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Senior Staff Software Engineer, SDN Networking

Crusoe

Crusoe

Software Engineering
San Francisco, CA, USA
USD 214k-259k / year + Equity
Posted on Mar 6, 2026
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:

Crusoe Energy Systems is seeking a highly skilled and motivated Senior Staff Software Engineer - Software Defined Networking to lead the development and execution of our innovative Software Defined Networking strategy. In this critical role, you will drive the adoption of cutting-edge technologies like XDP/EBPF, DPDK, SmartNICs, and DPUs/IPUs within the Linux Kernel to significantly enhance network performance and efficiency.

What You’ll Be Working On:

  • Define and Execute SDN Strategy: Develop and execute the roadmap for Crusoe Energy Cloud's Software Defined Networking strategy, aligning with overall business objectives.
  • Technical Leadership & Execution:
    • Provide technical leadership and guidance to the engineering team.
    • Drive architectural decisions, design processes, design reviews, code reviews, and implementation tasks.
    • Collaborate closely with the network infrastructure organization to develop and deploy industry-leading networking infrastructure.
  • Linux Kernel & Driver Development: Lead the development and maintenance of Linux Kernel modules and drivers, leveraging technologies like XDP/EBPF, DPDK, and network accelerators.
  • System Architecture Design: Design and implement high-performance, scalable, and reliable network architectures.
  • Production Support: Provide ongoing support for production systems, including troubleshooting, performance tuning, and incident response.
  • Cross-functional Collaboration: Foster strong collaboration with other engineering teams (e.g., Software Infrastructure, Product) and cross-functional departments.

What You’ll Bring to the Team:

  • Extensive System Programming Experience: 8+ years of proven experience in system programming with C, C++, and/or Rust.
  • Deep Linux Systems Expertise: Extensive knowledge of Linux Systems Internals, including kernel internals, memory management, and I/O subsystems.
  • Network Programming Mastery: Expertise in Network Programming and Packet Processing pipelines (TCP/IP, UDP, etc.).
  • Kernel Bypass Technologies: Hands-on experience with kernel bypass technologies such as XDP/EBPF, AF_XDP, and DPDK.
  • Network Accelerator Expertise: In-depth understanding of network accelerators like Mellanox/Nvidia SmartNIC (ConnectX6/7), DPU Bluefield3, and Intel IPU.
  • Virtualization & Networking Technologies: Familiarity with SR-IOV, vDPA, scalable functions, Open vSwitch, Openflow, and Open Virtual Networking.
  • Strong Engineering Practices: 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.
  • Open Source Contributions: 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 $214,000 - $259,000 a year + Bonus. Restricted Stock Units are included in all offers. Compensation will 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.