What are the responsibilities and job description for the Junior Runtime Optimization Engineer position at Jobright.ai?
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Job Summary:
R.W. Mercer Co. is seeking a Runtime Optimization Engineer responsible for analyzing, tuning, and enhancing the performance of software systems at runtime. The role involves collaboration with development, infrastructure, and DevOps teams to identify bottlenecks and ensure optimal execution of code across distributed systems.
Responsibilities:
• Profile and analyze runtime performance of applications and services using tools such as perf, FlameGraphs, JFR, Valgrind, eBPF, or JVM/CLR profilers
• Identify memory leaks, CPU bottlenecks, I/O contention, garbage collection inefficiencies, and thread-level concurrency issues
• Work with software teams to improve execution paths, reduce resource overhead, and refactor critical performance sections
• Build and automate performance benchmarks and regression tests in CI/CD environments
• Optimize runtime environments such as JVM, Python runtime, .NET CLR, Node.js, or container runtimes (Docker, containerd)
• Analyze and optimize container orchestration performance in Kubernetes or other distributed platforms
• Document performance baselines, testing methodologies, and tuning practices
• Stay current with modern compilers, runtimes, and micro-optimizations at the system and application layers
Qualifications:
Required:
• Bachelors or Masters degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or related field
• 2 years of experience in performance engineering, software optimization, or systems-level programming
• Deep understanding of operating systems, CPU architecture, memory hierarchy, and threading
• Proficient in at least one low-level language (e.g., C, C , Rust) and one managed runtime (e.g., Java, Python, C#)
• Experience with performance profiling tools, debuggers, and metrics instrumentation
• Familiarity with Linux internals and performance tracing (e.g., strace, dtrace, ftrace, systemtap, eBPF)
• Strong problem-solving skills and ability to work in cross-functional environments
Company:
R.W. Founded in 1976, the company is headquartered in Jackson, Michigan, US, with a team of 51-200 employees. The company is currently Growth Stage.
