Principal Software Engineer, SDN Networking

Crusoe is on a mission to accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence. As the only vertically integrated AI infrastructure company built from the ground up, we own and operate each layer of the stack — from electrons to tokens — to power the world's most ambitious AI workloads. When you join Crusoe, you join a team that is building the future, faster.

We're in the midst of the greatest industrial revolution of our time. The demand for AI compute is boundless, and power is a bottleneck. We're solving that — with an energy-first approach that makes AI infrastructure better for the world and faster for the people innovating with AI.

We're looking for problem-solving, opportunity-finding teammates with a sense of urgency, who believe in the scale of our ambition and thrive on a path not fully paved — people who want to grow their careers alongside a team of experts across energy, manufacturing, data center construction, and cloud services.

If you want to do the most meaningful work of your career, help our customers and partners advance their AI strategies, and be part of a high-performing team that believes in each other, come build with us at Crusoe.

About This Role:

We are seeking a Principal Software Engineer - Software Defined Networking to lead the development and execution of our Software Defined Networking strategy. This role will be instrumental in driving innovation and performance improvements within our network infrastructure by leveraging cutting-edge technologies like XDP/EBPF, DPDK, SmartNICs, and DPU/IPUs.

What You’ll Be Working On:

• Develop and execute the roadmap for the Software Defined Networking strategy at Crusoe Cloud.

• Guide the engineering team through architecture decisions, design processes, design reviews, code reviews, and implementation tasks.

• Collaborate with the network infrastructure organization to develop industry-leading networking infrastructure.

• Lead Linux Kernel and driver development, system architecture design, production support, and cross-functional collaboration.

What You’ll Bring to the Team:

• 10+ years of related experience building and operating at scale in a production environment.

• Proven experience in system programming with C, C++ and/or Rust.

• Extensive knowledge of Linux Systems Internals and computer architecture.

• Expertise in Network Programming and Packet Processing pipelines.

• Hands-on experience with kernel bypass technologies such as XDP/EBPF, AF_XDP, and DPDK.

• In-depth understanding of TCP/IP and network accelerators like Mellanox/Nvidia SmartNIC (ConnectX6/7), DPU Bluefield3, and Intel IPU.

• Familiarity with SR-IOV, vDPA, and scalable functions.

• Strong background in kernel or embedded development, particularly with the Linux kernel.

• Experience with Open vSwitch, Openflow, and Open Virtual Networking.

• Knowledge of professional software engineering practices and best practices for the full software development life cycle, including coding standards, code reviews, source control management, build processes, testing, and operations.

• Demonstrated track record of contributions to the open source community (e.g., Open vSwitch/OVS, Open Virtual Networking/OVN, Multus, Cilium).

Bonus Points:

• Advanced degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or a related field.

• Proven leadership experience in a technical role.

• Experience with cloud networking platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP) and virtualization technologies (VMware, KVM).

Benefits:

• Industry competitive pay

• Restricted Stock Units in a fast growing, well-funded technology company

• Health insurance package options that include HDHP and PPO, vision, and dental for you and your dependents

• Employer contributions to HSA accounts

• Paid Parental Leave

• Paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability

• Teladoc

• 401(k) with a 100% match up to 4% of salary

• Generous paid time off and holiday schedule

• Cell phone reimbursement

• Tuition reimbursement

• Subscription to the Calm app

• MetLife Legal

• Company paid commuter benefit; $300 per month

Compensation:

Compensation will be paid in the range of $238,000 - $298,000 a year + Bonus. Restricted Stock Units are included in all offers. Compensation to be determined by the applicant’s knowledge, education, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.

Crusoe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, citizenship, marital status, sex/gender, sexual preference/ orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, national origin, or any other status protected by law or regulation.