--- title: 'Member of Technical Staff (AI Infrastructure Engineer) at Perplexity' canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/member-of-technical-staff-ai-infrastructure-engineer-perplexity-london-prt2jzs3xr02' type: 'job' last_seen: '2026-09-06' --- # Member of Technical Staff (AI Infrastructure Engineer) at Perplexity - **Company:** [Perplexity](https://feeny.ai/companies/perplexity) - **Location:** London, United Kingdom - **Employment:** full-time - **Work type:** hybrid - **Posted:** 2026-04-13 - **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-06 - **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/Perplexity/60deb376-51b5-46c6-9e17-55377a5ef34e/application **Skills:** Kubernetes, Slurm, Python, C++, PyTorch, AWS, YAML, Distributed Systems, API Development, Observability Tools, Container Orchestration, Kubernetes Operators, Multi-cluster Federation, GPU Cluster Management, CUDA Optimization, TensorFlow, HPC Environments, Parallel Computing, High-performance Networking, Terraform > The AI Infrastructure Engineer designs, deploys, and optimizes large-scale AI training and inference clusters using Kubernetes, Slurm, and AWS. This role involves managing distributed training systems, implementing autoscaling strategies, and ensuring high availability for critical ML workloads. ## Job description We are looking for an AI Infra engineer to join our growing team. We work with Kubernetes, Slurm, Python, C++, PyTorch, and primarily on AWS. As an AI Infrastructure Engineer, you will be partnering closely with our Inference and Research teams to build, deploy, and optimize our large-scale AI training and inference clusters. ## RESPONSIBILITIES - Design, deploy, and maintain scalable Kubernetes clusters for AI model inference and training workloads - Manage and optimize Slurm-based HPC environments for distributed training of large language models - Develop robust APIs and orchestration systems for both training pipelines and inference services - Implement resource scheduling and job management systems across heterogeneous compute environments - Benchmark system performance, diagnose bottlenecks, and implement improvements across both training and inference infrastructure - Build monitoring, alerting, and observability solutions tailored to ML workloads running on Kubernetes and Slurm - Respond swiftly to system outages and collaborate across teams to maintain high uptime for critical training runs and inference services - Optimize cluster utilization and implement autoscaling strategies for dynamic workload demands ## QUALIFICATIONS - Strong expertise in Kubernetes administration, including custom resource definitions, operators, and cluster management - Hands-on experience with Slurm workload management, including job scheduling, resource allocation, and cluster optimization - Experience with deploying and managing distributed training systems at scale - Deep understanding of container orchestration and distributed systems architecture - High level familiarity with LLM architecture and training processes (Multi-Head Attention, Multi/Grouped-Query, distributed training strategies) - Experience managing GPU clusters and optimizing compute resource utilization ## REQUIRED SKILLS - Expert-level Kubernetes administration and YAML configuration management - Proficiency with Slurm job scheduling, resource management, and cluster configuration - Python and C++ programming with focus on systems and infrastructure automation - Hands-on experience with ML frameworks such as PyTorch in distributed training contexts - Strong understanding of networking, storage, and compute resource management for ML workloads - Experience developing APIs and managing distributed systems for both batch and real-time workloads - Solid debugging and monitoring skills with expertise in observability tools for containerized environments ## PREFERRED SKILLS - Experience with Kubernetes operators and custom controllers for ML workloads - Advanced Slurm administration including multi-cluster federation and advanced scheduling policies - Familiarity with GPU cluster management and CUDA optimization - Experience with other ML frameworks like TensorFlow or distributed training libraries - Background in HPC environments, parallel computing, and high-performance networking - Knowledge of infrastructure as code (Terraform, Ansible) and GitOps practices - Experience with container registries, image optimization, and multi-stage builds for ML workloads ## REQUIRED EXPERIENCE - Demonstrated experience managing large-scale Kubernetes deployments in production environments - Proven track record with Slurm cluster administration and HPC workload management - Previous roles in SRE, DevOps, or Platform Engineering with focus on ML infrastructure - Experience supporting both long-running training jobs and high-availability inference services - Ideally, 3-5 years of relevant experience in ML systems deployment with specific focus on cluster orchestration and resource management ## About Perplexity ## Company Overview - **One-liner**: Perplexity builds an AI-powered answer engine that delivers accurate, real-time answers to any question, serving curious minds and professionals who demand precision and speed. - **Entity Type**: Private (total funding $1.7B across 16 rounds) - **Headquarters**: San Francisco, California, United States - **Founded**: 2022 - **Founders**: Aravind Srinivas, Denis Yarats, Johnny Ho, Andy Konwinski ## Core Business - **Primary industry**: AI-powered search and knowledge retrieval, Software Development - **Target customers**: B2C (general users), B2B (enterprise API customers), and power users seeking reliable information - **Mission**: “AI for people who expect more – more accuracy, more agency, more signal, less noise.” ## Products & Services - **Perplexity AI (Free Tier)**: Real-time conversational search engine that synthesizes web results with citations, accessible via web and mobile app. *Type*: SaaS - **Perplexity Pro**: Subscription offering enhanced features such as advanced AI models, multimodal search, and increased usage limits. *Type*: SaaS (subscription) - **Perplexity API Platform**: Enables developers to integrate Perplexity’s search and reasoning capabilities into their own applications. *Type*: API - **Perplexity Browser Extension**: Brings AI-powered search directly into the browser for quick answers without leaving the page. *Type*: Browser extension ## Market Standing - **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not publicly available in provided sources (prior reports indicate ~$9B valuation as of 2024, but not confirmed in this data set) - **Key Metric**: Total funding $1.7B (16 rounds); annual revenue ~$50M (LinkedIn estimate) - **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not explicitly listed in provided search results; widely known investors include IVP, NEA, Jeff Bezos, and others (not sourced here) - **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew 11.3% YoY to 1,152 employees; operates in 54 countries; LinkedIn followers grew 131.8% yearly to >1.6M; active hiring across 48+ open roles including AI Research, Engineering, and Go-to-Market teams ## Competitive Advantages - **Real-time, cited answers**: Unlike traditional chatbots, Perplexity grounds answers in live web results with transparent sources, building trust and accuracy. - **Multimodal and agentic capabilities**: Continuously pushes frontier research (e.g., query-aware context compression, agents for knowledge work) that differentiates from generic LLM interfaces. - **Vertical integration from research to product**: In-house AI research team tackles open problems unique to Perplexity’s scale, enabling fast iteration on novel methods. - **Strong brand and user base**: Rapid consumer adoption with millions of monthly active users and high engagement. ## Strategic Focus - **Pushing the frontier of search**: Evolving from retrieval services to code generation, agents, and full autonomy in knowledge work. - **Expanding enterprise and API revenue**: Growing B2B footprint with API platform and enterprise solutions. - **Global hiring and office expansion**: Offices in San Francisco, Palo Alto, New York, Austin, Washington D.C., London, Berlin, and Belgrade, with “4 days in office” hybrid model. - **Investing in AI research**: Dedicated research division (Perplexity Research) exploring reasoning, agents, and systems to redefine how people navigate the internet. ## Why Work Here - **Culture & Environment**: “Thoughtful support” culture with emphasis on craftsmanship, ownership, entrepreneurship, scholarship, and partnership. Hybrid schedule (4 days in-office) based on location. - **Perks**: Daily catered meals (breakfast, lunch, dinner in office), office snacks, ride home program, commuter benefits, home office reimbursement, fitness classes, gym memberships. - **Compensation & Benefits**: Competitive salary and equity packages; retirement plans with company match; flexible PTO; holiday shutdown between Christmas and New Year; 12 weeks paid bonding leave; comprehensive health, dental, and vision insurance. - **Relocation & Visa Support**: Relocation assistance and visa/green card sponsorship for eligible roles. Partners with immigration firm to support the process. - **Engineering Excellence**: “Technical assessment for relevant roles”; values hands-on contribution, broad skill sets, and merit-based evaluation. Frequent Tech Talks and exposure to greenfield AI research problems. ## Sources 1. [perplexity.ai/hub/careers](https://www.perplexity.ai/hub/careers) 2. [jobs.ashbyhq.com/perplexity](https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/perplexity) 3. [perplexity.ai](https://www.perplexity.ai/) 4. [linkedin.com/company/perplexity-ai](https://www.linkedin.com/company/perplexity-ai) 5. 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