Strategic Overview
Senior Software Engineer - Network Platforms at Cloudflare is a dev opportunity centered on the specialist responsibilities and outcomes described in the employer's listing.
The published role emphasizes work such as At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500….
The role is listed for Worldwide with hybrid working arrangement, giving candidates the practical context needed to assess fit before applying.
Key information at a glance
About This Role
At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500 companies. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code.…
At Cloudflare, we’re not looking for people who wait for a polished roadmap; we’re looking for the builders who see the cracks in the Internet that everyone else has simply learned to live with. We value candidates who have the instinct to spot a "normalized" problem and the AI-native curiosity to create a solution using the latest tools. Our culture is built on iteration, leveraging AI to ship faster today to make…
Available Locations: Austin, Texas; Lisbon, Portugal; London, UK
Key Responsibilities & Objectives
- At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500 companies. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet…
- At Cloudflare, we’re not looking for people who wait for a polished roadmap; we’re looking for the builders who see the cracks in the Internet that everyone else has simply learned to live with. We value candidates who have the instinct to spot a "normalized" problem and the AI-native curiosity to create a solution…
- The Network Platforms team was formed to build and extend network software infrastructure responsible for delivery of traffic through critical paths of Cloudflare's global network. These systems directly impact traffic across Cloudflare's network infrastructure, across numerous products and millions of customers. They…
- As a member of the team you will build and extend various software systems that carry traffic on critical paths of Cloudflare's network: from the host server linux kernel, to the network hardware dataplane, to the physical interconnect at an adjacent network. You will participate in all stages of the software…
Required Qualifications & Candidate Blueprint
- Systems-level programming experience in Go, Python, Rust, C, or C++
- A solid grasp of BGP and internet routing
- Relish opportunities to dive into new technologies, and a demonstrated ability to do so
Preferred Qualifications
- Familiarity vendor switching SDKs
- Familiarity with SR-MPLS and sFlow, BGP-LS & PCE protocols
- Experience writing packet-processing software (eg, eBPF at TC or XDP, DPDK)
Salary & Benefits
Published compensation: €68,000 – €91,000
- The final offer will be inclusive of time exemption, in alignment with the applicable law and collective bargaining agreements.
Salary Benchmark
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Benchmark uses active employer job postings in our database and excludes this listing. It is not a third-party salary estimate, and currencies are not converted.
Full Job Description
The following is the complete job description supplied by the source. We sanitize unsafe markup and remove external links, but do not shorten or rewrite the employer's source content.
About Us
At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500 companies. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare all have web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.
At Cloudflare, we’re not looking for people who wait for a polished roadmap; we’re looking for the builders who see the cracks in the Internet that everyone else has simply learned to live with. We value candidates who have the instinct to spot a "normalized" problem and the AI-native curiosity to create a solution using the latest tools. Our culture is built on iteration, leveraging AI to ship faster today to make it better tomorrow, while ensuring that every improvement, no matter how small, is shared across the team to lift everyone up. If you’re the type of person who values curiosity over bureaucracy, and that AI is a partner in solving tough problems to keep the Internet moving forward, you’ll fit right in.
Available Locations: Austin, Texas; Lisbon, Portugal; London, UK
About the role
The Network Platforms team was formed to build and extend network software infrastructure responsible for delivery of traffic through critical paths of Cloudflare's global network. These systems directly impact traffic across Cloudflare's network infrastructure, across numerous products and millions of customers. They are key to Cloudflare's mission to make the internet faster, safer, and more reliable.
What you’ll do
As a member of the team you will build and extend various software systems that carry traffic on critical paths of Cloudflare's network: from the host server linux kernel, to the network hardware dataplane, to the physical interconnect at an adjacent network. You will participate in all stages of the software development lifecycle, from designing and documenting systems, to writing code and automated tests, to planning, managing, and monitoring production software deployments. You will collaborate with engineers across the company, from operations teams to the teams building customer-facing products, ensuring these capabilities match business needs.
Our team at Cloudflare operates under a "Run What You Build" model. This means we are responsible for the health of our systems and actively participate in our team's on-call rotation as part of our operational duties.
What we are looking for
We are looking for smart, innovative team players that have experience in covering Linux kernel network stack development (particularly with eBPF), complex distributed systems, and understanding of internet protocols and technologies. As you’ll be solving problems of massive scale and significance, you are a growth-oriented individual who enjoys being outside of your comfort zone. You are comfortable in a fast-paced but sensible work environment. You value curiosity and empathy and lead with these values.
Role requirements
- Systems-level programming experience in Go, Python, Rust, C, or C++
- A solid grasp of BGP and internet routing
- Relish opportunities to dive into new technologies, and a demonstrated ability to do so
- Experience in implementing, deploying, and debugging mission-critical distributed systems
- Strong collaboration and communication skills
- Willingness to adopt and integrate AI tools and systems into your engineering workflow
Bonus Points
- Familiarity vendor switching SDKs
- Familiarity with SR-MPLS and sFlow, BGP-LS & PCE protocols
- Experience writing packet-processing software (eg, eBPF at TC or XDP, DPDK)
- Experience using AI-assisted development tools (e.g., code completion, codebase analysis, log/data exploration) in a professional setting
- Experience participating in an on-call rotation
Compensation
● For Portugal based hires: Estimated annual salary is between €68,000-91,000€,
The final offer will be inclusive of time exemption, in alignment with the applicable law and collective bargaining agreements.
Equity
This role is eligible to participate in Cloudflare’s equity plan.
What Makes Cloudflare Special?
We’re not just a highly ambitious, large-scale technology company. We’re a highly ambitious, large-scale technology company with a soul. Fundamental to our mission to help build a better Internet is protecting the free and open Internet.
Project Galileo: Since 2014, we've equipped more than 2,400 journalism and civil society organizations in 111 countries with powerful tools to defend themselves against attacks that would otherwise censor their work, technology already used by Cloudflare’s enterprise customers--at no cost.
Athenian Project: In 2017, we created the Athenian Project to ensure that state and local governments have the highest level of protection and reliability for free, so that their constituents have access to election information and voter registration. Since the project, we've provided services to more than 425 local government election websites in 33 states.
1.1.1.1: We released1.1.1.1 to help fix the foundation of the Internet by building a faster, more secure and privacy-centric public DNS resolver. This is available publicly for everyone to use - it is the first consumer-focused service Cloudflare has ever released. Here’s the deal - we don’t store client IP addresses never, ever. We will continue to abide by our privacy commitment and ensure that no user data is sold to advertisers or used to target consumers.
Sound like something you’d like to be a part of? We’d love to hear from you!
Please note that applicants who progress to the offer stage of the interview process may be asked to attend an in-person interview within one of the Cloudflare Offices or Cloudflare Hubs. More details about this will be available at that stage of the interview process.
This position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations. Please note that any offer of employment may be conditioned on your authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export laws without sponsorship for an export license.
Cloudflare is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and place great value in both diversity and inclusiveness. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to their, or any other person's, perceived or actualrace, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law. We are an AA/Veterans/Disabled Employer.
Cloudflare provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities. Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job. Examples of reasonable accommodations include, but are not limited to, changing the application process, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment. If you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job, please contact us via e-mail at hr@cloudflare.com or via mail at 101 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94107.
Editor’s Market Perspective (Our Custom Analysis)
Why This Position Matters
This dev opening is a useful opportunity for candidates whose experience matches the role-specific capabilities named in the listing. Its strongest career signal is the scope of the work itself — particularly At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from… — rather than a generic title alone.
Resume & Application Strategy
For the application, mirror the employer's language where it truthfully matches your background: foreground the role-specific capabilities named in the listing, quantify outcomes from comparable work, and place the most relevant experience near the top of the resume. If the listing specifies tools, platforms, leadership scope, or domain experience, use those exact terms in context instead of presenting an unrelated keyword list.
We organize source-provided information into this independent job-seeker overview. Compensation is shown only when the source provides it; the official listing remains the authority for current requirements and application instructions.