Manager, System Software Engineer

NetApp; San Jose (CA); Hybrid; USD 170,000 - 253,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Health Insurance

Life Insurance

401(k) / Pension Plan

Paid Time Off

Employee stock purchase plan

RSUs

Job summary

NetApp's Core Data Foundation organization leads foundational technologies powering ONTAP, including storage media integration, RAID, and storage management. As a Manager, Software Engineering, you will lead a team responsible for enabling and integrating current and next-generation storage media technologies across NetApp's storage portfolio.

You will drive innovation in firmware qualification, media reliability, performance optimization, and data protection for large-scale storage spanning

Qualifications

• BS/MS in CS/CE/EE or related field with 10+ years in systems software or storage.
• Strong C/C++ on Linux/UNIX with multithreading and distributed systems experience.
• Experience leading large storage infrastructure programs and cross-functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Manage and lead a team of engineers developing storage media, RAID, and storage management technologies within ONTAP.
• Drive onboarding, qualification, and integration of new storage media, drive firmware, adapters, and storage hardware platforms.
• Partner with drive vendors, hardware engineering teams, and product management to define technology roadmaps and qualification strategies.
• Drive innovation in storage resiliency, reliability, availability, and performance across large-scale storage deployments.
• Lead architecture, design, implementation, and delivery of enterprise-class storage infrastructure solutions.
• Investigate complex system-level issues involving media behavior, firmware interactions, performance bottlenecks, and field escalations.
• Mentor engineers and technical leaders while fostering a culture of ownership, innovation, and engineering excellence.

Skills

C/C++ systems programming

Linux/UNIX

Storage systems

Storage media tech

Storage connectivity

Multithreading/concurrency

Leadership

Education

BS/MS in CS/CE/EE or related

Job description

Job Summary

NetApp's Core Data Foundation organization is responsible for the foundational technologies that power ONTAP, including storage media integration, RAID, storage management, resiliency, availability, scalability, and performance. Our team works closely with drive vendors, hardware engineering, product management, and partner organizations to bring new storage technologies and platforms to market while ensuring enterprise-class reliability and performance.

As a Manager, Software Engineering, you will lead a team responsible for enabling and integrating current and next-generation storage media technologies across NetApp's storage portfolio. You will drive innovation in storage devices, firmware qualification, media reliability, performance optimization, data protection, and large-scale storage systems spanning on-premises, cloud, and AI infrastructure.

This role requires a strong technical leader with deep knowledge of storage systems and media technologies who can provide strategic direction, execute complex programs, and build high-performing engineering teams.

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and lead a team of engineers developing storage media, RAID, and storage management technologies within ONTAP.
• Drive onboarding, qualification, and integration of new storage media, drive firmware, adapters, and storage hardware platforms.
• Partner with drive vendors, hardware engineering teams, and product management to define technology roadmaps and qualification strategies.
• Drive innovation in storage resiliency, reliability, availability, and performance across large-scale storage deployments.
• Lead architecture, design, implementation, and delivery of enterprise-class storage infrastructure solutions.
• Investigate complex system-level issues involving media behavior, firmware interactions, performance bottlenecks, and field escalations.
• Mentor engineers and technical leaders while fostering a culture of ownership, innovation, and engineering excellence.

Job Requirements

• BS/MS in Computer Science, Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, or a related field, with 10+ years of experience in systems software, storage, or infrastructure engineering and demonstrated management leadership.
• Strong systems programming expertise in C/C++ on Linux/UNIX, including operating systems, multithreading, concurrency, performance tuning, and distributed systems.
• Deep understanding of Core Data Foundation technologies, including RAID, storage management, distributed file systems, data protection, storage scalability, high availability, resiliency, and disaster recovery.
• Extensive experience with storage media technologies including NVMe SSDs, SAS SSDs, SATA SSDs, HDDs, TLC/QLC Flash, Zoned Namespace (ZNS) devices, single-port and dual-port storage devices, storage shelves, and drive firmware qualification.
• Strong knowledge of storage connectivity technologies including Fibre Channel (FC) adapters, SAS HBAs, NVMe-over-Fabrics (NVMe-oF), PCIe-based storage architectures, and storage networking protocols.
• Understanding of media performance characteristics, garbage collection behavior, endurance management, wear leveling, firmware interactions, reliability engineering, failure analysis, and large-scale storage deployments.
• Proven ability to lead cross-functional teams, influence technology direction, collaborate with storage device vendors, define technical roadmaps, and deliver complex storage infrastructure solutions from concept through production.

Compensation

The target salary range for this position is 170,000 - 253,000 USD. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. The range is based on 'On Target Earnings’ (OTE) representing the total potential earnings, which is the sum of the base salary and potential commission earned when performance targets are achieved. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU’s). These offerings are subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. We will provide detailed information about the specific benefits for your region during the recruitment process.

136499

We are all about helping customers turn challenges into business opportunity. It starts with bringing new thinking to age-old problems, like how to use data most effectively to run better - but also to innovate. We tailor our approach to the customer's unique needs with a combination of fresh thinking and proven approaches.

At NetApp, we embrace a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. This means that most roles will have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunity Employer:

NetApp is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status, and any other protected classification.

Why You'll Thrive at NetApp

At NetApp, you won't wait for the perfect moment—you'll make it. The early planning, the extra thought, the bold idea that turns good into great: That's how our people operate and how we continue to push the boundaries of data infrastructure.

NetApp is the trusted partner for organizations transforming data into opportunity. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure, we empower customers to run everything from traditional workloads to enterprise AI with unmatched performance, resilience, and security.

Our culture

We celebrate mold breakers, bold thinkers, and problem solvers. We reward initiative, impact, and ownership. We provide flexibility so you can balance professional ambition with your personal life. Here, differences are not just welcomed—they drive everything we do.

If you're ready to innovate, rise to the challenge, and own every moment - make your next move your best one.

AI Disclosure

For select roles, some stages of our hiring process may use artificial intelligence tools to help evaluate applications and candidate selection. These tools support—rather than replace—human decision-making.