Lead Software Engineer, Packet Forwarding

Arista Networks, Inc.; Nashua, Northern (NH, KY); On-site; USD 190,000 - 240,000; Full time

Job summary

Arista Networks, Inc. seeks a Lead Software Engineer for Packet Forwarding to design and implement advanced forwarding features in EOS.

You will collaborate with customers, product management, and engineers to solve complex networking challenges and scale forwarding paths across large data centers and campuses. The role requires deep experience in C/C++, Python, and Linux, with a strong background in IP networking and distributed systems.

Qualifications

• BS CS/EE/CE required or equivalent; MS/PhD considered.
• Expert C/C++ and Python; strong UNIX/Linux familiarity.
• Experience with packet forwarding chips, IP networking or distributed systems.

Responsibilities

• Interface with customers and product management to define packet forwarding features and solutions.
• Architect, design and manage the development of these features.
• Develop and maintain features using C, C++ and Python; review specs and build tests and test infrastructure.
• Provide technical leadership across features, projects and tools.
• Work with Customer Support Engineers and customers to analyze, mitigate and fix problems in customer networks.
• Work with the System Test Engineers to analyze problems found in their tests and provide fixes for those problems.
• Mentor new and junior engineers to bring them up to speed in Arista's software development environment.

Skills

C/C++

Python

UNIX/Linux

Packet forwarding

IP networking

Distributed systems

Education

BS Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering

MS Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering

Ph.D. in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering

Tools

Linux toolchain

Networking simulators

Job description

Lead Software Engineer, Packet Forwarding

• Full-time

Arista Networks is an industry leader in data-driven, client-to-cloud networking for large data center, campus and routing environments. What sets us apart is our relentless pursuit of innovation. We leverage the latest advancements in cloud computing, artificial intelligence, and software-defined networking to provide our clients with a competitive edge in an increasingly interconnected world. Our solutions are designed to not only meet the current demands of the digital landscape but to also anticipate and adapt to future challenges.

At Arista we value the diversity of thought and perspectives that each employee brings to the table. We believe that fostering an inclusive environment, where individuals from various backgrounds and experiences feel welcome, is essential for driving creativity and innovation.

Our commitment to excellence has earned us several prestigious awards, such as Best Engineering Team, Best Company for Diversity, Compensation, and Work-Life Balance. At Arista, we take pride in our track record of success and strive to maintain the highest standards of quality and performance in everything we do.

Who You’ll Work With

As a Senior/Lead PFE software engineer, you will collaborate and work with customers, product management and engineers to design and build novel packet forwarding features in EOS that help networks run effectively and efficiently. You will need to understand the packet forwarding architecture in depth and figure out how to apply it optimally to solve customer problems. You will design the packet forwarding flow, design data structures and algorithms to render the packet forwarding state used by the forwarding engine for efficiency and scale, and tie it all together with the higher layers.

In this role, you will get to confront complex, multi-dimensional problems such as “Upgrade software on a switch with no more than a few milliseconds of downtime” or “Render a routing table with >1M routes into the forwarding path on a router with a hundred forwarding chips” that are open ended, challenging, fun and require strong problem solving skills.

Arista Software Engineering roles demand a strong and broad software engineering background. While the primary focus area for this role is packet forwarding, the role will cover all aspects of software development spanning the addition of new features, debugging problems and fine tuning code for scalability and performance. You will own your projects from definition to deployment and customer interactions, and you will be responsible for the quality of everything you deliver.

Arista Software Engineering prides itself on a supportive and growth oriented culture, which provides opportunities for increased responsibilities, and to expand expertise into new areas.

What You’ll Do

• Interface with customers and product management to define packet forwarding features and solutions.
• Architect, design and manage the development of these features.
• Develop and maintain features using C, C++ and Python, review and contribute to functional and design specifications. Build automated tests and test infrastructure to test the features.
• Provide technical leadership across features, projects and tools.
• Work with Customer Support Engineers and customers to analyze, mitigate and fix problems in customer networks.
• Work with the System Test Engineers to analyze problems found in their tests and provide fixes for those problems.
• Mentor new and junior engineers to bring them up to speed in Arista's software development environment.

• BS Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering + 6 years experience, or MS Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering + 4 years experience, or Ph.D. in Computer Science/Electrical Engineering/Computer Engineering + 3 years experience, or equivalent work experience
• Expert knowledge of C or C++ and Python.
• Knowledge of UNIX or Linux
• Experience working with packet forwarding chips and pipelines
• Understanding of IP networking and/or distributed systems
• Understanding and ability to apply software engineering principles
• Strong problem solving and software troubleshooting skills
• Demonstrated technical leadership, strong communication skills, and the ability to work in a small team environment
• Ability to design a solution and implement features independently

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Arista Networks is an equal opportunity employer. Arista makes all hiring and employment-related decisions in a non-discriminatory manner without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin or any other factor determined to be unlawful under applicable federal, state, or law law. All your information will be kept confidential according to EEO guidelines.