Senior Principal Engineer (Data Plane) - C, C++ or Go

We are seeking a Senior Principal Engineer to lead the design and evolution of high-performance data plane systems for next-generation networking and security platforms. This role focuses on building low-latency, high-throughput network traffic processing systems, with deep expertise in Linux networking, protocol design, and performance engineering.

You will play a critical leadership role in shaping scalable, resilient, and secure traffic processing architectures, driving technical strategy, and mentoring teams to solve complex distributed systems challenges.

• →Architect and build high-throughput, low-latency data plane systems
• →Design and optimize packet processing pipelines and traffic handling mechanisms
• →Drive performance tuning, debugging, and optimization in production environments
• →Design and operate distributed data plane architectures with a focus on scale and resilience
• →Build and enhance traffic management capabilities (load balancing, NAT, proxying, tunneling)
• →Implement security enforcement within the data path (firewalling, DPI, ZTNA, policy engines)
• →Collaborate cross-functionally across control plane, platform, and security teams
• →Lead large-scale technical initiatives; mentor engineers and elevate engineering excellence
• →Leverage AI-assisted engineering tools effectively with strong technical judgment

• 12+ years of experience in system/software development with a strong focus on data plane or networking systems
• Strong expertise in Go, Rust, C, or C++, with a deep focus on concurrency and performance optimization
• Expert-level proficiency in at least one language (Go expertise is nice to have)
• Proven track record of building high-throughput, low-latency systems
• Deep understanding of the Linux networking stack, including sockets, epoll, and TCP/IP internals
• Strong knowledge of network protocols (TCP/IP, UDP, DNS, HTTP/HTTPS, TLS)
• Proven ability to design systems for scale, resilience, and fault tolerance in traffic-heavy environments
• Strong debugging, profiling, and performance tuning skills in production systems
• Demonstrated ability to lead initiatives, mentor engineers, and drive technical strategy
• Strong ownership mindset with a focus on engineering excellence and continuous improvement

• Experience designing and operating distributed data plane architectures
• Familiarity with: Load balancing and traffic steering, NAT and proxying, Tunneling technologies (IPSec, TLS, QUIC)
• Experience with DPDK, eBPF, or similar packet processing frameworks
• Understanding of data path security enforcement (firewalling, ZTNA, DPI, policy engines)
• Experience with observability and monitoring in high-volume systems
• Effective use of AI tools in software development, combined with sound engineering judgment

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