About This Role
This engineering role drives the selection and qualification of network devices for Cloudflare's Global Network. As a pivotal technical contributor within the Network Hardware Engineering (NetHW) team, you will manage the New Product Introduction (NPI) process for all network devices. The role also involves evaluating and qualifying new production network operating system images and versions, reproducing bugs for Operations, and testing new features and major configuration updates.
Responsibilities
- Lead the introduction of new network hardware systems, including detailed engineering validation in lab environments
- Gather requirements, contribute to network architecture, and execute hardware design and product validation
- Partner with Network Engineering & Operations, Datacenter Engineering & Operations, and other operational teams to make network hardware decisions
- Develop tools and automation to effectively evaluate network hardware performance
- Assist operational engineers by troubleshooting, reproducing, and resolving network hardware issues
- Document and share results and updates via blog/wiki posts, ticketing systems, and internal presentations
- Be involved in every stage of the New Product Introduction (NPI) process, including requirements gathering, device selection, Device Validation Testing (DVT), Production Validation Testing (PVT), and Operational Acceptance
- Create and automate test plans that align with both operational needs and hardware limitations
- Drive efforts to improve testing efficiency
Requirements
- BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience
- Proven ability to conduct thorough evaluation and experimentation, including testing, measurement, and/or simulation of hardware performance
- Extensive experience with networking hardware architecture, validation, performance benchmarking, debugging, and deployment
- Deep knowledge of network engineering and protocols used in data center switching and routing as well as Internet routing
- Track record of driving engineering projects from idea to experiment to implementation
- Demonstrated success in working with OEM/ODMs and technology vendors
- Professional-level proficiency in Python or similar programming and/or scripting languages
- Familiarity with various coding agents and other AI tools and technologies
Nice to have:
- Adept at automating traffic generation equipment (Spirent/Ixia) and test cases
- In-depth hardware knowledge of platforms (ASICs, TCAMs, Packet-Pipelines, etc)
- Experience with Optical Line Systems and troubleshooting transceiver issues
- Familiarity with different network operating systems such as Junos, IOS-XR, EOS, SONiC, and ArcOS
- Experience with white-box network switches and open source projects
- Proficient in using observability and monitoring tools like Prometheus and Grafana, with the ability to analyze and observe trends over time
- Hands-on experience with configuring and validating RoCEv2 (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) fabrics, specifically implementing Priority Flow Control (PFC) and Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) on network devices
Benefits
- Eligible to participate in Cloudflare's equity plan
- Medical/Rx Insurance
- Dental Insurance
- Vision Insurance
- Flexible Spending Accounts
- Commuter Spending Accounts
- Fertility & Family Forming Benefits
- On-demand mental health support and Employee Assistance Program
- Global Travel Medical Insurance
- Short and Long Term Disability Insurance
- Life & Accident Insurance
- 401(k) Retirement Savings Plan
- Employee Stock Participation Plan
- Flexible paid time off covering vacation and sick leave
- Leave programs, including parental, pregnancy health, medical, and bereavement leave
Important Details
- Application deadline: November 01, 2026
About the Company
Cloudflare runs one of the world’s largest networks, powering millions of websites and Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to Fortune 500 companies. It protects and accelerates Internet applications online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. Fundamental to its mission to help build a better Internet is protecting the free and open Internet through initiatives like Project Galileo, the Athenian Project, and 1.1.1.1.
