Distributed Systems Engineer

Dedalus (YC S25) is hiring a full-time distributed systems engineer to help build the infrastructure layer powering the next generation of AI agents. We are building persistent compute infrastructure, cloud sandboxes, and developer tools for long-running AI agents. Our systems span virtualization, orchestration, storage, networking, and low-level runtime infrastructure. The role is based in San Francisco and involves working closely with a small, highly technical team operating at startup speed. What You’ll Work On Distributed systems infrastructure for large-scale agent workloads Virtualization and sandboxing technologies Persistent compute and storage systems Scheduling, orchestration, and reliability engineering Performance optimization across systems layers Internal developer platforms and infrastructure tooling Production systems operating under real-world scale and latency constraints Requirements Strong systems programming ability in Rust (preferred), Go, C/C++, or similar languages Graduate-level knowledge of distributed systems and operating systems concepts Experience building distributed systems in industry, research, or open source Experience with Kubernetes and modern cloud infrastructure Familiarity with one or more of the following: distributed block storage consistency models virtualization and hypervisors kernel or low-level systems architecture Strong understanding of systems performance, reliability, and debugging Nice-to-Have Published systems research papers (NSDI, OSDI, SOSP, ATC, EuroSys, etc.) Experience working on operating systems, kernels, or virtualization stacks Contributions to open-source systems projects (Linux, Firecracker, Cloud Hypervisor, etc.) Experience with low-level performance optimization Experience building infrastructure at scale What We Look For We look for people who combine strong technical ability with high agency, curiosity, and a commitment to building meaningful technology. Strong technical foundation in computer science or related fields Proactively identifies problems and drives solutions independently Learns quickly and thrives in fast-paced environments Collaborative, kind, and team-oriented Willing to take ownership and do the work required to achieve results Calm and resilient in ambiguous or high-pressure situations Open-minded, creative, intellectually curious, and capable of critical thinking Thoughtful perspectives on technology and its broader impact Compensation & Benefits Competitive salary + equity Relocation support available Meals and office benefits included In-person in San Francisco To apply, submit your resume, GitHub, personal website, research papers, or notable projects. We especially value candidates who have experience building ambitious technical systems.