Sr. Principal Software Engineer

Posted Yesterday
Hiring Remotely in USA
Remote
141K-226K Annually
Senior level
Automotive • Other
The Role
Lead development and optimization of high-performance LLM inference pipelines across data center, edge, and embedded platforms. Improve latency and throughput via custom CUDA kernels, quantization, KV-cache and batching strategies, and deploy efficient, production-ready runtimes without external vendor dependency.
Summary Generated by Built In
A Moving Experience.

Who is Cerence AI? 

Cerence AI is the global leader in AI for transportation, specialized in building AI and voice-powered companions for cars, two-wheelers, and more that enable people to focus on what matters most. With over 500 million cars shipped with Cerence AI's technology, we partner with leading automakers (such as Volkswagen, Mercedes, Audi, Toyota and many more), mobility providers, and technology companies to power intuitive, integrated experiences that create safer, more connected, and more enjoyable journeys for drivers and passengers alike. 

 

Our Driving Force  

Our team is dedicated to pushing the boundaries of AI innovation, working around the globe with headquarters in Burlington, Massachusetts, USA and 16 other offices across Europe, Asia, and North America. We bring together diverse backgrounds, and varied skill sets with the shared goal of advancing the next generation of transportation user experiences. Our culture is customer-centric, collaborative, fast-paced, and fun, with continuous opportunities for learning and development to support your career growth. 

 

Interested in having a significant impact in a dynamic industry with a high-performing global team? We’re looking for an exceptional Senior Principal Software Engineer who is ready to drive the future of mobility with us! 

Job Description:

What You Will Work On 

  • Optimize and deploy highperformance LLM inference pipelines 

  • Own inference runtimes across data center, edge, and embedded platforms 

  • Push model performance through quantization, kernel fusion, and cache optimization 

  • Drive latency and throughput improvements that directly impact production products 

  • Enable efficient, reliable deployment without external vendor dependency 

 

Core Responsibilities 

Inference Engines & Runtime 

  • Build deep expertise and ownership of: 

  • vLLM 

  • TensorRT‑LLM 

  • llama.cpp 

  • QAIRT 

  • Extend and tune inference engines using custom CUDA kernels 

  • Adapt runtimes for constrained and embedded deployment environments 

 

Quantization & Numerical Optimisation 

  • Implement and evaluate quantisation strategies: 

  • INT8, INT4, FP4, FP8, mixed precision 

  • AWQ 

  • GPTQ 

  • Balance accuracy, latency, memory footprint, and throughput 

KV Cache Optimization 

  • Optimize key–value cache performance through: 

  • Paging 

  • Prefix caching 

  • Cacheaware memory layout design 

  • Reduce memory pressure while sustaining high throughput 

 

Latency & Throughput Optimisation 

  • Design and tune: 

  • Batching strategies 

  • Continuous batching 

  • Speculative decoding 

  • Optimize tail latency and tokens/sec under real production traffic patterns 

 

What Success Looks Like 

  • Models deploy efficiently on edge and embedded devices, not just servers 

  • Tokens/sec significantly outperform baseline implementations 

  • Endtoend latency is minimized and predictable 

  • Inference cost per request is materially reduced 

  • The company is no longer dependent on partners for inference optimization 

 

Required Experience & Skills 

Strongly Required 

  • Proven experience optimizing ML inference performance in production 

  • Deep understanding of GPU architecture and memory hierarchies 

  • Handson experience with CUDA and lowlevel performance tuning 

  • Experience deploying models beyond research environments 

Critical Technical Skills 

  • Inference engines: vLLM, TensorRTLLM, llama.cpp, QAIRT 

  • CUDA kernel development and profiling 

  • Quantisation techniques: INT8/INT4/FP4/FP8, AWQ, GPTQ 

  • KV cache optimisation and memory layout design 

  • Latency optimisation: batching, speculative decoding, continuous batching 

 

Common Problems You’ll Be Solving 

  • Deploy efficiently on edge or embedded targets 

  • Achieve competitive tokens/sec 

  • Reduce and stabilize inference latency 

You will be responsible for closing these gaps, creating a major competitive advantage. 

 

What we offer 

We offer a generous compensation and benefits package (in addition to the base salary), including: 

  • Salary range $141,400 USD - $226,300 USD It is not typical for offers to be made at or near the top of the range. The actual salary will be determined based on experience and other job-related factors. 

  • Annual bonus opportunity 

  • Insurance coverage (medical, dental, vision, life, and disability) 

  • Paid time off 

  • Paid holidays 

  • Company contribution to the RRSP (Registered Retirement Savings Plan) 

  • Equity awards for certain positions and levels 

  • Remote and/or hybrid work available depending on the position 

All compensation and benefits are subject to the terms and conditions of the underlying plans or programs, as applicable, and may be amended, terminated, or replaced from time to time. 

Cerence Inc. (Nasdaq: CRNC and www.cerence.com) is the global industry leader in creating unique, moving experiences for the automotive world. Spun out from Nuance in October 2019, Cerence is a new, independent company that has quickly gained traction as a leader in the automotive voice assistant space, working with all of the world’s leading automakers – from Ford and Fiat Chrysler to Daimler, Audi and BMW to Geely and SAIC – to transform how a car feels, responds and learns. Its track record is built on more than 20 years of industry experience and leadership and more than 500 million cars on the road today across more than 70 languages.  

 

As Cerence looks to the future and continues an ambitious growth agenda, we need someone to join the team and help build the future of voice and AI in cars. This is an exciting opportunity to join Cerence’s passionate, dedicated, global team and be a part of meaningful innovation in a rapidly growing industry. 

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

Cerence is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of age, race, color, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sex, sex stereotyping, pregnancy, national origin, ancestry, religion, physical or mental disability, medical condition, marital status, citizenship status, sexual orientation, protected military or veteran status, genetic information and other protected classifications. Cerence Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement.

All prospective and current Employees need to remain vigilant when it comes to executing security policies in the workplace. This includes:

- Following workplace security protocols and training programs to familiarize with the ways to maintain a safe workplace.
- Following security procedures to report any suspicious activity.
- Having respect for corporate security procedures to allow those procedures to be effective.
- Adhering to company's compliance and regulations.
- Encouraging to follow a zero tolerance for workplace violence.

- Basic knowledge of information security and data privacy requirements (e.g., how to protect data & how to be handling this data).

- Demonstrative knowledge of information security through internal training programs.

Skills Required

  • Proven experience optimizing ML inference performance in production
  • Deep understanding of GPU architecture and memory hierarchies
  • Hands-on experience with CUDA and low-level performance tuning
  • Experience deploying models beyond research environments (data center, edge, embedded)
  • Experience with inference engines: vLLM, TensorRT-LLM, llama.cpp, QAIRT
  • CUDA kernel development and profiling
  • Quantisation techniques: INT8, INT4, FP4, FP8, AWQ, GPTQ
  • KV cache optimisation and memory layout design
  • Latency optimisation techniques: batching, continuous batching, speculative decoding
  • Ability to deploy and optimize models on edge and embedded devices
  • Basic knowledge of information security and data privacy requirements

Cerence Inc. Compensation & Benefits Highlights

The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Cerence Inc. and has not been reviewed or approved by Cerence Inc..

  • Healthcare Strength Healthcare is described as strong and affordable, with mentions of a great health care plan and wellness support. Feedback suggests these offerings contribute to work-life balance and peace of mind.
  • Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits Lifestyle perks such as gym membership reimbursement and transit subsidies are highlighted as meaningful add-ons. Feedback suggests these perks enhance the overall rewards package.
  • Strong & Reliable Incentives Bonuses and equity incentives, including spot awards, short-term incentive targets, and ESPP, are cited as part of total rewards. Feedback suggests these programs are a notable component beyond base pay.

Cerence Inc. Insights

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The Company
HQ: Burlington, MA
1,288 Employees
Year Founded: 2019

What We Do

Cerence (NASDAQ: CRNC) is the global industry leader in creating unique, moving experiences for the mobility world. As an innovation partner to the world’s leading automakers and mobility OEMs, it is helping advance the future of connected mobility through intuitive, powerful interaction between humans and their cars, two-wheelers, and even elevators, connecting consumers’ digital lives to their daily journeys no matter where they are. Cerence’s track record is built on more than 20 years of knowledge and more than 400 million cars shipped with Cerence technology. Whether it’s connected cars, autonomous driving, e-vehicles, or buildings, Cerence is mapping the road ahead.

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