Systems Engineer Jobs in Palo Alto, CA
Systems Engineer jobs in Palo Alto are concentrated along the Stanford Research Park corridor, downtown California Avenue, and the Midtown district, with demand running strongest in semiconductors, defense technology, and enterprise software. Employers actively hiring include Tesla, Rivian, and Intuitive Machines. Scan the live roles below and apply to whichever ones fit.
Find Systems Engineer JobsOverview
Showing 5 of 116+ Systems Engineer jobs
About the role
Help build and operate the compute foundation for demanding AI workloads. As a Senior Systems Engineer, you will own the reliability and lifecycle of Linux-based GPU servers—from bare-metal provisioning and firmware management to performance troubleshooting and automation. You’ll work closely with networking, storage, and operations teammates to keep production clusters healthy and ready for customer workloads.
What you’ll do
- Own provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management for Linux GPU servers, including imaging, PXE boot, drivers, firmware, and hardware validation.
- Diagnose server and GPU issues such as ECC errors, Xid events, thermal faults, driver problems, and performance degradation.
- Operate and improve configuration management and automation using tools such as Ansible, Python, and Bash.
- Support Slurm or a comparable workload scheduler, including node states, partitions, job accounting, and operational troubleshooting.
- Build repeatable health checks, burn-in tests, drain/repair workflows, and maintenance procedures.
- Lead root-cause analysis for incidents, document corrective actions, and contribute to an on-call rotation with clear escalation paths.
- Partner with network, storage, and data center teams to resolve cross-stack issues and support cluster expansions.
What we’re looking for
- 5+ years of Linux systems administration or systems engineering experience in a production environment; experience managing fleets at scale is strongly preferred.
- Strong working knowledge of Ubuntu or RHEL, systemd, boot processes, kernel/OS troubleshooting, and performance tuning.
- Hands-on experience with NVIDIA GPU servers and related drivers/tooling; familiarity with CUDA, nvidia-smi, or DCGM is valuable.
- Experience with Python and/or Bash automation and a configuration-management tool such as Ansible.
- Experience with Slurm or another HPC/workload scheduler, or the ability to demonstrate closely related production experience.
- A disciplined approach to incident response, change management, documentation, and operational reliability.
Helpful, but not required
- BMC/IPMI/Redfish and out-of-band management; BIOS, NIC, and GPU firmware lifecycle management.
- Bare-metal automation tools such as MAAS or Foreman; Kubernetes on bare metal.
- InfiniBand or RoCE fundamentals, data center hardware repair, or large GPU/HPC cluster experience.
How success will be measured
Reliable, well-documented server operations; faster and more repeatable fault recovery; fewer recurring incidents; and improved visibility into fleet health.
Application note
Please submit a resume and a brief cover letter describing the experience most relevant to this role. Candidates do not need to match every preferred qualification to apply.
Pay: From $100,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
About the role
Help build and operate the compute foundation for demanding AI workloads. As a Senior Systems Engineer, you will own the reliability and lifecycle of Linux-based GPU servers—from bare-metal provisioning and firmware management to performance troubleshooting and automation. You’ll work closely with networking, storage, and operations teammates to keep production clusters healthy and ready for customer workloads.
What you’ll do
- Own provisioning, configuration, and lifecycle management for Linux GPU servers, including imaging, PXE boot, drivers, firmware, and hardware validation.
- Diagnose server and GPU issues such as ECC errors, Xid events, thermal faults, driver problems, and performance degradation.
- Operate and improve configuration management and automation using tools such as Ansible, Python, and Bash.
- Support Slurm or a comparable workload scheduler, including node states, partitions, job accounting, and operational troubleshooting.
- Build repeatable health checks, burn-in tests, drain/repair workflows, and maintenance procedures.
- Lead root-cause analysis for incidents, document corrective actions, and contribute to an on-call rotation with clear escalation paths.
- Partner with network, storage, and data center teams to resolve cross-stack issues and support cluster expansions.
What we’re looking for
- 5+ years of Linux systems administration or systems engineering experience in a production environment; experience managing fleets at scale is strongly preferred.
- Strong working knowledge of Ubuntu or RHEL, systemd, boot processes, kernel/OS troubleshooting, and performance tuning.
- Hands-on experience with NVIDIA GPU servers and related drivers/tooling; familiarity with CUDA, nvidia-smi, or DCGM is valuable.
- Experience with Python and/or Bash automation and a configuration-management tool such as Ansible.
- Experience with Slurm or another HPC/workload scheduler, or the ability to demonstrate closely related production experience.
- A disciplined approach to incident response, change management, documentation, and operational reliability.
Helpful, but not required
- BMC/IPMI/Redfish and out-of-band management; BIOS, NIC, and GPU firmware lifecycle management.
- Bare-metal automation tools such as MAAS or Foreman; Kubernetes on bare metal.
- InfiniBand or RoCE fundamentals, data center hardware repair, or large GPU/HPC cluster experience.
How success will be measured
Reliable, well-documented server operations; faster and more repeatable fault recovery; fewer recurring incidents; and improved visibility into fleet health.
Application note
Please submit a resume and a brief cover letter describing the experience most relevant to this role. Candidates do not need to match every preferred qualification to apply.
Pay: From $100,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
See All 116+ Systems Engineer Jobs in Palo Alto
Find roles in Palo Alto that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Systems Engineer JobsSystems Engineer Job Market in Palo Alto
Who's Hiring
- Tesla54
- Rivian12
- Intuitive Machines10
- Rivian and Volkswagen Group Technologies8
- Siemens Healthineers5
Top Industries Hiring
- Technology & Software
- Manufacturing
- Artificial Intelligence
- Healthcare & Medical Services
Systems Engineer Jobs in Palo Alto: Frequently Asked Questions
How do I get a systems engineer job in Palo Alto?
The most direct path is targeting the semiconductor, defense technology, and enterprise software employers clustered in Stanford Research Park and along Page Mill Road. Candidates who stand out in Palo Alto typically bring systems integration or hardware-software co-design experience, familiarity with model-based systems engineering tools, and a portfolio that reflects work on complex, regulated products. Networking through Stanford-adjacent meetups and local IEEE chapters also opens doors that online applications alone do not.
Which companies hire systems engineers in Palo Alto?
Employers hiring systems engineers in Palo Alto right now include Tesla, Rivian, and Intuitive Machines, based on current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Palo Alto's employer mix leans heavily toward mature technology companies, defense contractors, and well-funded deep-tech startups, many of which have long-standing engineering campuses in or just outside the city.
Are there remote systems engineer jobs in Palo Alto?
Yes, though availability depends heavily on the role. Systems engineering work that involves lab environments, hardware integration, or classified facilities is almost always on-site, while requirements analysis, architecture modeling, and documentation tasks are more commonly remote-eligible. About 40% of systems engineer openings tied to Palo Alto are remote or hybrid as of November 2026, concentrated mostly in software-defined systems and cloud infrastructure roles rather than hardware-intensive positions.
How can I get a systems engineer job in Palo Alto with little or no experience?
The most realistic entry point in Palo Alto is an associate systems engineer or systems analyst role at one of the mid-size defense or semiconductor firms along the Page Mill Road corridor, which tend to hire from nearby engineering programs and offer structured rotations. Internship pipelines through Stanford and Santa Clara University feed many of these openings. Building hands-on experience with MATLAB, SysML, or requirements management tools before applying meaningfully strengthens a junior candidate's profile for Palo Alto employers.
Which industries hire the most systems engineers in Palo Alto?
Most systems engineer openings in Palo Alto sit in Technology & Software, Manufacturing, and Artificial Intelligence, per current listings on Migrate Mate as of November 2026. Palo Alto's long history as a hub for defense-adjacent research and semiconductor innovation means those sectors generate a disproportionate share of local systems engineering demand compared to other Bay Area cities.
Related Jobs in California
See All 116+ Systems Engineer Jobs in Palo Alto
Find roles in Palo Alto that match your experience and apply in just a few clicks.
Find Systems Engineer Jobs