---
title: 'GPU Performance / Kernel Engineer at Designworks Talent'
canonical: 'https://feeny.ai/job/gpu-performance-kernel-engineer-designworks-talent-bellevue-fvqk4w1cf1x2'
type: 'job'
last_seen: '2026-09-12'
---

# GPU Performance / Kernel Engineer at Designworks Talent

- **Company:** Designworks Talent
- **Location:** Bellevue, WA
- **Employment:** full-time
- **Work type:** hybrid
- **Posted:** 2026-07-21
- **Last confirmed live:** 2026-09-12
- **Apply:** https://jobs.ashbyhq.com/designworkstalent/a9a1c3bc-67a0-49b8-be21-1fef4b701eea

## Job description

GPU Performance / Kernel Engineer Location: Hybrid | Bellevue, WA Area Titles: Engineer, Senior and Staff (multiple roles available)

Optimize the Performance Layer Powering Next-Generation AI Infrastructure

## About the Opportunity

A well-funded, rapidly growing AI infrastructure company is building a next-generation cloud platform designed to power the full lifecycle of artificial intelligence. The organization is developing a comprehensive AI infrastructure, platform, and services portfolio that supports the full spectrum of AI workloads—including large-scale compute, model training, fine-tuning, inference, and emerging agentic AI applications.

Backed by significant long-term investment, the company combines the speed, ownership, and innovation of a startup with the stability and resources of an established parent organization. Engineering teams are intentionally lean, highly collaborative, and AI-native, leveraging modern tooling and automation to build infrastructure capable of supporting the industry's most demanding AI workloads.

We're seeking GPU Performance / Kernel Engineers to optimize the data plane powering large-scale AI workloads. This role focuses on improving GPU utilization, reducing latency, and maximizing throughput across training and inference environments by tuning kernels, identifying performance bottlenecks, and driving efficiency across the GPU fleet.

The Opportunity This is a high-impact engineering role focused on extracting maximum performance from large-scale GPU infrastructure. You'll work at the intersection of GPU architecture, AI workloads, systems performance, and low-level optimization.

As part of a highly technical infrastructure team, you'll analyze workload behavior, optimize performance-critical code paths, and develop the techniques and tooling required to operate AI systems efficiently at scale.

This opportunity is ideal for engineers who enjoy deep technical challenges involving GPU computing, kernel optimization, distributed AI workloads, and hardware/software performance.

## What You'll Do

- Profile, analyze, and optimize GPU kernels to improve latency, throughput, and overall utilization.
- Identify and eliminate data-plane bottlenecks impacting GPU performance across large-scale AI workloads.
- Tune performance-critical workloads across training and inference environments.
- Work closely with AI infrastructure, machine learning, and platform engineering teams to understand workload characteristics and optimize system behavior.
- Develop benchmarking methodologies and performance measurement practices across GPU infrastructure.
- Evaluate emerging GPU technologies, performance tools, and optimization techniques as hardware platforms evolve.
- Contribute to engineering practices that improve GPU efficiency, scalability, and reliability across the fleet.

## What We're Looking For

- Strong experience with GPU kernel development and performance optimization using technologies such as CUDA, ROCm, or comparable GPU programming frameworks.
- Demonstrated experience improving GPU utilization, reducing latency, or increasing throughput for production AI workloads.
- Strong understanding of GPU architecture, memory hierarchy, parallel computing, and the data path from application layer to hardware execution.
- Experience profiling and debugging performance issues in complex AI or distributed computing environments.
- Ability to independently own technically complex problems and drive solutions in a fast-moving engineering environment.
- Strong systems programming and performance engineering mindset.

## Preferred Qualifications

- Experience optimizing workloads across multiple GPU platforms, including NVIDIA and AMD architectures.
- Experience with GPU compiler technologies, runtime optimization, or low-level systems performance.
- Contributions to open-source GPU performance projects, compiler tooling, or AI systems optimization.
- Background working with large-scale AI training, inference platforms, HPC environments, or cloud GPU infrastructure.
- Familiarity with GPU profiling and optimization tools such as Nsight Systems, Nsight Compute, ROCm profiling tools, or similar technologies.

## Compensation

- Competitive base pay for Bellevue market
- Certain roles are eligible for additional rewards, including merit increases, annual bonus, and long term incentives. These awards are allocated based on individual performance
- U.S. based employees have access to medical, dental, and vision insurance, a 401(k) plan and company match, employees also receive per calendar year, paid holidays.

Location

- Hybrid role based in the Bellevue, WA area.
- Approximately three days per week in the office.
- Candidates elsewhere in the U.S. who are open to relocation are encouraged to apply.
- U.S. work authorization is required. Visa sponsorship is not currently available.

Why Join?

- Optimize the performance layer behind one of the industry's most advanced AI infrastructure platforms.
- Work directly on GPU efficiency, kernel optimization, and large-scale AI workload performance.
- Solve some of the hardest challenges in AI systems engineering—maximizing utilization, minimizing latency, and scaling compute efficiently.
- Join early enough to influence architecture, tooling, and performance engineering practices.
- Collaborate with world-class engineers building the infrastructure powering the next generation of AI applications.
- Enjoy the technical ownership and impact of a startup environment backed by significant long-term investment.

## About Designworks Talent

## Company Overview
- **One-liner**: Designworks Talent provides custom, AI-enhanced recruiting solutions and enterprise workforce strategies to help companies hire smarter, faster, and with greater precision.
- **Entity Type**: Private (Privately Held)
- **Headquarters**: Los Angeles, California, United States
- **Founded**: 2009
- **Founders**: Not publicly available

## Core Business
- **Primary industry/industries**: Staffing and Recruiting, Talent Acquisition, Enterprise Workforce Solutions
- **Target customers**: B2B; high-growth startups to global enterprises, including HR and Talent Acquisition teams
- **Mission or purpose statement**: "Exceptional teams build exceptional companies. We combine human expertise with AI to help you hire smarter, faster, and with greater precision." [designworkstalent.com](https://www.designworkstalent.com/)

## Products & Services
- **Recruiting Process Outsourcing (RPO)**: Scalable, end-to-end recruiting that acts as an extension of the client's team, managing part or all of the hiring process to reduce costs and improve candidate experience. [designworkstalent.com/Services](https://www.designworkstalent.com/Services)
- **Recruiting Strategy & Consulting**: Design of systems and strategies for hiring, including process design, interview best practices, employer branding, tech stack selection, budget planning, and workforce forecasting. [designworkstalent.com/Services](https://www.designworkstalent.com/Services)
- **Executive Search**: Confidential, precision-focused search for senior-level executives (C-suite, VP, Director roles) with an emphasis on cultural alignment. [designworkstalent.com/Services](https://www.designworkstalent.com/Services)
- **Direct Hire Placement**: Full-time placements for core teams across engineering, operations, finance, HR, and more, focused on skill and cultural fit. [designworkstalent.com/Services](https://www.designworkstalent.com/Services)
- **Fractional & Interim Talent**: Agile, flexible recruiting support for early-stage startups, scaling companies, or those navigating key transitions. [designworkstalent.com/Services](https://www.designworkstalent.com/Services)
- **Early Stage Start-Up Solution**: End-to-end recruiting function tailored to tech startups, from sourcing and interviewing to closing critical hires. [designworkstalent.com/Services](https://www.designworkstalent.com/Services)

## Market Standing
- **Valuation/Market Cap**: Not disclosed
- **Key Metric**: Total Funding – Not disclosed (Privately held, bootstrapped or self-funded)
- **Notable Investors/Partners**: Not publicly available
- **Growth Signals**: Headcount grew by 50% year-over-year (from 2 to 3 employees) [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/designworks-talent-llc). Website traffic grew 69% month-over-month with 708 monthly visits [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/designworks-talent-llc). Employer rating of 5.0/5.0 based on 3 reviews [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/designworks-talent-llc).

## Competitive Advantages
- **AI + Human Expertise**: Combines AI-driven tools with deep recruiting expertise to cut time-to-fill and deliver top talent quickly. [designworkstalent.com](https://www.designworkstalent.com/)
- **Flexible Engagement Models**: Offers full-service searches, project-based hiring, and a pay-as-you-go model, providing clients with on-demand support without long-term commitments. [designworkstalent.com](https://www.designworkstalent.com/)
- **Customized Solutions**: Every search is tailored to the client's goals, culture, and growth stage, avoiding a cookie-cutter approach. [designworkstalent.com](https://www.designworkstalent.com/)
- **Agile Talent Strategies**: Delivers flexibility, speed, and continuous improvement, partnering with a range of organizations from startups to global enterprises. [designworkstalent.com](https://www.designworkstalent.com/)

## Strategic Focus
- Scaling the business through a flexible, on-demand recruiting model that appeals to companies of all sizes.
- Expanding into new markets and verticals by leveraging AI and data-driven insights to improve hiring efficiency.
- Building long-term partnerships with clients by focusing on candidate experience, employer branding, and strategic workforce planning.

## Why Work Here
- **Culture**: High employee satisfaction with a 5.0/5.0 rating across work-life balance, compensation, and culture [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/company/designworks-talent-llc).
- **Work Environment**: Hybrid workspace model, with offices in Los Angeles, Boston, Chicago, and Palm Springs [Built In](https://builtin.com/company/designworks-talent-llc).
- **Team**: Small, agile team (3 employees) offering a close-knit, entrepreneurial environment with significant ownership and impact.
- **Growth**: Company is in a growth phase (50% headcount growth YoY), presenting opportunities for early employees to shape the company’s trajectory.

## Sources
1. [Designworks Talent Website](https://www.designworkstalent.com/)
2. [Designworks Talent Services Page](https://www.designworkstalent.com/Services)
3. [Designworks Talent LinkedIn Profile](https://www.linkedin.com/company/designworks-talent-llc)
4. [Designworks Talent Careers on Built In](https://builtin.com/company/designworks-talent-llc)
5. [Designworks Talent Job Openings](https://www.designworkstalent.com/postions)

## Other roles at Designworks Talent

- [Chief Information Officer (CIO SVP/IT)](https://feeny.ai/job/chief-information-officer-cio-svp-it-designworks-talent-bellevue-pcvjkqnprhq3) — Bellevue, WA
- [Director of Project Development - Forensic Investigations](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-project-development-forensic-investigations-designworks-talent-tampa-hjhxc7ezktwv) — Tampa, FL
- [Director of Project Development - Forensic Investigations](https://feeny.ai/job/director-of-project-development-forensic-investigations-designworks-talent-1gwxg1921g1j) — Dallas, TX
- [Infrastructure Systems Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/infrastructure-systems-engineer-designworks-talent-indianapolis-a6sy57ct4xft) — Indianapolis, IN
- [Principal Data Center Infrastructure Software Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/principal-data-center-infrastructure-software-engineer-designworks-talent-p3yej8s4j42x) — Bellevue, WA
- [IT Consultant](https://feeny.ai/job/it-consultant-designworks-talent-indianapolis-chm1sqbbvs8m) — Indianapolis, IN
- [Inference Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/inference-engineer-designworks-talent-bellevue-4q7758cdc709) — Bellevue, WA
- [Virtualization & Orchestration Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/virtualization-orchestration-engineer-designworks-talent-bellevue-wtp6p2exdscf) — Bellevue, WA
- [AI Training Infrastructure Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/ai-training-infrastructure-engineer-designworks-talent-bellevue-w25acyb6f2gr) — Bellevue, WA
- [Hardware Design Engineer](https://feeny.ai/job/hardware-design-engineer-designworks-talent-bellevue-bdbze54pjjfe) — Bellevue, WA