New opportunity

Sr. SW Test Engineer - Neural Library (5-8 years)

Sandisk · Bengaluru, India

About this role

We are looking for a Sr. SW Test Engineer - Neural Library to validate neural network operators and libraries for a next-generation AI computational storage product. You will ensure correctness, performance, and robustness of compute kernels deployed on advanced hardware platforms.

Responsibilities

  • Validate neural network operators (matmul, convolution, attention, etc.) for correctness using reference models
  • Develop automated tests for operator-level and graph-level validation
  • Perform numerical accuracy validation against frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow
  • Execute and maintain smoke and regression test suites
  • Benchmark and validate performance (throughput, latency, scaling behavior)
  • Build and maintain performance benchmarking frameworks
  • Perform software profiling to analyze execution bottlenecks
  • Conduct memory usage analysis and detect memory leaks
  • Identify issues across compiler → runtime → kernel execution stack
  • Debug failures across compute kernels, runtime APIs, and hardware execution
  • Collaborate with compiler, runtime, and hardware teams

Required qualifications

  • 4-6 years in AI/ML systems validation or performance testing
  • Strong C++ programming skills (mandatory)
  • Strong Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) fundamentals (mandatory)
  • Experience with Python for test automation
  • Strong understanding of deep learning operators and frameworks (PyTorch preferred)
  • Experience with numerical validation and floating-point behavior
  • Knowledge of parallel execution, memory hierarchy, and compute kernels

Preferred qualifications

  • Experience with profiling and debugging tools (perf, VTune, Nsight, etc.)
  • Experience with ML execution stacks (MLIR/XLA or similar)
  • Exposure to accelerator validation (GPU/NPU/FPGA)
  • Experience validating large language model workloads

For full details about this role, click “Apply on company site” to view the employer’s original posting.

Skills for this role

C++PythonPyTorchTensorFlowObject-Oriented Programming

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Get interview-ready for this role

A focused preparation guide, built around this job’s responsibilities and requirements.

✦ AI-generated guide
Preparation suggestions, not the employer’s actual interview questions. Always check the original posting for current requirements.
01

Understand the role

What matters most

  • Neural Network Operator Validation

    Validate operators such as matmul, convolution, and attention for functional correctness using reference models and frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow, ensuring high numerical accuracy and adherence to floating-point behavior standards.

  • Performance Benchmarking and Profiling

    Build and maintain robust performance benchmarking frameworks to measure throughput, latency, and scaling behavior, while conducting software profiling to identify and eliminate execution bottlenecks.

  • Automated Testing and Stack Integration

    Develop automated tests for operator-level and graph-level validation, maintaining smoke and regression test suites to detect issues across the compiler, runtime, and kernel execution stack.

  • Hardware-Software Debugging

    Debug complex failures spanning compute kernels, runtime APIs, and hardware execution platforms, collaborating closely with compiler, runtime, and hardware teams.

Likely challenges to think through

  • Isolating Failures Across the Full Execution Stack

    Debugging issues that span across the compiler, runtime, and hardware layers can be ambiguous and difficult to trace. Preparation should involve strengthening knowledge of hardware execution semantics, parallel execution, and memory hierarchies, as well as practicing systematic root-cause analysis across compute kernels and runtime APIs.

  • Numerical Precision and Floating-Point Verification

    Validating deep learning operators requires detecting subtle discrepancies in floating-point behavior against reference models. Candidates should prepare by reviewing numerical stability concepts, floating-point rounding arithmetic, and precision differences across frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.

  • Balancing Performance Benchmarking with Comprehensive Regression Testing

    Managing both thorough regression suites and high-throughput performance benchmarking creates competing resource and time demands. Preparation requires demonstrating experience with building scalable automation frameworks and profiling tools (such as perf, VTune, or Nsight) to efficiently prioritize critical path bottlenecks.

03

Practice your answers

Technical practice

Validating Neural Network Operators for Correctness

What to coverDiscuss how you validate complex neural network operators such as matrix multiplication, convolutions, or attention mechanisms against reference models. Address how you handle floating-point precision differences and numerical validation between custom kernels and frameworks like PyTorch or TensorFlow.

C++ Object-Oriented Principles in Test Frameworks

What to coverExplain how you apply strong C++ and Object-Oriented Programming principles when building scalable and maintainable automated test frameworks. Discuss design patterns or class hierarchies you use to abstract operator-level and graph-level testing.

Python for Test Automation and Scripting

What to coverDescribe how you leverage Python to build robust test automation suites that drive execution, capture logs, and verify outputs against reference frameworks. Highlight how you interface Python scripts with underlying C++ libraries or execution engines.

Numerical Accuracy and Floating-Point Behavior

What to coverExplain the challenges of floating-point rounding, accumulation errors, and precision loss (e.g., FP32 vs. FP16/BF16) when validating neural network libraries. Discuss how you establish acceptable numerical tolerance thresholds.

Analyzing Execution Bottlenecks via Software Profiling

What to coverDiscuss your experience with software profiling tools (such as perf, VTune, or Nsight) to analyze performance bottlenecks in compute kernels. Explain how you measure throughput, latency, and hardware utilization.

Memory Usage Analysis and Leak Detection

What to coverExplain your methodology for conducting memory usage analysis and detecting memory leaks within high-performance compute libraries or hardware execution stacks. Mention tools or techniques you rely on for memory tracking.

Debugging Across the Compiler-to-Hardware Stack

What to coverWalk through a systematic approach to debugging a failure that spans the compiler, runtime APIs, and hardware execution stack. Explain how you isolate whether a bug originates in graph compilation, runtime dispatch, or kernel implementation.

Benchmarking Throughput, Latency, and Scaling Behavior

What to coverDescribe how you design and maintain performance benchmarking frameworks to evaluate scaling behavior across diverse hardware platforms. Address how you ensure consistent and repeatable test conditions.

Validating ML Execution Stacks and Accelerators

What to coverDiscuss your familiarity with ML execution stacks (such as MLIR/XLA) or validating workloads on specialized accelerators like GPUs, NPUs, or FPGAs. Explain how hardware memory hierarchies and parallel execution impact your test strategy.

Behavioural practice

Collaborating Across Compiler, Runtime, and Hardware Teams

What to coverDescribe a situation where you had to collaborate closely with cross-functional engineering teams (such as compiler, runtime, or hardware design) to resolve a complex bug or performance bottleneck. Use the STAR method to explain your communication strategy, how you shared profiling data, and the final outcome.

Handling Ambiguity in Deep Learning System Validation

What to coverShare an instance where you faced ambiguous requirements or an undocumented failure mode while testing a new deep learning operator or library. Detail how you structured your investigation, formed hypotheses, and successfully isolated the root cause.

Prioritizing Test Coverage Under Tight Deadlines

What to coverProvide an example of a time when you had to balance comprehensive smoke and regression test execution with urgent release timelines. Explain how you prioritized test cases, automated repetitive tasks, and maintained quality standards.

Driving Continuous Improvement in Test Automation Frameworks

What to coverDescribe a project where you identified inefficiencies or limitations in an existing performance benchmarking or test automation framework. Outline the actions you took to redesign or scale the framework and the measurable impact on the team's productivity.

02

Sharpen your knowledge

Topics to prepare

  • Deep Learning Operators and Numerical Validation

    Review fundamental deep learning operators such as matrix multiplication, convolutions, and attention mechanisms, focusing on numerical accuracy, floating--point representation, and behavior validation against reference models like PyTorch or TensorFlow. Exercise: Write a script to compare the precision and output of a custom matrix multiplication kernel against a PyTorch reference implementation under different floating-point types. Relevance: Essential for fulfilling responsibilities in validating neural network operators and ensuring numerical correctness.

  • Hardware Memory Hierarchy and Parallel Execution

    Understand how compute kernels interact with memory hierarchies (caches, RAM, storage) and parallel execution models on advanced hardware platforms. Exercise: Analyze memory access patterns for a convolution operation to identify cache misses and bandwidth bottlenecks. Relevance: Directly addresses the required knowledge of parallel execution, memory hierarchy, and compute kernels for computational storage products.

  • Compiler-to-Runtime Execution Stack

    Study the software execution stack from high-level model graphs down to runtime APIs and hardware kernel execution. Exercise: Trace a graph-level operation through an ML execution stack like MLIR/XLA to understand intermediate representations and runtime dispatch. Relevance: Crucial for identifying issues and debugging failures across the compiler-to-runtime-to-kernel execution stack.

Skills to revise

  • C++ Programming and Object-Oriented Principles

    Master advanced C++ and object-oriented programming fundamentals required for high-performance system software testing. Exercise: Design a robust C++ class hierarchy for modular operator test cases with strict memory management and leak detection. Relevance: Mandatory requirement for developing and debugging compute kernels and test infrastructure.

  • Python Test Automation

    Build proficiency in using Python for creating automated test suites, test frameworks, and validation scripts. Exercise: Develop a Python-based automated regression test harness that executes operator-level validation and logs performance metrics. Relevance: Required for building automated tests for operator- and graph-level validation.

  • Software Profiling and Performance Benchmarking

    Gain practical experience with software profiling and benchmarking tools to analyze throughput, latency, and bottlenecks. Exercise: Use profiling tools to measure execution latency and memory usage of a compute kernel under scale. Relevance: Aligns directly with preferred and required qualifications in performance benchmarking and profiling.

04

Your preparation checklist

  • Review C++ and OOP Core Competencies

    Refresh object-oriented design principles and advanced C++ concepts. Completion looks like being able to explain memory management, class hierarchies, and clean code practices applicable to high-performance test systems.

  • Build a Sample Numerical Validation Script

    Create a Python script using PyTorch or TensorFlow to compare custom operator outputs against reference models. Completion looks like a working demonstration of verifying floating-point precision and detecting numerical discrepancies.

  • Design a Performance Benchmarking Framework Walkthrough

    Prepare a conceptual or code-level walkthrough for a benchmarking framework. Completion looks like a structured explanation of how you measure throughput, latency, and scaling behavior for compute kernels.

  • Study ML Execution Stacks and Hardware Hierarchies

    Review how deep learning workloads move from model graphs through execution stacks (such as MLIR/XLA) down to memory hierarchies and hardware execution. Completion looks like a clear notes summary explaining potential bottleneck zones across the stack.

  • Prepare Debugging and Profiling Case Studies

    Draft 1-2 professional examples detailing how you used profiling tools (such as perf, VTune, or Nsight) to identify execution bottlenecks, memory leaks, or stack failures. Completion looks like prepared STAR-format narratives highlighting your technical troubleshooting process.

  • Formulate Questions for the Engineering Team

    Prepare thoughtful questions regarding the next-generation AI computational storage product, cross-functional collaboration with compiler and hardware teams, and the primary testing methodologies used at Sandisk. Completion looks like a concise list of 4-5 targeted questions for your interviewers.

AI-generated from the job information · Prepared Nov 4, 2026 (UTC)Useful preparation, not a guarantee of eligibility or an offer.

Availability last checked: 4 Nov 2026. Status can change after a check; confirm on the employer’s website. Report an issue · Our checking policy

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