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Software Engineer, Infrastructure

CognitionSan FranciscoResearch & Development
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Salary
$260K - $300K USD
Job type
Full-time
Posted
6 Aug 2026
Status
Open · checked 7d ago

About this role

Cognition is seeking a full-time Software Engineer, Infrastructure based in San Francisco to design and operate the foundational systems powering advanced AI products. This on-site role suits systems-focused engineers who want to build the compute and platform architecture for industry-defining software agents.

Role Overview

Infrastructure Engineers at Cognition build the core systems that drive products like Devin, the first AI software engineer, and Windsurf, an AI-native integrated development environment. Devin runs long-horizon tasks across sandboxed environments, manages subagents, and operates at scale across millions of sessions. Windsurf provides real-time, low-latency editor intelligence to developers. This position involves owning compute, orchestration, networking, and platform systems with high engineering rigor and product focus.

Key Responsibilities

Design and operate sandboxed compute environments for Devin's task execution, covering VM orchestration, container management, resource scheduling, and isolation at scale.
Build and maintain the internal developer platform, including CI/CD pipelines, deployment systems, and developer tooling that enable product teams to ship rapidly.
Drive reliability and observability by establishing SLOs, creating monitoring and alerting systems, leading incident response, and handling postmortems.
Anticipate capacity and architecture needs to scale infrastructure ahead of product growth.
Partner with product engineers and researchers to design infrastructure that meets technical demands without adding unnecessary complexity.

Requirements

Extensive background in deep systems engineering, with experience designing and operating large-scale distributed infrastructure.
Hands-on expertise with Kubernetes, major cloud platforms including AWS, GCP, or Azure, and infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform.
Strong software engineering fundamentals with proficiency in Python and the ability to own complex systems codebases.
Solid observability instincts for instrumenting systems, building dashboards, and designing noise-free alerts.
Experience with security, isolation, sandboxing, and secure multi-tenant compute for agentic workloads running arbitrary code.
Background from a frontier AI lab, applied AI company, or developer tools organization.
A Bachelor of Science, Master of Science, or equivalent degree in Computer Science, Mathematics, Engineering, or a related technical discipline from a highly selective program.

Skills and Tools

Python
AWS, GCP, Azure
Kubernetes
Terraform
Distributed Infrastructure
Container Management
CI/CD Pipelines
Observability and Monitoring

Salary and Benefits

Base salary range of $260,000 to $300,000 per year, accompanied by significant early-stage equity.
Fully paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and dependents.
Company-matched 401(k) plan.
On-site perks featuring a private chef, cozy slippers, and endless snacks.

About the Company

Cognition is an applied AI lab dedicated to building end-to-end software agents that operate alongside engineers as genuine teammates rather than simple tools. Recognized as the creator of Devin and Windsurf, the company features a small, talent-dense team comprised of world-class competitive programmers, former founders, and top researchers from organizations like Scale AI, Palantir, Cursor, Google DeepMind, Tesla, and Waymo.

How to Apply

Interested candidates should apply directly on the official Cognition careers page to submit their application for consideration.

Skills and tech stack

PythonAWSGCPAzureKubernetesTerraform

Questions candidates ask

What is the location of the Software Engineer, Infrastructure position?

The role is located on-site in San Francisco, California.

What is the compensation range for this role?

The base salary ranges from $260,000 to $300,000 per year, plus significant early-stage equity.

What technical skills and tools are required?

Candidates need proficiency in Python, hands-on experience with Kubernetes, cloud platforms such as AWS, GCP, or Azure, and infrastructure-as-code tools like Terraform.

What products does Cognition build?

Cognition is the creator of Devin, the first AI software engineer, and Windsurf, an AI-native IDE.

What benefits are included with the position?

Benefits include fully paid medical, dental, and vision coverage for employees and their dependents, a company-matched 401(k), and perks like a private chef and endless snacks.

Ready to apply?

The application is on the official Cognition careers page.

Apply on company site