Network Software Engineer

NETWORK SOFTWARE ENGINEERAbout the Team
Cloudflare is redefining the way networks are run at scale. Our Network Services product suite puts the connectivity, scale, and performance of Cloudflare's global network in front of customers' network infrastructure and private networks, providing a single pane of glass for network connectivity, visibility, and operating network functions like DoS mitigation, Next-Gen Firewall, IDS/IPS, WAN optimization, Network Interconnects, and more. We are a team of engineers and product managers who obsess over quickly building products that solve real customer problems using innovative technologies and techniques which leverage Cloudflare's unique architecture and global network footprint.
About the Role
As a software engineer on our team, you will work across a wide range of technologies and systems to deliver new features, improve performance, and increase the scalability of our Network Services products. You'll build, deploy, and operate your team's systems on top of one of the largest edge networks in the world. You'll partner with some of the best engineers and product managers to solve big problems that have a meaningful impact in the lives of our customers and users.
We're looking for curious, empathetic engineers who are excited to join us in changing the way networking is done!
What you'll do

• Work on a Linux-based networking dataplane which ingests and forwards traffic from some of the largest networks in the world
• Develop custom software for dedicated hardware switching equipment such as networking ASICs
• Develop networking software that operate under high performance, high bandwidth requirements to connect some of Cloudflare's largest customers through private links
• Develop a robust and automated control plane to manage a fleet of custom network devices across the globe
• Partner with engineers in the Network Engineering, Network Operations, Datacenter Engineering, and Observability teams to seamlessly integrate with wider Cloudflare systems to push forward the product roadmap and integrate customer's interconnects
• Work with vendors to obtain, debug, and maintain the most efficient and effective next-generation network hardware for Cloudflare's workload
• Communicate your results and updates through blog posts, internal talks, and tickets

Examples of desirable skills, knowledge, and experience

• Experience building and shipping large-scale, reliable, highly distributed systems
• Systems-level programming experience, preferably in Rust and/or C++
• Expertise in L2, L3, and/or L4 networking protocols
• Familiarity with network engineering and protocols used in data center switching and routing as well as Internet routing - BGP, BFP, OSPF, MPLS, etc.

• Experience building on top of Linux kernel networking primitives - netfilter, nftables, eBPF, tc, switchdev, network namespaces, etc
• Experience designing and integrating RESTful APIs and backend systems
• Excellent debugging and optimization skills
• Attention to detail and ability to solve complex customer problems
• Own solutions end-to-end and driving the design, development, and deployment process
• Able to work across teams and level common, sustainable solutions
• Creative, open-minded, collaborative problem solver
• Focus on clarity in written and verbal communication

Bonus Points

• Experience with white-box network switches and open source projects such as openswitch.net
• Experience developing, working on, or modifying the Linux kernel, or Linux kernel programming experience more generally.
• Experience working with switching ASICs or similar hardware.

Senior Level (4)

• For Bay Area-based hires: Estimated annual salary of $196,000 - $240,000
• For New York City, Washington, and California (excluding Bay Area) based hires: Estimated annual salary of $187,000 - $229,000.
• For Colorado-based hires: Estimated annual salary of $168,000 - $206,000.

Mid Level (3)

• For Bay Area-based hires: Estimated annual salary of $162,000 - $198,000
• For New York City, Washington, and California (excluding Bay Area) based hires: Estimated annual salary of $154,000 - $188,000
• For Colorado-based hires: Estimated annual salary of $137,000 - $167,000

Available Locations: Remote US
Equity
This role is eligible to participate in Cloudflare's equity plan.
Benefits
Cloudflare offers a complete package of benefits and programs to support you and your family. Our benefits programs can help you pay health care expenses, support caregiving, build capital for the future and make life a little easier and fun! The below is a description of our benefits for employees in the United States, and benefits may vary for employees based outside the U.S.
Health & Welfare Benefits

• Medical/Rx Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Flexible Spending Accounts
• Commuter Spending Accounts
• Fertility & Family Forming Benefits
• On-demand mental health support and Employee Assistance Program
• Global Travel Medical Insurance

Financial Benefits

• Short and Long Term Disability Insurance
• Life & Accident Insurance
• 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
• Employee Stock Participation Plan

Time Off

• Flexible paid time off covering vacation and sick leave
• Leave programs, including parental, pregnancy health, medical, and bereavement leave