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Agent guide: [/agents.md](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/agents.md). --- # Senior Staff Software Engineer, SDN Architecture - **Company:** Crusoe's Inc - **Location:** Seattle, WA, United States (Remote available) - **Experience:** Expert - **Salary:** $250,000.0 - $300,000.0 - **Contract:** Permanent contract - **Skills:** Artificial Intelligence, Systems Engineering, Border Gateway Protocol, C++ (Programming Language), Computer Clusters, Code Review, Protocol Stack, Computer Engineering, Data Centers, Software Debugging, Software Design Documents, Device Drivers, Memory Management, Ethernet, Hardware Design, Linux Kernel, Network Architecture, Network Virtualization, Performance Tuning, System Programming, Virtualization Technology, Computer Networking Systems, High Performance Computing, Information Technology, SDN Network, Low Latency, Free and Open-Source Software, Hardware Acceleration, Open Network Automation Platform - **Published:** August 4, 2026 - **Apply:** https://www.indeed.com/viewjob?jk=364665226823de80 ## About the Role * High-Performance Networking Experience: 8+ years of experience building and operating large-scale networking systems in production, ideally within cloud or hyperscale data center environments. * Systems Programming Skills: Strong SDN and NFV experience coupled with solid systems programming skills in C, C++, Go or Rust. * Linux Internals Knowledge: Strong working knowledge of Linux kernel architecture, memory management, the network stack, and device driver development. * Packet Processing Expertise: Hands-on experience with kernel bypass and high-speed packet processing, including XDP, eBPF, AF_XDP, or DPDK. * Accelerator Familiarity: Familiarity with SmartNICs and accelerators, such as NVIDIA ConnectX-6/7, BlueField-3, or Intel IPUs. * Fabric & Virtualization Literacy: Experience with network virtualization and data center fabrics (e.g., Spine-Leaf, BGP, EVPN, VXLAN) and tools like OVS or OVN. * Data Plane Debugging: Solid knowledge of SR-IOV and vDPA, with the ability to debug issues across both control and data planes. * Collaborative Influence: A track record of influencing technical decisions through strong written communication and a collaborative, mentoring mindset. * Mandatory Education: A Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, or a related analytical field (or equivalent professional experience). Bonus Points * Open-Source Contributions: Contributions to projects like OVS, OVN, Cilium, or Multus. * Physical Networking: Hands on experience deploying and operating physical network devices. * Orchestration Expertise: Experience with network automation or complex orchestration tooling. * Advanced Systems Experience: Experience building networking stacks for multi-node GPU training at scale. ## Description As a Senior Staff Software Engineer for SDN Architecture, you will be a driving technical force behind the software-defined networking stack that powers Crusoe's AI-first cloud. You will design and build high-performance networking solutions optimized for AI and HPC workloads, working deeply across the Linux kernel, packet processing pipelines, and network virtualization to help deliver the extreme throughput and low latency that massive GPU clusters demand. You will act as a senior technical contributor and a trusted voice in architecture decisions, partnering closely with Principal Engineers and engineering leadership to shape direction while owning significant portions of the roadmap yourself. This role suits a deep-systems engineer who thrives at the intersection of hardware accelerators and software control planes, and who enjoys raising the technical bar of the teams around them. You will collaborate closely with Product, Hardware, and Infrastructure teams to deliver a reliable, scalable networking fabric that aligns with Crusoe's mission to innovate sustainably. What You'll Be Working On * SDN Execution & Roadmap Contribution: Contribute to and help refine the technical direction for Software-Defined Networking, translating strategy into concrete plans, milestones, and measurable outcomes for your area of ownership. * Architecture & Design: Participate in and help lead architecture reviews, author design documents for major SDN components, and provide thorough code reviews for critical services. * Kernel & Driver Optimization: Build and optimize Linux kernel modules and high-performance drivers using technologies such as XDP, eBPF, AF_XDP, and DPDK. * Fabric Design: Help design and implement network architectures for GPU-to-GPU fabrics, high-speed Ethernet, and specialized AI clusters. * Hardware Integration: Implement and tune virtualization features such as SR-IOV, vDPA, and virtio, and help integrate advanced SmartNICs, DPUs, or IPUs into the stack. * Performance Engineering: Troubleshoot complex production issues and perform deep performance tuning to maximize throughput and minimize latency and improve future designs based on learnings. * Technology Evaluation: Evaluate emerging SDN and NFV technologies, and contribute to open-source projects where strategically relevant, sharing findings with the broader engineering org. * Mentorship: Mentor engineers across the stack, review their designs and code, and help build a culture of engineering excellence. * Cross Functional: Partnering with software and operation teams to implement, execute, deploy and manage your architecture designs while incorporating feedback along the way. ## Related Videos - [The Gashlycrumb Tinies of AI Networking You Must Know (or Languish!)](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/2067-the-gashlycrumb-tinies-of-ai-networking-you-must-know-or-languish) - [How I saved 200K/yr in direct costs writing 0 code lines in K8s](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1055-how-i-saved-200k-yr-in-direct-costs-writing-0-code-lines-in-k8s) - [Swapping Low Latency Data Storage Under High Load](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/746-swapping-low-latency-data-storage-under-high-load) - [Unlocking the potential of Digital & IT at Vodafone](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/602-unlocking-the-potential-of-digital-it-at-vodafone) - [How Cisco embraced a DevOps culture within its network engineering team](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/99-how-cisco-embraced-a-devops-culture-within-its-network-engineering-team) - [Docker network without Docker](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/videos/1418-docker-network-without-docker) ## Related Articles - [How We Built a Worry-Free System That Runs for 10+ Years – And What We’d Do Again](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/751-how-we-built-a-worry-free-system-that-runs-for-10-years-and-what-we-d-do-again) - [Highest Paying Tech Companies for Developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/220-highest-paying-tech-companies-for-developers) - [Is Software Engineering Over-Saturated?](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/418-is-software-engineering-over-saturated) - [Dev Digest 120 - Apple and peers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/455-dev-digest-120-apple-and-peers) - [Résumé-Driven Development: How IT trends affect the job market for software developers](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/59-resume-driven-development-how-it-trends-affect-the-job-market-for-software-developers) - [Best US AI Conferences for CTOs in 2026: Build vs. Buy, Vendor Evaluation, and Peer Intelligence](https://www.wearedevelopers.com/magazine/736-best-us-ai-conferences-for-ctos-in-2026-build-vs-buy-vendor-evaluation-and-peer-intelligence)