Principal Software Engineer, Load Balancer - Isovalent

Cisco; Brussel; On-site; EUR 80,000 - 110,000; Full time

Job summary

Cisco Isovalent is seeking a skilled Software Engineer to develop the next generation load balancer using the Cilium-based technology. You will drive a standalone eBPF load balancer enabling scalable, secure traffic management in cloud and hybrid enterprise environments.

You will collaborate with a highly skilled team to advance networking and security in Kubernetes, lead architecture discussions, and ensure performance, reliability, and code quality across the stack.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or a related field is required.
• 5+ years of experience in load balancing software development, preferably using Go.
• Experience with Kubernetes, cloud-native workloads or distributed systems.
• Knowledge of Linux kernel, networking, and security is a plus.

Responsibilities

• Define and evolve the architecture of an enterprise-grade load balancer.
• Lead the data plane, control plane, and orchestration tooling for scalable traffic in Kubernetes.
• Guide the team through technical decisions, design reviews, and performance optimizations.
• Collaborate with product, engineering, and customer teams to align technical direction with business needs.
• Uphold engineering best practices and code quality for operational excellence.

Skills

Go

Kubernetes

Distributed systems

Load balancing

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Job description

Remote Europe

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 to develop its next generation Load Balancer leveraging the technology developed with Cilium. You will be responsible for driving forward a standalone eBPF load balancer, enabling scalable, secure, and resilient traffic management in cloud and hybrid enterprise environments. You will work with a highly collaborative and skilled team to build solutions that advance the next generation of networking and security in Kubernetes environments.

What You’ll Do

• Define and evolve the architecture of our enterprise-grade load balancer.
• Lead design and development of the load balancer’s data plane, control plane and orchestration tools for scalable traffic management and high availability within Kubernetes.
• Guide the team through technical decisions, design reviews, and performance/security optimizations.
• Collaborate across engineering, product, and customer teams to align technical direction with business needs.
• Contribute to and uphold engineering best practices, code quality, and operational excellence.

Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelors Computer Science degree, or related fields
• 5+ years of experience developing load balancing software, preferably with Go
• Experience with Kubernetes, Cloud Native workloads and/or distributed systems

Preferred Qualifications

• Knowledge about Linux systems design, security and/or networking, Linux kernel
• Desire to write high quality and efficient code
• Experience designing and implementing APIs
• A public track record of open-source code commits is a plus

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.