Principal Software Engineer, Linux Kernel - Isovalent

Isovalent, now part of Cisco, is the company founded by the creators of Cilium and eBPF. Cisco Isovalent builds open-source software and enterprise solutions solving networking, security, and observability needs for modern cloud native infrastructure. The flagship technology, Cilium, is the choice of numerous, industry-leading, global organizations.

We believe in fostering an inclusive and diverse workplace where every team member feels valued, respected, and empowered. We believe that every employee contributes to our success, and we are committed to fostering an environment where everyone can thrive. We encourage candidates from all backgrounds to apply and join us in our mission to deliver exceptional products and services.

About this role:

Cisco Isovalent is seeking a skilled and experienced Software Engineer with long-term experience and upstream reputation in the Linux kernel community to develop forward looking features and functionality related to BPF, networking and/or security in the Linux kernel as well as bringing the latter into Cilium and/or Tetragon. You will work with a highly collaborative and skilled team to build solutions that advance the next generation of networking and security in Kubernetes and cloud native environments.

What you’ll do:

• Lead design and development of new Linux kernel functionality in the areas of BPF, the networking stack and/or the security subsystem and bring the new functionality into Cilium/Tetragon.

• Collaborate in a small technical team working on forward-looking features, but also actively collaborate in the upstream Linux kernel community.

• Engage with the team across engineering, product, and customers to align on future technical direction with business needs.

• Possibility to speak at technical conferences to present and discuss your work (e.g., KubeCon, Linux Plumbers, LSF/MM/BPF).

• Contribute to and uphold engineering best practices, code quality, and operational excellence.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Bachelors Computer Science degree, or related fields

• 2+ years of upstream Linux kernel track record

• 5+ years of experience in C

• A public track record of open-source code commits is a must

Preferred Qualifications:

• Expert knowledge about Linux systems design, performance, security and/or networking, Linux kernel

• 5+ years of upstream Linux kernel track record

• 5+ years of experience in C, BPF as well as Go

• Desire to write high quality and efficient code

• Highly self-driven working individual

• Experience designing and implementing APIs

• Experience from working with production systems at scale, networking background is always a plus

• Experience with Kubernetes, Cloud Native workloads and/or distributed systems

Why Cisco?

At Cisco, we’re revolutionizing how data and infrastructure connect and protect organizations in the AI era – and beyond. We’ve been innovating fearlessly for 40 years to create solutions that power how humans and technology work together across the physical and digital worlds. These solutions provide customers with unparalleled security, visibility, and insights across the entire digital footprint.

Fueled by the depth and breadth of our technology, we experiment and create meaningful solutions. Add to that our worldwide network of doers and experts, and you’ll see that the opportunities to grow and build are limitless. We work as a team, collaborating with empathy to make really big things happen on a global scale. Because our solutions are everywhere, our impact is everywhere.

We are Cisco, and our power starts with you.