Principal Engineer - Sensor, Linux (Remote)

CrowdStrike; United States; Remote; USD 185,000 - 295,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player in cybersecurity is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the development of a Linux sensor. This role involves setting technical direction, mentoring engineers, and collaborating with multi-functional teams. The ideal candidate will possess a deep understanding of Linux internals, strong programming skills in C/C++, and experience with system design. The company fosters a flexible and remote-friendly work culture, offering competitive compensation and benefits. Join a mission-driven team dedicated to innovation and excellence in cybersecurity.

Benefits

Remote-friendly work culture

Market leader in compensation

Comprehensive wellness programs

Competitive vacation and holidays

Paid parental and adoption leaves

Professional development opportunities

Employee Resource Groups

Vibrant office culture

Great Place to Work Certified

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in Linux systems programming preferred.
• Strong experience in designing and implementing complex systems.

Responsibilities

• Provide technical guidance for product decisions affecting the Linux sensor.
• Conduct architecture and design reviews for key platform features.

Skills

Linux internals

C programming

C++ programming

system design

communication skills

collaboration

technical risk management

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or related field

Tools

eBPF

Linux kernel modules

Job description

As a global leader in cybersecurity, CrowdStrike protects the people, processes and technologies that drive modern organizations. Since 2011, our mission hasn’t changed — we’re here to stop breaches, and we’ve redefined modern security with the world’s most advanced AI-native platform. We work on large scale distributed systems, processing almost 3 trillion events per day. We have 3.44 PB of RAM deployed across our fleet of C* servers - and this traffic is growing daily. Our customers span all industries, and they count on CrowdStrike to keep their businesses running, their communities safe and their lives moving forward. We’re also a mission-driven company. We cultivate a culture that gives every CrowdStriker both the flexibility and autonomy to own their careers. We’re always looking to add talented CrowdStrikers to the team who have limitless passion, a relentless focus on innovation and a fanatical commitment to our customers, our community and each other. Ready to join a mission that matters? The future of cybersecurity starts with you.

About the Role:

CrowdStrike Falcon Host is a two-component security product. One component is a “sensor”, which is an application installed on client machines that observes system activity and recognizes malicious behavior, then provides on-box prevention capability and remote telemetry to the Falcon Host cloud. The cloud component aggregates sensor telemetry for each customer’s network and correlates malicious behavior across multiple machines and presents our customers’ operations teams with a prioritized summary of the threats detected in their environments.

This is a Principal Software Engineer role in the engineering team that delivers the sensor (lightweight agent) on Linux. This team owns the core platform for the Linux sensor, which has two variants: one using eBPF (extended Berkeley Packet Filter), and another using Linux kernel modules. Features cross-cut most core Linux kernel subsystems such as file system, memory, process, and networking. Many features are often built in a way that they have shared components across Windows and Mac sensors. The team operates at a fast pace and ships frequently.

As a Principal Engineer, you will help set the overall technical direction for the team and the broader Linux sensor organization. You will also act as a key technical advisor to engineering, product management, and executives making decisions in complex, open-ended problem spaces.

What You'll Do:

• Provide technical guidance to management in making product and roadmap decisions affecting the Linux sensor.
• Conduct architecture and design reviews for key platform features within the Linux sensor.
• Collaborate with multi-functional remote teams in various locations across multiple OSes (Linux, Windows, Mac).
• Mentor senior engineers to help grow and scale the team.
• Act as a role model for the team to foster a culture of software quality and resilience.
• Engage with the upstream Linux kernel community on bug fixes, backports, or other kernel issues that may affect the Linux sensor.

What You’ll Need:

• In-depth knowledge of low-level Linux internals.
• Strong experience with C and/or C++.
• Experience designing and implementing complex, performant, and highly concurrent systems.
• The ability to be assertive yet collaborative in high stakes situations.
• Strong communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with executives, product management, customers, and other engineers.
• Ability to navigate technical risk to make pragmatic tradeoffs between product quality and deadline pressures.
• Ability to operate efficiently in a remote, highly distributed work environment.
• We expect that most successful candidates would have 10+ years of experience working on Linux systems programming close to or in the kernel, as well as experience as a team or project lead. That said, this is not a hard requirement.

Bonus points:

• Experience working with eBPF.
• Experience working with Linux kernel modules.
• Knowledge in the security space.
• Experience working with open source communities, especially the Linux kernel community.

Benefits of Working at CrowdStrike:

• Remote-friendly and flexible work culture
• Market leader in compensation and equity awards
• Comprehensive physical and mental wellness programs
• Competitive vacation and holidays for recharge
• Paid parental and adoption leaves
• Professional development opportunities for all employees regardless of level or role
• Employee Resource Groups, geographic neighbourhood groups and volunteer opportunities to build connections
• Vibrant office culture with world class amenities
• Great Place to Work Certified across the globe

CrowdStrike is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging where everyone is valued for who they are and empowered to succeed. We support veterans and individuals with disabilities through our affirmative action program.

CrowdStrike is committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all employees and applicants for employment. The Company does not discriminate in employment opportunities or practices on the basis of race, color, creed, ethnicity, religion, sex (including pregnancy or pregnancy-related medical conditions), sexual orientation, gender identity, marital or family status, veteran status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical disability (including HIV and AIDS), mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, membership or activity in a local human rights commission, status with regard to public assistance, or any other characteristic protected by law. We base all employment decisions--including recruitment, selection, training, compensation, benefits, discipline, promotions, transfers, lay-offs, return from lay-off, terminations and social/recreational programs--on valid job requirements.

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Right to Work

The base salary range for this position in the U.S. is $185.000 - $295.000 per year + variable/incentive compensation + equity + benefits. A candidate's salary is determined by various factors including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications, job level, supervisory status, and location. Expected Close Date of Job Posting is: 05-20-2025.