Principal Software Engineer - AI ADC

A10 Networks, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 230,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work model

Job summary

A10 Networks, Inc. is seeking a Principal Software Engineer to lead the development of AI-driven traffic management and AI Gateway capabilities in San Jose, CA. The role combines ADC/SLB/DNS expertise with practical AI/LLM system experience to deliver intelligent routing and inference-aware load balancing.

The candidate will drive architecture decisions, prototyping, and execution while collaborating with product, platform, and AI strategy teams to scale AI workloads across global deployments.

Qualifications

• Senior staff engineer capable of driving architecture, design, prototyping, and execution.
• Expertise in Application Delivery Controllers (ADC), Server Load Balancing (SLB), DNS/GSLB, and AI/LLM systems.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture and development of AI Gateway components for intelligent routing of LLM/AI traffic.
• Design and implement LLM-aware load balancing incorporating token, latency, and model-level insights into traffic decisions.
• Develop enhancements for ADC and GSLB platforms to support AI workloads, including token-aware rate limiting and latency-based routing.
• Mentor engineering teams on AI workload behaviors, traffic characteristics, and tuning strategies.
• Collaborate with AI research and platform teams to align architectural decisions with product roadmap.
• Drive system-wide architecture: data plane, control plane, configuration, and distributed state management.

Job description

## Principal Software Engineer - AI ADCApplylocations: San Jose, Californiatime type: Full timeposted on: Posted Todayjob requisition id: R-101326Principal Software Engineer - AI ADCA10 Networks is accelerating its AI‐driven innovation across the ADC and GSLB product lines. We are seeking a highly experienced **Sr. Staff Engineer** to be part of the development of next‐generation **AI**‐**aware traffic management and AI Gateway capabilities**.This role combines deep domain expertise in **Application Delivery Controllers (ADC), Server Load Balancing (SLB), DNS/GSLB**, with practical experience in **AI/LLM systems**, to build intelligent routing, inference‐aware load balancing, and Layer‐8 contextual decision engines for AI workloads.The ideal candidate is a senior staff engineer who can drive architecture, design, prototyping, and execution—working closely with product management, platform teams, and AI strategy groups.**Key Responsibilities*** Lead architecture and development of AI Gateway components for intelligent routing of LLM/AI application traffic* Design and implement LLM‐aware load balancing, incorporating semantic, token, latency, and model‐level insights into traffic decisions* Develop enhancements for ADC and GSLB platforms to support AI workloads, including:* Token‐aware rate limiting* Inference latency‐based routing* AI model endpoint discovery and health checks* Integration with vector databases, model registries, and ML observability systems* Contribute to advanced features including Layer‐8 context‐aware routing, adaptive traffic shaping, and AI‐driven anomaly detection* Drive system‐wide architecture: data plane, control plane, configuration, and distributed state management* Mentor engineering teams on AI workload behaviors, traffic characteristics, and tuning strategies* Collaborate with AI research and platform teams to align architectural decisions with product roadmap.* Create guidance on performance optimization, benchmarking, and scaling for global multi‐node deployments### **AI Use Guidelines for Interviews:**Our interviews are designed to reflect your own skills and thinking. The use of AI or recording tools during live interviews is not permitted unless explicitly invited by the interviewer or approved in advance as part of a reasonable accommodation. If these tools are used inappropriately or in a way that misrepresents your work, your application may not move forward in the process.### ### **Targeted compensation guideline:** Up to 230K OTE. Compensation will vary based on number of factors, including market demand for specific skills, role type, job level, and individual qualifications. Final salary offers are determined by considerations including, but not limited to, subject matter expertise, demonstrated skill level, relevant experience, geographic location, education, certifications, and training.### A10 Networks is an equal opportunity employer and a VEVRAA federal subcontractor. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law. A10 also complies with all applicable state and local laws governing nondiscrimination in employment.### ### #LI-AN1 - Hybrid