C++ Systems Engineer
Role Overview
This senior-level C++ Systems Engineer role involves designing, building, and optimizing the core native runtime for LM Studio, focusing on system and library integration across macOS, Windows, and Linux. Day-to-day tasks include implementing system-level code like threading and memory management, integrating GPU backends such as Metal and CUDA, and profiling for performance tuning to support local AI applications. The hire will work in a small, IC-minded team, impacting the reliability and speed of on-device AI software used by developers and end-users.
Perks & Benefits
This is a fully remote position, likely with flexibility in time zones given the team's New York base, offering opportunities to work on cutting-edge AI tools like llama.cpp and MLX integrations. The culture emphasizes intellectual curiosity, self-motivation, and deep care for the user community, fostering career growth through contributions to canonical software and developer SDKs. Benefits may include typical tech perks such as collaborative tools and a focus on maintainable, well-architected projects.
Full Job Description
The Role
We are hiring a C++ Systems Software Engineer in New York City. You design, build, and optimize the core native runtime that powers LM Studio and the C++ libraries powering the app and our APIs. You will work across our runtime, LLM engines, llama.cpp/MLX integrations, build infrastructure, and the future of our on-device AI software. Your work centers on system and library integration: wiring our C++ runtime to GPU backends, vendor SDKs, and operating-system services to support user-facing applications. You will implement and harden system-level code (threading, memory, files, IPC, scheduling) and integrate platform acceleration paths (Metal, CUDA, Vulkan) across macOS, Windows, and Linux. You will profile, debug, and tune the execution paths that make local AI fast and dependable, and our software well architected and maintainable.
Responsibilities
- Contribute to the C++ runtime that powers LM Studio
- Extend our LLM engine integrations and build platform-aware performance features for desktop operating systems.
- Implement resilient IPC, resource management, and scheduling logic to support concurrent model execution.
- Improve our build, packaging, and release infrastructure for native components.
- Collaborate with the rest of the team to deliver cohesive and recognizable user experiences.
Qualifications
- 4+ years building production C++ systems software across macOS or Linux.
- Thinks in systems and knows how to reason about performance, reliability, and user experience end-to-end.
- Proven maturity designing internal and external APIs that are ergonomic, maintainable, and stable over time.
- C++11 (or newer) expertise with RAII as a default mindset and modern language/library proficiency.
- Deep knowledge of concurrency, memory management, file systems, and network protocols.
- Experience optimizing performance with profilers, tracing, and hardware counters.
LM Studio
We aim to build delightful and potent creation tools for AI. We are a small team based in New York. Everyone on the team is IC-minded, intellectually curious, self-motivated, and loves software. We care deeply about our user community and we strive to build canonical software that users and developers love.
Our products include the LM Studio desktop app, our developer SDKs: lmstudio-js and lmstudio-python, our CLI lms, MLX engine mlx-engine for M-chip Macs, venvstacks which enables us to ship Python-based software, the collaboration Hub for individuals and teams, and more currently being built.
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