Software Engineer III

Software Engineer III – Platform Software – Office of the CTOThe Allen Institute accelerates science for a healthier world through large-scale research designed to answer some of the most complex questions in biology. Our multi-disciplinary teams generate foundational knowledge, tools, and data to understand how our brain, cells, and immune system work. We share our work openly so others can build on it, move faster, and ask bigger questions. We drive discovery forward and create new possibilities for improving human health.
The Office of the Chief Technology Officer (OCTO) drives computational and technological innovation across the Allen Institute by advancing engineering excellence, developing scalable technology solutions, and enabling scientific discovery. Through strategic partnerships and technical leadership, OCTO accelerates research, enhances operational efficiency, and fosters collaboration in support of the Institute's mission.
We are seeking an independent and motivated Platform Software Engineer in the Office of the CTO to drive the Institute's AI compute platform. Reporting to the Director of AI Infrastructure, you will own the platform as a product: the control plane, operators, and user experience over multi-cloud Kubernetes GPU infrastructure serving scientific AI workloads. You will set and hold the production bar — for your own work and for what partner teams deliver — as the platform's durable owner. Beyond the platform, you will catalyze cutting-edge AI methods across the Institute — exchanging practices and creating toolkits for agentic science and AI-augmented research.
At the Allen Institute, we believe that science is for everyone – and should be open to everyone. We are dedicated to combating biases and reducing barriers to STEM careers more broadly.
We also believe that science is better when it includes different perspectives and voices. We strive to make the Allen Institute a place where everyone feels like they belong and are empowered to do their best work in a supportive environment.
We are an equal-opportunity employer and strongly encourage people from all backgrounds to apply for our open positions.
Essential FunctionsOwn the control plane scientists and admins touch daily (API, web UI, and CLI)Own Kubernetes-native platform software
- operators, CRDs, and controllers for tenancy, storage, and job lifecycle across large workloads and interactive computeTelemetry as a product: provide data for understanding capacity, utilization and improvement opportunitiesShip with production discipline
- CI/CD, automated testing, code review, and quality standards
- and hold that bar for work delivered by partner and vendor teamsOwn security and compliance of what you buildWork across the AWS and GCP services the platform composes (eg EKS, GKE, FSx, S3, and GCS)Implement experiences for the whole Institute for cutting-edge AI methods
- learn emerging practices and build or scale toolkits for agentic science, data access, and AI-augmented researchCollaborate with Allen Institute and vendor teams spanning scientists, engineers, and serviceRequired Education and ExperienceBachelor's Degree in Computer Science, or related technical field; or equivalent combination of degree and experienceMinimum of 3 years of experience building ML infrastructure (compute and storage)Strong software engineering in Go, with Kubernetes operators or controllers shipped to productionPreferred Education and ExperienceProficiency with building applications on KubernetesTelemetry fluency with Prometheus, and log pipelinesCloud expertise, multi-cloud preferred (AWS and GCP)Experience with testing, CI/CD, and quality standards as habitsComfort running security reviews of your own systems, including compliance-scoped workloadsEmpathy for researchers as users, and for their workflowsGPU scheduler internals, NVIDIA stack, JupyterHub internals, HPC-to-Kubernetes migrations, FinOps / billing system exposurePhysical DemandsFine motor movements in fingers/hands to operate computers and other office equipmentPosition Type/Expected Hours of WorkThis role is currently able to work both remotely and onsite in a hybrid work environment. We are a Washington State employer, and the primary work location for all Allen Institute employees is 615 Westlake Ave N.; any remote work must be performed in Washington State.
TravelAttendance and participation in national and international conferences as appropriateAdditional CommentsPlease note, this opportunity does not offer relocation assistancePlease note, this opportunity does not offer work visa sponsorshipAnnualized Salary Range$146,600
- $183,250 *
* Final salary depends on the required education for the role, experience, level of skills relevant to the role, and work location, where applicable.
It is the policy of the Allen Institute to provide equal employment opportunity (EEO) to all persons regardless of age, color, national origin, citizenship status, physical or mental disab