{"id":1275967,"url":"https://alion.io/job/great-sky-hardware-platform-software-engineer","title":"Hardware Platform Software Engineer","company":{"id":2372716,"name":"Great Sky","domain":"greatsky.ai","url":"https://alion.io/company/greatsky","size_band":"11-50","is_staffing_agency":false,"employer_type":"direct","is_intermediary":false,"listed_via":null,"ats_vendor":"Ashby","truth_index":null},"role":"Backend","role_family":"Backend","seniority":"senior","employment_type":"full_time","work_mode":"hybrid","remote_scope":null,"remote_scope_basis":null,"remote_working_hours":null,"hiring_geo_confidence":"structured","locations":["Boulder, United States"],"countries":["US"],"hiring_countries":[],"hiring_countries_total":0,"salary":{"min":160000,"max":210000,"currency":"USD","period":"year","gross":null,"usd_annual":210000},"salary_estimate":null,"experience_years_min":5,"visa_sponsorship":false,"relocation_package":false,"has_equity":true,"technologies":[{"name":"C++","optional":false},{"name":"JAX","optional":false},{"name":"Python","optional":false},{"name":"PyTorch","optional":false},{"name":"PyTorch C++","optional":false},{"name":"Rust","optional":false}],"status":"live","first_seen_at":"2026-09-22T21:44:04Z","employer_posted_date":"2026-09-22","last_verified_at":"2026-09-27T00:31:01Z","board_verified":true,"closed_at":null,"days_open":4,"trust":{"level":"ok","repost_count":null,"flags":[],"days_open":4},"description":"About Us\nGreat Sky is a technology startup based with a mission to rebuild AI from first principles. We are pursuing neuroscience-inspired hardware and algorithms that overcome the greatest challenges in scaling AI systems.\nThe Role\nWe are looking for a Hardware Platform Software Engineer to extend the software platform through which our hardware is operated. Two needs converge here: a hardware abstraction layer (HAL) that translates abstract, model-level behaviors into concrete operations on real analog hardware, and an experiment framework that lets our scientists and engineers define and execute measurements on our chips with minimal overhead. If you have owned substantial parts of the hardware-facing software stack for quantum computers, analog accelerators, photonic processors, or large scientific systems, you are likely a good fit for the expectations of this role.\nKey Responsibilities\nBuild an enhanced hardware abstraction layer (HAL): the software layer which translates calls from the AI framework to driver level calls to our physical hardware. This layer enables execution of models, capability discovery, versioning across hardware generations, and parameter translation to a physical mapping on hardware.\n\nBuild a robust experiment framework, so measurement routines are both easy to use and elegantly declared.\n\nProvide the analysis pipelines, capturing maximum value from every inference and measurement.\n\nPresent a unified API for both simulated and physical backends. Interfacing this API to our existing simulation framework for verification and parity testing.\n\nDefine and maintain the middleware between the driver layer and the AI frameworks. Introducing telemetry, diagnostics, and regression testing that keep the platform trustworthy across hardware revisions.\n\nWhat Success Looks Like in the First Year\nA v1 HAL is in production use: our AI frameworks execute models on real hardware exclusively through your interface\n\nClear, documented contracts exist at both boundaries of the layer, validated by automated tests.\n\nOur engineers leverage your framework for efficient design and execution of key measurement routines.\n\nQualifications\nRequired:\nBachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, Physics, or a related field (or equivalent experience),\n\n5+ years of professional software engineering for control of real physical hardware (e.g., quantum control stacks, novel accelerators, photonic systems, scientific instrumentation, embedded systems, or comparable platforms).\n\nDemonstrated ownership of an API or abstraction layer that other engineers used: you have designed interfaces, defended their boundaries, and evolved them\n\nSuperior proficiency in Python and working proficiency in at least one systems language (e.g., C, C++, or Rust).\n\nHands-on experience orchestrating lab instrumentation in software (e.g., SCPI instruments, DAQs, AWGs, cameras, motion stages, or cryogenic systems)\n\nStrong testing instincts: unit, integration, and regression testing, hardware-in-the-loop test design, and simulation/hardware parity testing.\n\nExcellent technical writing and communication: high-quality architecture and interface documentation, and the ability to negotiate contracts across disciplines.\n\nPreferred:\nExperience with runtime or compiler-adjacent layers for novel accelerators.\n\nFamiliarity with superconducting electronics, photonics, or cryogenic systems.\n\nExperience with streaming or high-throughput data systems (video, RF, DAQ)\n\nFamiliarity with neural networks and ML frameworks such as PyTorch or JAX\n\nGrowth Opportunities\nYou will begin as the sole owner of this software layer: a rare degree of technical ownership over critical infrastructure. As our hardware scales to large multi-chip systems and our platform matures toward production workloads, the scope and sophistication of this layer will grow substantially. The ideal candidate will grow with it: defining the platform software roadmap, setting engineering standards, mentoring other engineers, and building and leading a dedicated platform software team.\nBenefits and Perks\nMeaningful equity ownership in an early-stage deep tech company\n\nEmployer-matched 401(k)\n\nHealth, dental, vision, and life insurance\n\nFlexible PTO\n\nSupport for ongoing learning, conference attendance, and skill development\n\nOur culture is onsite by default (we're founded by scientists who are used to working in the lab), with flexibility for hybrid arrangements. For the right person and role, we're open to filling roles remotely","description_format":"text","description_chars":4555,"description_truncated":false,"requirements":{"experience_years_min":5,"management_years_min":null,"team_size_min":null,"manages_managers":false,"education":{"level":"bachelor","optional":false},"security_clearance":false,"languages":[]},"benefits":["Equity","Growth opportunities","Life insurance"],"hiring_locations":[{"name":"United States","iso":"US","kind":"country"}],"hiring_excludes":[],"relocation_offered":false,"industries":["Hardware","Servers & Data Center Hardware","Optical Communications"],"lifecycle":[{"event":"open","at":"2026-09-26T01:36:10Z"}],"liveness":{"score":86,"band":"hot","label":"Hiring now","p_open":1,"p_active":0.86,"p_room":1,"age_days":3,"expected_fill_days":33,"reasons":["conf:4","win:early"],"computed_at":"2026-09-26T05:45:00Z"},"pay":{"stated_usd_annual":210000,"is_top_pay":true},"html_url":"https://alion.io/job/great-sky-hardware-platform-software-engineer","json_url":"https://alion.io/job/great-sky-hardware-platform-software-engineer.json","meta":{"generated_at":"2026-09-27T00:35:01Z","cache_seconds":300,"methodology":"https://alion.io/methodology","terms":"https://alion.io/terms","contact":"https://alion.io/contact","api":"https://alion.io/developers","usage":{"tier":"crawler","counted_by":"address","units_charged":1,"used_today":494,"day_limit":5000,"remaining_today":4506,"minute_limit":60,"resets_at":"2026-09-28T00:00:00Z"}}}