Network Software Engineer
Software Engineering
Posted on Oct 8, 2026
Project OverviewThis engagement involves building and extending backend networking software for a client whose stack spans both open source and proprietary platforms, including OVN, VyOS, and Cisco. We are looking for software engineers with deep networking domain expertise, not network operations engineers. The ideal candidate writes production code that implements or extends networking functionality, rather than primarily configuring, deploying, or maintaining existing network infrastructure.
Levels and Experience
Levels and Experience
- Staff Engineer: 8+ years of relevant software development experience
What You Will Do
- Design and develop software components for networking systems, including SDN controllers, overlay networking, and packet processing pipelines
- Write, review, and maintain production code that implements L2/L3 protocol behavior, network virtualization, or security/packet inspection logic
- Contribute to or extend open source networking projects such as OVS/OVN, and integrate with proprietary platforms such as Cisco
- Build internal tooling, automation, and test infrastructure to support networking software development
- Debug and resolve issues at the code level, including protocol implementation bugs, performance issues, and integration defects
- Participate in design and code reviews, and collaborate with other engineers on architecture decisions
- Document software design, APIs, and internal technical decisions
Required Skills
- Programming and L2/L3 Protocols are must-have skills for this role.
- Programming (must-have) C, C++, Python, Golang
- L2/L3 Protocols (must-have) BGP, OSPF, ECMP, VRRP, IPv4/IPv6, ARP/NDP, Ethernet (802.3), STP/RSTP
- Software-Defined Networking OpenvSwitch (OVS), Open Virtual Network (OVN), OpenFlow, SDN Controllers
- Overlay and Encapsulation VxLAN, GENEVE, VLAN (802.1Q)
- Security and Packet Inspection IPsec (IKEv2, ESP), IPTables/Netfilter, NFTables, Conntrack
- DevOps and Lab Tools Vagrant, Ansible, Linux CLI, Bash/Python networking tools
Nice to Have
- Experience contributing to open source networking projects (code commits, not just usage)
- Experience with Microsoft Azure networking (VNets, ExpressRoute, Network Security Groups)
- Relevant certifications (CCNA, CCNP, or equivalent)
- Prior consulting or professional services experience