Hpc Engineer Jobs in California
Hpc Engineer jobs in California sit at the center of one of the most active high-performance computing markets in the country, with demand concentrated in national laboratories, defense contractors, semiconductor firms, and research universities at every level from entry-level systems associate through senior principal engineer. The heaviest hiring is in the San Francisco Bay Area, San Diego, and the Los Angeles metro, where employers such as Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, Qualcomm, and Northrop Grumman maintain long-standing hpc programs. The most in-demand specialties are parallel computing, GPU-accelerated workloads, and large-scale cluster administration. Find a role that fits below and apply directly.
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Showing 5 of 30+ Hpc Engineer jobs
INTRODUCTION
To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.
Group/Division
The Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. The e-Beam division plays a critical role in KLA’s inspection ecosystem, with tools that deliver high-resolution, timely insights into defects and critical locations on the wafer. Used alongside KLA’s patterned and bare wafer inspectors, e-Beam systems help our customers quickly identify and understand yield-impacting issues—enabling faster, more effective actions to correct the manufacturing process.
In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise. KLA’s EBeam products serve as the sharpest eyes in our inspection portfolio, delivering ultra-high-resolution insights into defects and critical wafer locations with unmatched precision. As a key complement to KLA’s patterned and bare wafer inspection systems, EBeam technology enables customers to rapidly identify, analyze, and resolve manufacturing issues that directly impact yield and performance. Behind these industry-leading systems is a powerful High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure. We are seeking a highly skilled engineer to architect, develop, deploy, and support scalable Kubernetes environments on Linux-based HPC platforms. This role sits at the intersection of Linux systems engineering, networking, Kubernetes orchestration, and advanced compute infrastructure, helping drive the performance and reliability of next-generation semiconductor inspection solutions.
Responsibilities
In this exciting role, you will:
- Architect, deploy, and support Kubernetes clusters running on enterprise Linux platforms across HPC environments.
- Design, configure, and optimize Linux-based compute infrastructure with a focus on scalability, performance, reliability, and automation.
- Lead networking architecture and troubleshooting across servers, switches, storage systems, and Kubernetes environments, ensuring high availability and low-latency communication.
- Support high-performance compute clusters consisting of cutting-edge CPU and GPU technologies.
- Configure and maintain Linux operating systems including Red Hat, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu, and SUSE.
- Develop and automate infrastructure deployment, provisioning, and lifecycle management using scripting and configuration management tools.
- Collaborate with hardware vendors to define, validate, and release computer, networking, and storage solutions.
- Generate hardware BOMs and lead infrastructure qualification, release, and deployment activities.
- Support scalable storage architectures and high-bandwidth interconnect technologies critical to HPC workloads.
- Create and maintain golden images, deployment procedures, automation scripts, and technical documentation for manufacturing and customer support organizations.
- Ensure system designs meet performance, availability, and scalability requirements while driving projects to successful completion.
Required Qualifications
- Deep expertise administering and troubleshooting enterprise Linux environments (Red Hat, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu, SUSE).
- Strong hands-on experience designing, deploying, and maintaining Kubernetes clusters in production environments.
- Deep understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, HTTP, LDAP, SMTP, routing, switching, and network troubleshooting.
- Experience working with server networking infrastructure, high-speed interconnects, and external switching environments.
- Strong knowledge of HPC architectures, including compute servers, GPU platforms, storage systems, BIOS/BMC technologies, and cluster infrastructure.
- Experience with Linux services and technologies including SystemD, PXE/NetBoot, Linux High Availability, and system automation.
- Experience supporting scalable and resilient storage platforms in HPC or data center environments.
- Proficiency in Shell and Python scripting for automation, deployment, and operational support.
- Experience with Infrastructure as Code and configuration management tools such as Ansible (preferred), Salt, Chef, or Puppet.
- Experience supporting containerized workloads and cloud-native infrastructure is highly preferred.
Preferred Background
- Experience building and supporting Kubernetes platforms for HPC, AI/ML, or GPU-intensive workloads.
- Familiarity with cloud-based compute architectures and hybrid infrastructure environments.
- Experience optimizing networking and storage performance for large-scale distributed compute systems.
Minimum Qualifications
Doctorate (Academic) Degree and 0 years related work experience; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 3 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 5 years.
About KLA
We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.
Total Rewards
Base Pay Range: $136,300.00 - $199,900.00 Annually
Primary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLA
KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave. Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
Use of AI Statement
At KLA, our interviews seek to understand your individual skills, problem-solving approach and authentic thinking. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation, the use of AI, recording tools or other technologies to generate, suggest or provide responses during interviews—whether virtual or in person—is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation or invited by the interviewer. Use of these tools may interfere with our ability to evaluate your individual qualifications and affect your candidacy. KLA is committed to advancing innovation through responsible AI, and we value candidates who share this mindset.
Equal Opportunity Statement
KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at talent.acquisition@kla.com or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation. For additional information, view the US Know Your Rights poster on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.
INTRODUCTION
To make electronics, you need chips, wafers, transistors, reticles, and... To make these, you must see, test and manufacture them at scale—faster and better than ever before. That's where KLA comes in. Whether you're early in your career or an experienced professional, you'll solve complex challenges, work alongside brilliant minds and help shape the future of technology.
Group/Division
The Semiconductor Products and Customers (Semi PC) business unit designs, builds and sells KLA’s product portfolio to help chip manufacturers meet high-quality standards for technologies like AI, data centers, automotive and electronic devices. Our inspection, metrology, and analytics systems detect and monitor defects across logic and memory chips, specialty semiconductors, wafers, reticles, advanced packaging, process equipment and materials. We also develop technologies for specialty processes, IC substrates, and PCB manufacturing, including etch and deposition, component inspection, and imaging and analytics. The e-Beam division plays a critical role in KLA’s inspection ecosystem, with tools that deliver high-resolution, timely insights into defects and critical locations on the wafer. Used alongside KLA’s patterned and bare wafer inspectors, e-Beam systems help our customers quickly identify and understand yield-impacting issues—enabling faster, more effective actions to correct the manufacturing process.
In this role, you will play a key part in advancing business priorities by delivering high-impact work across your area of expertise. KLA’s EBeam products serve as the sharpest eyes in our inspection portfolio, delivering ultra-high-resolution insights into defects and critical wafer locations with unmatched precision. As a key complement to KLA’s patterned and bare wafer inspection systems, EBeam technology enables customers to rapidly identify, analyze, and resolve manufacturing issues that directly impact yield and performance. Behind these industry-leading systems is a powerful High-Performance Computing (HPC) infrastructure. We are seeking a highly skilled engineer to architect, develop, deploy, and support scalable Kubernetes environments on Linux-based HPC platforms. This role sits at the intersection of Linux systems engineering, networking, Kubernetes orchestration, and advanced compute infrastructure, helping drive the performance and reliability of next-generation semiconductor inspection solutions.
Responsibilities
In this exciting role, you will:
- Architect, deploy, and support Kubernetes clusters running on enterprise Linux platforms across HPC environments.
- Design, configure, and optimize Linux-based compute infrastructure with a focus on scalability, performance, reliability, and automation.
- Lead networking architecture and troubleshooting across servers, switches, storage systems, and Kubernetes environments, ensuring high availability and low-latency communication.
- Support high-performance compute clusters consisting of cutting-edge CPU and GPU technologies.
- Configure and maintain Linux operating systems including Red Hat, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu, and SUSE.
- Develop and automate infrastructure deployment, provisioning, and lifecycle management using scripting and configuration management tools.
- Collaborate with hardware vendors to define, validate, and release computer, networking, and storage solutions.
- Generate hardware BOMs and lead infrastructure qualification, release, and deployment activities.
- Support scalable storage architectures and high-bandwidth interconnect technologies critical to HPC workloads.
- Create and maintain golden images, deployment procedures, automation scripts, and technical documentation for manufacturing and customer support organizations.
- Ensure system designs meet performance, availability, and scalability requirements while driving projects to successful completion.
Required Qualifications
- Deep expertise administering and troubleshooting enterprise Linux environments (Red Hat, Rocky Linux, Ubuntu, SUSE).
- Strong hands-on experience designing, deploying, and maintaining Kubernetes clusters in production environments.
- Deep understanding of networking fundamentals, including TCP/IP, DNS, DHCP, HTTP, LDAP, SMTP, routing, switching, and network troubleshooting.
- Experience working with server networking infrastructure, high-speed interconnects, and external switching environments.
- Strong knowledge of HPC architectures, including compute servers, GPU platforms, storage systems, BIOS/BMC technologies, and cluster infrastructure.
- Experience with Linux services and technologies including SystemD, PXE/NetBoot, Linux High Availability, and system automation.
- Experience supporting scalable and resilient storage platforms in HPC or data center environments.
- Proficiency in Shell and Python scripting for automation, deployment, and operational support.
- Experience with Infrastructure as Code and configuration management tools such as Ansible (preferred), Salt, Chef, or Puppet.
- Experience supporting containerized workloads and cloud-native infrastructure is highly preferred.
Preferred Background
- Experience building and supporting Kubernetes platforms for HPC, AI/ML, or GPU-intensive workloads.
- Familiarity with cloud-based compute architectures and hybrid infrastructure environments.
- Experience optimizing networking and storage performance for large-scale distributed compute systems.
Minimum Qualifications
Doctorate (Academic) Degree and 0 years related work experience; Master's Level Degree and related work experience of 3 years; Bachelor's Level Degree and related work experience of 5 years.
About KLA
We provide advanced inspection tools, metrology systems, process solutions, and computational analytics that make electronics possible, tackling complex challenges. From electron and photon optics to machine learning and data analytics, we seek perfection at the most fundamental level of matter in the universe. If you want to make electronics that push industries forward and make the world a better place, join us.
Total Rewards
Base Pay Range: $136,300.00 - $199,900.00 Annually
Primary Location: USA-CA-Milpitas-KLA
KLA’s total rewards package for employees may also include participation in performance incentive programs and eligibility for additional benefits including but not limited to: medical, dental, vision, life, and other voluntary benefits, 401(K) including company matching, employee stock purchase program (ESPP), student debt assistance, tuition reimbursement program, development and career growth opportunities and programs, financial planning benefits, wellness benefits including an employee assistance program (EAP), paid time off and paid company holidays, and family care and bonding leave. Interns are eligible for some of the benefits listed. Our pay ranges are determined by role, level, and location. The range displayed reflects the pay for this position in the primary location identified in this posting. Actual pay depends on several factors, including state minimum pay wage rates, location, job-related skills, experience, and relevant education level or training. We are committed to complying with all applicable federal and state minimum wage requirements where applicable. If applicable, your recruiter can share more about the specific pay range for your preferred location during the hiring process.
Use of AI Statement
At KLA, our interviews seek to understand your individual skills, problem-solving approach and authentic thinking. To ensure a fair and consistent evaluation, the use of AI, recording tools or other technologies to generate, suggest or provide responses during interviews—whether virtual or in person—is not permitted unless explicitly approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation or invited by the interviewer. Use of these tools may interfere with our ability to evaluate your individual qualifications and affect your candidacy. KLA is committed to advancing innovation through responsible AI, and we value candidates who share this mindset.
Equal Opportunity Statement
KLA is proud to be an Equal Opportunity Employer. We will ensure that qualified individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and to receive other benefits and privileges of employment. Please contact us at talent.acquisition@kla.com or at +1-408-352-2808 to request accommodation. For additional information, view the US Know Your Rights poster on the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission website.
See All 30 Hpc Engineer Jobs in California
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Find Hpc Engineer JobsHpc Engineer Jobs by City in California
Where California roles are concentrated, by current openings.
Hpc Engineer Job Market in California
A snapshot from current California openings, updated as new roles post.
Who's Hiring
Top Industries Hiring
- Manufacturing
- Technology & Software
- Science & Research
- Healthcare & Medical Services
- Education
What California Employers Look For
The qualifications that appear most often in hpc engineer jobs across California.
- Bachelor's or master's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a related technical field
- Hands-on experience designing or administering large-scale HPC clusters and parallel file systems
- Proficiency in parallel programming models such as MPI, OpenMP, or CUDA
- Familiarity with job schedulers including Slurm, PBS, or equivalent workload management tools
- Experience with Linux system administration and high-speed interconnects like InfiniBand or Omni-Path
- Strong scripting ability in Python, Bash, or similar languages for automation and performance tuning
Hpc Engineer Jobs in California: Frequently Asked Questions
How do you become a hpc engineer in California?
Most hpc engineer roles in California require at least a bachelor's degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or a closely related field, with many research and national laboratory positions preferring a master's or doctorate. California does not issue a state license specifically for hpc engineers, so the hiring path centers on building hands-on cluster experience, earning vendor certifications in platforms like NVIDIA or Red Hat, and assembling a portfolio of parallel computing or large-scale systems projects that California employers can evaluate directly.
How much do hpc engineers make in California?
Hpc engineers in California earn a median of about $185,180 a year, based on May 2025 Bureau of Labor Statistics wage data, ranging from around $126,590 for the lowest 10% to over $281,210 for the top 10%. Pay rises with experience, specialty, and employer.
Which companies hire hpc engineers in California?
Employers hiring hpc engineers in California right now include KLA, NVIDIA, and AMD, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of October 2026. California's concentration of national laboratories, defense primes, and semiconductor companies means openings appear across both government-funded research sites and private industry campuses throughout the state.
Which California cities have the most hpc engineer jobs?
Santa Clara, Milpitas, and San Francisco account for the largest share of hpc engineer openings in California. The Bay Area leads because of its density of national laboratories and technology headquarters, San Diego draws hiring through defense contractors and genomics research institutions, and Los Angeles reflects demand from aerospace and entertainment technology companies running large compute environments.
Are there remote hpc engineer jobs in California?
Yes, but they're uncommon, because much of the work requires direct access to physical clusters, specialized hardware, and secure on-site environments. About 47% of hpc engineer openings tied to California are remote or hybrid as of October 2026, which is lower than typical software roles. The tasks most likely to be performed remotely are software development, job scheduler configuration, and performance analysis that do not require hands-on hardware access.
How can I get hired as a hpc engineer in California with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry path is through a research computing internship or student cluster operator role at one of California's university systems, where the University of California campuses and California State University campuses regularly bring on junior staff to support research computing infrastructure. Adjacent roles such as Linux systems administrator, research computing support specialist, and data center technician provide hands-on exposure that California employers recognize as a credible bridge. Completing a parallel computing project on a public cloud HPC environment and earning a Red Hat or NVIDIA certification strengthens a candidate's profile considerably for first roles.
Where can I find and apply to hpc engineer jobs in California?
You can find and apply to hpc engineer jobs in California on Migrate Mate, which lists current openings tied to California locations. Search the listings for roles that match your experience level and specialization, then apply directly to the ones that fit.
See All 30 Hpc Engineer Jobs in California
Find roles in California that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
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