Head of Compute

San Carlos, Californiafull timeOn Site

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senior

$200k–$285k

H1B: no

Cowboyspace Head of Compute responsible for strategy, architecture, deployment, and operations of AI compute infrastructure in orbit. Build scalable, reliable GPU cloud platform for orbital power and datacenter hardware.

Responsibilities

As the Head of Compute, you will own the strategy, architecture, and deployment, and operations of our AI compute infrastructure in orbit. This individual will be responsible for transforming orbital power and datacenter hardware into a scalable, reliable, commercially consumable GPU cloud platform.
This role requires a significant amount of cross functional work with satellite engineering, launch, software, operation, reliability, product, and finance teams.
Build and drive the end-to-end AI compute architecture across GPU, CPU, networking, storage, orchestration, and cloud platform layers from concept through design, prototyping, validation, and production.
Define infrastructure requirements for training, inference, dedicated clusters, and managed compute services, including rack, cluster, networking, storage, and power-density requirements.
Develop scalable storage and networking architectures optimized for AI training and inference across a constellation of orbital data centers.
Establish testing, validation, and qualification roadmaps for compute hardware
Stand-up, grow, and lead an agile team that can meet tight timelines and execute efficiently.
Work with the software team to establish the orchestration strategy and workload management of orbital compute platforms.
Collaborate cross-functionally with software, GNC, RF, and spacecraft teams to ensure seamless system integration and increase the overall system reliability.
Optimize systems for power efficiency, thermal constraints, and reliability in space environments, including lifecycle, refresh, and residual-capacity strategies.
Guide vendor selection and external partnerships for components and manufacturing
Participate in system-level trade studies to balance performance, cost, mass, and power

Qualification

10+ years in cloud infrastructureDeep knowledge of InfiniBandEmbedded systems or avionicsFPGADistributed or edge compute systemsPassion for space systems

Required

10+ years in cloud infrastructure, hyperscale computing, HPC, AI infrastructure, or large-scale platform engineering.
Deep experience deploying and operating large GPU clusters and multi-tenant cloud infrastructure.
Deep knowledge of InfiniBand, RoCE, high-performance Ethernet, and AI storage architectures.
Experience designing and shipping complex hardware systems (e.g., compute platforms, embedded systems, or high-performance electronics)
Strong background in one or more of the following:
Embedded systems or avionics
High-performance computing (HPC) systems
FPGA, ASIC, or GPU-based systems
Distributed or edge compute systems
Experience leading technical projects or small teams, with increasing scope and ownership
Strong understanding of system architecture and hardware/software co-design.
Demonstrated ability to manage large technology vendors and infrastructure investments.

Preferred

Experience designing compute systems for space, aerospace, or other high-reliability environments
Familiarity with radiation effects and mitigation strategies (e.g., rad-hard/rad-tolerant design)
Experience optimizing systems for SWaP constraints (Size, Weight, and Power)
Familiarity with AI/ML accelerators or specialized compute architectures for edge environments
Experience working with real-time systems and low-latency processing requirements
Experience working on mission-critical or safety-critical systems with rigorous validation processes
Strong cross-functional leadership experience working with software, spacecraft, and systems engineering teams
Passion for space systems, energy infrastructure, and building novel compute platforms in orbit