Deep familiarity with virtualization technologies like Firecracker, QEMU, or Cloud Hypervisor.
Experience with distributed storage systems such as Ceph.
Strong grasp of low-level file system performance and I/O tuning.
Comfort working at the kernel and filesystems level, with knowledge of eBPF, cgroups, namespaces, or similar Linux primitives.
Proven ability to lead and influence technical direction while functioning as an individual contributor.
Strong communication skills for conveying complex systems concepts to diverse audiences.
Responsibilities
Own and drive architectural direction for critical infrastructure platforms.
Translate business and product strategy into long-term technical roadmaps.
Accountable for production outcomes including reliability and operational excellence.
Mentor senior engineers and amplify team capabilities.
Navigate ambiguous problem spaces to define both problems and solutions.
Benefits
Medical, Vision, and Dental insurance.
401K match.
Unlimited PTO.
Annual offsite activities.
Early-exercise stock options.
12 weeks of fully paid parental leave (US).
Full Job Description
The Staff Systems Engineer at Blacksmith
We are looking for a Staff Engineer to help set the technical direction for our core infrastructure, critical to the Blacksmith product. This role operates at the organization level, owning architecture, solving complex systems problems, and driving initiatives that shape how Blacksmith grows, performs, and remains reliable.
You will be one of the key technical authorities and a force multiplier at Blacksmith. You'll raise engineering standards across the team, mentor senior talent and own production outcomes.
This is a high impact, hands-on technical leader role.
What you'll be doing
Own and drive the architectural direction for critical infrastructure platforms.
Translate business and product strategy into long-term technical roadmaps and execution plans.
Accountable for production outcomes, including reliability, performance, and operational excellence.
Mentor senior engineers and act as a force multiplier.
Operate effectively in ambiguous problem spaces where both the problem and the solution need to be defined.
You're a good fit if you have
Deep familiarity with virtualization technologies such as Firecracker, QEMU, or Cloud Hypervisor, and an understanding of the tradeoffs between them.
Experience with distributed storage systems (e.g., Ceph) and a strong grasp of low-level file system performance, I/O tuning, and storage reliability at scale.
Comfort working at the kernel and filesystems level: experience with eBPF, cgroups, namespaces, or similar Linux primitives.
Track record of leading through influence and shaping technical direction while operating as an individual contributor.
Strong communication skills, with the ability to explain complex systems-level concepts to engineers, leadership, and non-technical stakeholders.
