Member of Technical Staff (Software Engineer, Cloud Infrastructure)

Cloud Infrastructure Engineer · Senior · Full Time

San FranciscoUSD 220k – 405k1mo ago
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Role

What you'll do.

Perplexity AI is seeking a highly skilled Cloud Infrastructure Engineer to design and manage critical cloud architecture supporting their AI-powered answer engine. The role focuses on developing robust, secure, and scalable cloud infrastructure that enables multi-tenant and enterprise-grade deployments across diverse cloud environments.

Responsibilities

  • Cloud Infrastructure Strategy: Own the technical roadmap and strategic direction for agent-driven cloud infrastructure management at Perplexity AI.
  • Cloud Networking Architecture: Design and operate sophisticated cloud networking fabric, including VPC architectures, private connectivity, and strategic peering with hyperscalers and neocloud providers.
  • Compute Platform Scaling: Architect and scale compute platforms using Kubernetes/EKS, autoscaling groups, and mixed CPU/GPU fleets to efficiently serve online and background AI workloads across multiple regions.
  • Deployment Topology Management: Build and maintain secure, isolated deployment environments for multi-tenant, single-tenant, and customer-owned cloud infrastructures with robust cross-account networking and policy controls.
  • Multi-Region Availability Strategy: Implement and evolve comprehensive multi-region strategies focused on availability, failover, data locality, traffic routing, regional capacity planning, and disaster recovery.
  • Enterprise Security Integration: Collaborate with security teams to deliver enterprise-grade controls including BYOK/KMS integrations, network isolation, and comprehensive auditability for regulated customers.
  • Operational Automation: Develop sophisticated automation, tooling, and runbooks to streamline day-2 operations, ensuring predictable and repeatable infrastructure management across all product environments.

Qualifications

What we look for.

Technical

  • Cloud Infrastructure Expertise

    Advanced proficiency in AWS cloud infrastructure design, including VPC configuration, routing, security groups, load balancing, and private connectivity.

  • Kubernetes Management

    Strong background in Kubernetes/EKS and container orchestration, with experience in multi-cluster, multi-region, and multi-account configurations.

  • Cloud Networking Skills

    Hands-on experience with advanced cloud networking concepts including VPC peering, Transit Gateway, private link/service endpoints, and neocloud networking constructs.

Education

  • Educational Background

    Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Software Engineering, or related technical field preferred. Equivalent professional experience will be considered.

Experience

  • Industry Experience

    Minimum of 7 years of professional experience building and operating production cloud infrastructure, with a proven track record of leading complex system designs and migrations.

  • Enterprise Infrastructure Design

    Proven experience building secure, isolated environments for enterprise customers, including single-tenant, BYOC, and on-premises deployments.

Skills

Required

  • AWS

    Deep expertise in AWS cloud infrastructure and services

  • Kubernetes

    Advanced container orchestration and EKS management skills

  • Terraform

    Proficiency in infrastructure as code using Terraform

  • Programming Languages

    Strong software engineering skills in Python, Go, or Rust

Preferred

  • Multi-Cloud Experience

    Nice to have

    Experience with multiple cloud providers and hybrid cloud architectures

  • AI Infrastructure

    Nice to have

    Background in designing infrastructure for AI and machine learning workloads

Tech stack

Languages

PythonGoRust

Frameworks

KubernetesEKS

Databases

Not Specified

Tools

TerraformAWS Services

Other

VPCTransit Gateway

Compensation

Pay and benefits.

Base·USD 220,000 – 405,000

Equity·Stock options

Benefits

  • Equity Compensation

    Stock options or equity package available for the role

  • Cutting-Edge Technology

    Opportunity to work on advanced AI-powered infrastructure at a pioneering tech company

Process

Interview steps.

  1. 01

    Initial Screening

    Review of resume and initial qualifications by recruiting team

  2. 02

    Technical Phone Screen

    Detailed discussion of cloud infrastructure experience and technical capabilities

  3. 03

    Technical Interview

    In-depth technical interviews focusing on cloud architecture, system design, and problem-solving skills

  4. 04

    On-Site or Virtual Interviews

    Comprehensive interview rounds with cloud infrastructure and engineering leadership

  5. 05

    Final Review

    Final evaluation and potential job offer discussion

Full posting

Original listing.

About the Role

The Cloud Infrastructure team owns the foundational cloud primitives and deployment models that power Perplexity's products, from multi-tenant public cloud to single-tenant and on-premises solutions for enterprise customers.

As Perplexity grows its Computer and Enterprise products, this team builds and operates the security, isolation, and compliance layers that customers depend on. We provide the deployment topologies, multi‑region infrastructure, and core services that enable Perplexity to run reliably and efficiently for both consumer traffic and large enterprises.

Key Responsibilities

  • Own the roadmap and technical strategy for agent-driven cloud infrastructure management.

  • Design and operate Perplexity’s cloud networking fabric, including VPC architectures, private connectivity, and peering with hyperscalers and neocloud providers to support low-latency, high-throughput AI workloads.

  • Architect and scale compute platforms (Kubernetes/EKS, autoscaling groups, and mixed CPU/GPU fleets) to efficiently serve online request traffic and background workloads across regions.

  • Build and maintain secure, isolated deployment topologies for multi-tenant, single-tenant, and customer‑owned cloud (BYOC) environments, including cross-account networking, identity, and policy guardrails.

  • Implement and evolve multi-region strategies for availability, failover, and data locality, including traffic routing, regional capacity planning, and disaster recovery playbooks.

  • Partner with security to deliver enterprise controls such as BYOK/KMS integrations, network isolation, and auditability required for regulated customers.

  • Develop automation, tooling, and runbooks that make day‑2 operations (provisioning, upgrades, incident response) predictable and repeatable for Perplexity products across all environments.

Qualifications

  • Deep experience designing and operating cloud infrastructure on AWS (VPC design, routing, security groups, load balancing, private connectivity).

  • Strong background with Kubernetes/EKS and container orchestration, including multi‑cluster, multi‑region, or multi‑account setups.

  • Hands-on experience with cloud networking and peering (VPC peering, Transit Gateway, private link/service endpoints, or similar constructs in neoclouds).

  • Experience building or operating secure, isolated environments for enterprise customers (single‑tenant, BYOC, or on‑prem), ideally including BYOK/KMS integrations and compliance constraints.

  • Proficiency with infrastructure as code (Terraform) and strong software engineering skills in at least one of Python, Go, or Rust for automation and tooling.

  • Strong debugging and incident management skills across distributed systems (networking, compute, and platform layers), with a track record of driving root‑cause analysis and long‑term fixes.

  • 7+ years of industry experience building and operating production cloud infrastructure, including leading the design of complex systems or migrations.

If you’re excited about this role, we encourage you to apply even if your experience doesn’t match every qualification listed above.

 

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