (Paris, France)
Mistral· Paris, France·
Role details
Mistral at a glance
A French AI lab building open and frontier-grade large language models, with the full developer and enterprise stack around them.
Mistral is a French AI lab that builds open and frontier-grade large language models and sells the full stack around them: developer tooling, an agent studio, consumer and enterprise apps like Le Chat and Vibe, custom model training, and its own GPU compute. Its edge is deployment control, with open weights, EU hosting, and self-hosting for regulated and sovereign buyers.
$3B+ raised · latest: Series C · 1.7B euros · Sept 2025 · backed by ASML, Nvidia, Andreessen Horowitz, DST Global
Job description
About Mistral
Mistral provides full-stack AI solutions: from frontier models to developer tools, applications, and compute. We partner with enterprises tackling the hardest problems across high-stakes industries like finance, manufacturing, defense, healthcare, and the public sector, co-creating customized AI systems that they can run on their terms. We are a dynamic, collaborative team passionate about AI and its potential to transform society. Our diverse workforce thrives in competitive environments and is committed to driving innovation. Our teams are distributed between Europe, North America, Asia and the Middle East. We are creative, low-ego and team-spirited.
Role summary
Our compute footprint is growing fast to support our science and engineering teams. We’re hiring a Field HW Engineer to understand end-to-end systems, execute complex/vendor-level interventions, and guide L1 engineers on site—without direct line management. You’ll work hands-on across compute, storage, interconnect and cooling to keep one of France’s largest GPU/CPU clusters healthy and scalable. Location: Bruyères-le-Châtel — on-site, field role (multi-site mobility: Paris area and nearby) Reporting line: Hardware Ops
Impact
- Compute is a key lever for Mistral’s success and our largest spend item.
- Direct impact on scale: you’ll restore service on complex incidents and raise the bar on reliability as we grow.
- Enable breakthrough AI: your work unlocks science & engineering teams to deliver state-of-the-art AI.
What you will do
- Lead complex interventions: plan and execute vendor-level or multi-node operations (e.g., full rack work, intricate recabling, post-restart diagnosis), own risk assessment/rollback, and coordinate with vendors (RMA/escalations).
- Advanced diagnostics: correlate symptoms across compute, storage, interconnect, cooling; read system indicators (LED/POST/beep), BMC/IPMI consoles, and logs to identify root causes.
- Guide and uplift L1s: coach on safe practices (ESD/LOTO), first-line triage, rack craftsmanship, documentation quality; pair on tricky procedures. (No people management.)
- Process & automation: improve SOPs/checklists; propose/build small automation (Python/Bash) for photo/serial capture, inventory sync, dashboards/alerts; shorten MTTR.
- Safety & compliance: enforce lockout/tagout, ESD, PPE; ensure audit-ready tickets, evidence and change traces.
- Parts & logistics (advanced): plan spares strategy, track failure trends, and drive proactive vendor actions.
About you
- 5+ years in data center/server hardware or L2/L3 hardware support, with proven complex hands-on work in production (HPC/AI/Cloud at scale).
- End-to-end hardware expertise: comfortable across CPU/memory/PCIe cards (incl. accelerators), NICs, PSUs, drives, network, power and cooling (including DLC); strong judgment on when/how to escalate.
- Diagnostics depth: confident in analyzing BMC/IPMI logs, linux software logs and crashes simple CLI checks; methodical root cause analysis.
- Safety & discipline: impeccable ESD/LOTO/PPE habits; zero rough handling; clean, labeled, auditable work.
- Communication & mentoring: crisp status/handovers; able to coach L1s during live operations. Provide technical documentations to L1s or other team
- Mobility: willing to travel between sites (Paris area or nearby regions, occasionally in Europe or US)).
Nice to have
- Vendor tools (iDRAC/iLO/IPMI), RAID/storage basics (NVMe/SAS/SATA), high-speed interconnect (Ethernet/InfiniBand).
- Coding/automation (Python/Bash) for small ops tools and reporting.
- Experience with ticketing (Jira/ServiceNow), inventory/RMA flows, vendor coordination.
What We Offer
We offer a comprehensive benefits package designed to support your well-being, growth, and work-life balance. Benefits vary by country and may include healthcare coverage, parental leave, retirement plans, relocation support, wellness programs, meal and transportation allowances, and other location-specific perks. For the most up-to-date details on benefits available in your location, please refer to our Benefits page.
Privacy Policy Your privacy matters to us. You can learn more about how we handle your personal data in our Applicant Privacy Policy.
Why work at Mistral
- Culture: Flat structure, high ownership, low ego, and a "builders, not order takers" mentality. The company values audacity, speed, rigor, and customer centricity.
- Remote/Hybrid/Office: Based in Paris (15 rue des Halles); relocation support and visa sponsorship offered. Specific remote/hybrid policy not detailed, but global team suggests flexibility.
- Notable perks and benefits (from careers page):
- 20 weeks paid parental leave for all birthing parents.
- 100% employer-sponsored medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.
- 6% 401k match (US) / 5% pension contribution (UK).
- Childcare support (reserved daycare seats or financial assistance).
- Meal allowances and transportation support.
- Fitness and wellness subsidies.
- Relocation and settling-in services.
- Financial and career planning support.
- Team composition: 900+ employees from 30+ nationalities; 50% female leaders.
- Interview process: For science, product, and engineering roles: intro conversation → 2-5 technical exercises → 1-3 interviews (hiring manager + teammates) → values conversation → reference checks.