Distinguished Engineer / Technical Fellow

About the Company Ironwood Digital is the hyperscaler for the edge, delivering modular AI infrastructure from first deployment to AI factory with speed, scale and sovereignty. Named one of Fast Company's Most Innovative Companies and to the CNBC Disruptor 50, Ironwood Digital’s solutions are deployed in over 60 countries globally for organizations ranging from energy to defense. With nearly $500 million in funding to date, Ironwood Digital is backed by leading investors including Founders Fund, Lux, BlackRock and Microsoft (M12), alongside strategic partnerships with Microsoft, Dell, Palantir, NVIDIA, SpaceX, and Skydio. We are building the infrastructure layer for sovereign and edge AI - rugged, deployable compute for customers that cannot rely on centralized cloud. Working at Ironwood Digital means taking ownership, driving autonomy, and delivering impact. You’ll tackle challenges that haven’t been solved before and help build something transformative from the ground up. What you do here will not only define your career but help further Ironwood Digital’s mission to bridge the digital divide for customers around the world. About the Role As a Distinguished Engineer / Technical Fellow, you will be the primary architect of Ironwood Digital’s long-term technical vision. This is a "builder-leader" role for a world-class technologist who possesses a deep, fundamental understanding of data center architecture, high-density compute, and massive-scale AI infrastructure. You will solve the most difficult technical hurdles across our core product suite while leading the R&D for "Next Horizon" projects, such as Data Centers in Space. Beyond internal development, you will act as a key technical diplomat, collaborating with our most strategic industry partners to design deep-tech solutions that deepen Ironwood Digital’s product adoption and expand our reach into entirely new frontiers. Location: Bellevue, WA / San Francisco, CA / Remote What You'll Do (Key Responsibilities) Architecting the Universal Edge: Lead the evolution of the Ironwood Digital Edge Platform (AEP), ensuring seamless orchestration of compute and AI workloads across globally distributed, high-latency, and disconnected environments. Next Horizon Projects: Drive the architectural roadmap for visionary initiatives, including Data Centers in Space. This involves adapting the Ironwood Digital stack for orbital compute modules and solving for the unique challenges of Low Earth Orbit (LEO)—including radiation-tolerant software, thermal management, and power-constrained AI processing. Strategic Partner Engineering: Work directly with elite industry partners to co-design solutions that integrate Ironwood Digital’s technology deeper into their global ecosystems. You will ensure our platform becomes the standard infrastructure for compute, whether terrestrial or orbital. Technical Strategy: Partner with Company Leadership to define the 3–5 year technical roadmap, identifying emerging technologies in high-density GPU orchestration and orbital data processing that align with our long-term business goals. Hard-Problem Solver: Act as the final point of escalation for complex architectural challenges involving real-time data streaming, computer vision, and network-aware workload distribution. Innovation & R&D: Lead Proof-of-Concepts for next-generation capabilities, such as in-orbit inference, adaptive learning at the edge, and secure Earth-to-space data orchestration. Mentorship: Elevate the entire engineering organization by mentoring Staff and Principal engineers, fostering a culture of high-performance engineering and architectural rigor. Required Qualifications: Core Infrastructure Mastery: Deep understanding of Data Center operations, Compute architectures (CPU/GPU/NPU), and AI Infrastructure at scale. You should understand the full stack from silicon to the orchestration layer. Experience: 15+ years of software engineering experience, with a proven track record as a Distinguished Engineer, Fellow, or equivalent senior technical leader at a major infrastructure or AI company. Distributed Systems Mastery: Expert-level knowledge of distributed systems and data storage in resource-constrained, remote, or "denied" environments. Systems Programming: Mastery of Go, C++, or Rust, with a deep understanding of how software interacts with physical compute hardware and non-terrestrial networking layers. Ecosystem Influence: Proven ability to work across company lines with partners to build "1+1=3" technical solutions that drive adoption and industry standards. Preferred Qualifications: Deep understanding of networking stacks, specifically optimization for satellite and terrestrial mesh networks. Interest or experience in orbital mechanics, radiation-tolerant software design, or space-based communication protocols. Experience building "Day 2" operations for fleets of thousands of remote, distributed devices in harsh environments. Compensation For U.S. Based candidates: To ensure fairness and transparency, the starting base salary range for this role for candidates in the U.S. are listed below, varying based on location experience, skills, and qualifications. In addition to base salary, this role will also be offered equity and subsidized benefits (details available upon request). Benefits Competitive base salary and equity Medical, dental, and vision (subsidized cost) Health savings accounts (HSA), flexible spending accounts (FSA), and dependent care FSAs (DCFSA) Retirement plan options, including 401(k) and Roth 401(k) Unlimited paid time off (PTO) 14 paid company holidays per year #LI-SM2 #LI-Remote Compensation $231,600 — $289,500 USD You're a Great Fit if You're A go-getter with a growth mindset. You're intellectually curious, have strong business acumen, and actively seek opportunities to build relevant skills and knowledge A detail-oriented problem-solver. You can independently gather information, solve problems efficiently, and deliver results with a "get-it-done" attitude Thrive in a fast-paced environment. You're energized by an entrepreneurial spirit, capable of working quickly, and excited to contribute to a growing company A collaborative team player. You focus on business success and are motivated by team accomplishment vs personal agenda Highly organized and results-driven. Strong prioritization skills and a dedicated work ethic are essential for you Equal Opportunity Statement At Ironwood Digital, we are committed to fostering a work environment where everyone is given equal opportunities to thrive. As an equal opportunity employer, we strictly prohibit discrimination or harassment based on race, color, gender, religion, sexual orientation, national origin, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, or any other characteristic protected by law. This policy applies to all employment decisions, including hiring, promotions, and compensation. Our hiring is guided by qualifications, merit, and the business needs at the time. Unsolicited Resumes and Candidates Ironwood Digital does not accept unsolicited resumes or candidate submissions from external agencies or recruiters. All candidates must apply directly through our careers page. Any resumes submitted by agencies without a prior signed agreement will be considered unsolicited and Ironwood Digital will not be obligated to pay any fees.