Pure Storage

Senior Storage Benchmarking Engineer

Pure Storage$186K — $279K *
Enterprise Technology
5 - 7 years of experience
Job Overview by Ladders

Qualifications

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or equivalent experience.
  • 5+ years of experience in storage performance benchmarking or related technical role.
  • Proven expertise with storage benchmarking tools and methodologies.
  • Experience benchmarking AI/ML storage workloads strongly preferred.
  • Exceptional communication skills with ability to engage technical and non-technical audiences.

Responsibilities

  • Configure and scale HPC/AI lab environment for maximum efficiency.
  • Design and execute storage performance benchmarks using standard tools.
  • Conduct AI/ML storage benchmarks for various workloads and architectures.
  • Perform end-to-end performance troubleshooting across compute, network, and storage.
  • Develop and maintain automated benchmarking workflows.
  • Analyze benchmark results and generate detailed reports for optimization.
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align benchmarking with product goals.

Benefits

  • Flexible time off and wellness resources for work-life balance.
  • Company-sponsored team events to enhance team cohesion.
  • Recognition as a best workplace in technology and the Bay Area.
Full Job Description
THE ROLE

The Storage Benchmarking Engineer will design, execute, and analyze performance benchmarks spanning both industry-standard storage benchmarks (fio, vdbench, SPEC SFS 2020, IO500, SPC-1/SPC-2) and the emerging class of AI/ML storage workloads (MLPerf Storage, DLIO, and GPU-driven training/inference data pipelines). As AI has made storage a first-order bottleneck in the GPU data path, this role sits at the intersection of high-performance storage and large-scale AI infrastructure.

This position demands strong end-to-end performance troubleshooting across the entire stack - compute (including GPUs), network (including RDMA/InfiniBand and high-speed Ethernet), and storage - together with close collaboration across engineering, product management, marketing, and sales. The ideal candidate has hands-on experience with both classic storage benchmarks and AI data-pipeline benchmarking, a track record engaging benchmark standards organizations and communities, and exceptional communication and writing skills.

WHAT YOU'LL DO
  • Configure and scale the HPC/AI lab environment so all systems - including GPU servers, high-speed fabrics, and storage - achieve maximum efficiency and scale across a variety of test harnesses. Build robust automation so labs can be rapidly configured and reconfigured to meet the demands of different benchmarks.
  • Design and execute storage performance benchmarks using industry-standard tools and methodologies, including fio, vdbench, SPEC SFS 2020, IO500, and SPC-1/SPC-2 (or similar).
  • Design and execute AI/ML storage benchmarks, including MLPerf Storage, DLIO, and representative AI workloads - model training and checkpointing, inference and data ingest, RAG/vector-database access patterns, and GPU-driven I/O paths (e.g., GPUDirect Storage, NFS/RDMA). Characterize storage behavior against reference architectures such as NVIDIA DGX/SuperPOD and BasePOD.
  • Perform end-to-end performance troubleshooting and debugging across compute, GPU, network, and storage components to pinpoint and resolve bottlenecks and achieve best-in-class results.
  • Develop and maintain automated benchmarking workflows using tools like Ansible, Python, or Bash to ensure rapid provisioning and efficient, repeatable, reproducible results.
  • Analyze benchmark results, generate detailed reports, and deliver actionable insights to engineering teams for product optimization.
  • Collaborate with engineering, product management, marketing, and sales to align benchmarking efforts with product goals and customer needs.
  • Engage directly with benchmark standards organizations (e.g., SPEC, SNIA, MLCommons) and communities to influence methodologies, drive submissions, and stay ahead of industry and AI infrastructure trends.
  • Deliver high-impact presentations to internal teams, customers, and external stakeholders, translating complex technical data into clear narratives.
  • Write technical marketing documents, whitepapers, and performance summaries to support product launches and customer engagement.
  • Maintain comprehensive documentation of benchmarking processes, configurations, and results.
  • We are primarily an in-office environment, and you will be expected to work from the Santa Clara office in compliance with Everpure's policies, unless you are on PTO, work travel, or other approved leave.

WHAT YOU BRING
  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field (or equivalent experience).
  • 5+ years of experience in storage performance benchmarking or a related technical role.
  • Proven expertise with storage benchmarking tools, including:
  • Experience benchmarking AI/ML storage workloads, such as MLPerf Storage, DLIO, or characterizing storage for GPU-based training and inference pipelines (data ingest, checkpointing, GPUDirect Storage, RDMA-based access). (Strongly preferred)
  • Strong end-to-end performance tuning and troubleshooting skills across compute, network, and storage layers - and ideally GPU/accelerator data paths.
  • Hands-on experience with automation tools (e.g., Python, Ansible, Bash) for test orchestration and data collection.
  • Demonstrated track record of interfacing with engineering, product management, marketing, and sales teams.
  • Direct engagement with benchmark standards organizations (e.g., SPEC, SNIA, MLCommons) and storage benchmarking communities.
  • Exceptional communication skills, with a proven ability to deliver engaging technical briefs and presentations to technical and non-technical audiences.
  • Strong writing skills, ideally authoring technical marketing documents, whitepapers, or performance summaries.
  • Proficiency in data analysis and visualization tools (e.g., Python, R, Sheets, Excel, Tableau).
  • Deep understanding of and hands-on proficiency with enterprise storage technologies (e.g., NVMe, NVMe-oF, SSDs, and scale-up and scale-out block/file/object storage and distributed systems).
  • Experience with Everpure Storage products (e.g., FlashArray, FlashBlade) or similar enterprise block, file, and object storage platforms.
  • Familiarity with cloud storage (e.g., AWS S3, Azure Blob, Google Cloud Storage) and HPC or AI training environments.
  • Knowledge of containerized and orchestrated benchmarking workflows using Docker or Kubernetes.
  • Familiarity with high-speed networking and GPU fabrics (e.g., InfiniBand, RoCE, NVLink) as they relate to storage performance. (Preferred)
  • Prior contributions to benchmark standards or open-source performance tools.

#LI-ONSITE

Salary ranges are determined based on role, level and location. For positions open to candidates in multiple geographical locations, the base salary range is reflective of the labor market across the applicable locations.

This role may be eligible for incentive pay and/or equity.

There is no application deadline and we accept applications on an ongoing basis until the job is filled.

The annual base salary range is:

$186,000-$279,000 USD

WHAT YOU CAN EXPECT FROM US:
  • Innovation: We celebrate those who think critically, like a challenge, and aspire to be trailblazers.
  • Growth: We give you the space and support to grow along with us and to contribute to something meaningful. We have been named Fortune's Best Workplaces in Technology™, Fortune's Best Workplaces in the Bay Area™, and certified as a Great Place to Work®!
  • Team: We build each other up and set aside ego for the greater good.

And because we understand the value of bringing your full and best self to work, we offer a variety of perks to manage a healthy balance, including flexible time off, wellness resources, and company-sponsored team events. Check out purebenefits.com for more information.

About Pure Storage

Pure Storage is a data storage company that provides all-flash storage solutions. The company was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in Mountain View, California. Pure Storage's products are designed to help businesses manage and store large amounts of data. The company has over 7,000 customers and operates in over 40 countries. Pure Storage went public in 2015 and is listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol PSTG.
Learn more about Pure Storage
Size
4,300 employees
Market Cap
$8 billion
Industry
Net Income
-$282 million
Founded
2009
5 Year Trend
+24.2%
Revenue
$1.6 billion
NASDAQ

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