Senior Software Engineer, Network Simulations

Simspace Corporation; United States; On-site; USD 160,000 - 225,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits

Unlimited vacation

401(k) retirement savings plan

Equity stock options

Access to LinkedIn Learning

Job summary

Simspace Corporation is seeking a Senior Software Engineer II to lead the technical design of its network simulation platform. You will develop a kernel-level simulation layer that replicates the behavior of worldwide internet routing, contributing to advanced cyber range environments.

Ideal candidates will possess deep expertise in Linux kernel networking and eBPF programming, along with strong leadership skills. A competitive salary range of $160,000 - $225,000 is offered, along with comprehensive benefits from day one.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in Linux kernel networking and eBPF program development.
• Strong background in systems programming using C or Rust.
• Solid understanding of real-world internet routing.
• Experience with control plane/data plane separation.
• Demonstrated ability to lead technical teams.

Responsibilities

• Own the architecture of the eBPF-based routing simulation layer.
• Design and build the control-plane topology database.
• Architect the in-range proxy agent.
• Define interface contracts for control plane and agents.
• Serve as the technical lead for the engineering team.

Skills

Linux kernel networking

eBPF program development

Systems programming (C or Rust)

Go or Python control-plane tools

Internet routing knowledge

Technical leadership experience

Kubernetes familiarity

Network simulation knowledge

Job description

Senior Software Engineer II, Network Simulation – SimSpace

We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to serve as the technical lead for SimSpace’s internet simulation platform — the system that makes cyber range environments behave like the real internet at the network layer. This role will design and build a kernel‑level simulation layer that reproduces the observable behavior of worldwide internet routing without instantiating a single virtual router.

Team Responsibilities

• A persistent, control‑plane internet simulation service that serves multiple concurrent cyber ranges without per‑range instantiation
• An eBPF‑based network simulation layer providing geographically accurate ASN routing, inter‑AS latency enforcement, and traceroute and MTR fidelity entirely in kernel space
• Lightweight in‑range proxy agents that receive topology configuration from the control plane and handle local packet interception without requiring a full simulation stack in every range
• A topology database encoding real‑world ASN‑to‑CIDR mappings, inter‑AS latency models, and geographic placement data that drives the simulation
• Dynamic reconfiguration of the simulated internet topology at runtime without disrupting in‑flight traffic

Job Responsibilities

• Own the end‑to‑end architecture of the eBPF‑based routing simulation layer, including XDP and TC hook point design, BPF map structure, and synthetic ICMP TTL‑exceeded generation that makes traceroute and MTR behave correctly against the simulated topology
• Design and build the control‑plane topology database and the pipeline that compiles real‑world internet topology data into a form that in‑range agents can consume and apply
• Architect the in‑range proxy agent: a lightweight component that bridges the persistent control plane to individual cyber ranges, applying topology configuration locally and handling DNS delegation and traffic forwarding
• Define the interface contract between the control plane and in‑range agents, including topology update propagation, graceful degradation when control plane connectivity is interrupted, and agent lifecycle management
• Serve as technical lead for the team — making daily architectural decisions across the full service scope, conducting design reviews, and maintaining engineering quality across all four engineering roles on the team
• Partner with other Engineers on novel simulation challenges, bring independent judgment to architectural trade‑offs, and shape the technical roadmap
• Mentor engineers on the team, raising the bar on systems design, kernel‑level debugging, and engineering rigor
• Collaborate with adjacent platform teams on the operational model for a long‑lived, multi‑tenant service serving active cyber range deployments

Technical Stack

Typescript, React, Postgres, Kotlin, Kubernetes, Spring Boot

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in Linux kernel networking and eBPF program development, including XDP, TC hooks, BPF map types, and the tradeoffs involved in kernel‑space packet processing
• Strong systems programming skills — C or Rust for eBPF program development, and Go or Python for the control‑plane agent and tooling layer
• Solid understanding of real‑world internet routing — BGP, ASN topology, CIDR allocation, inter‑AS peering — sufficient to model it faithfully without running routing software
• Experience designing systems with well‑defined control plane and data plane separation, particularly where distributed components may have intermittent connectivity to a central controller
• Demonstrated technical leadership: you have set architectural direction and driven engineering quality across a team, whether as a tech lead, principal, or senior‑plus individual contributor
• Comfort at the intersection of research and production engineering — this role involves taking a proof of concept and building it into something that runs reliably at scale
• Familiarity with Kubernetes as the deployment environment for both control plane services and distributed agent components
• Experience with network simulation, traffic shaping, or cyber range infrastructure is a strong plus
• Prior work in cybersecurity, defense, or government‑adjacent environments is a plus due to SimSpace’s customer base

Compensation & Benefits

• Compensation. Base salary range: $160,000 - $225,000, with potential annual bonuses tied to company performance and individual contributions.
• Health & Wellness. Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision benefits, plus savings plans—coverage starts on day one!
• Mental Health Support. Access to company‑paid counseling, coaching, and resources for you and your family through Spring Health.
• Financial Well‑Being. 401(k)-retirement savings plan featuring a company match.
• Flexible Time Off. Unlimited vacation and dedicated health & wellness days.
• Parental Leave. Paid leave plans to support you and your loved ones during life’s most important moments.
• Ownership Opportunities. Equity stock options at hire, with annual performance‑based grants.
• Referral Rewards. Earn $1,500–$3,500 for every qualified hire through our employee referral program.
• Peloton Interactive Wellness Program. Full‑ and partial‑ subsidized membership plans and equipment discounts to help you reach your personalized fitness goals.
• Continuous Learning. Access a LinkedIn Learning membership to prioritize your personal and professional development.
• Social Connections. Monthly reimbursements for meaningful connections with teammates through our SocialSpace Community.
• Extra Perks. Legal plan coverage, pet insurance, wellness reimbursements, and more to simplify life’s details.

Equal Opportunity Employer

In compliance with federal law, all persons hired will be required to verify identity and eligibility to work in the United States and complete the required employment eligibility verification document upon hire.

SimSpace is an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, age, pregnancy, genetic information, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other protected category under applicable federal, state, and local laws.

We also consider qualified applicants regardless of criminal histories, in accordance with applicable law. We are committed to providing reasonable accommodations for qualified individuals with disabilities in our job application procedures. If you need assistance or accommodation due to a disability, please contact [e-mail].

SimSpace does not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies.

Actual compensation for the position is based on a variety of factors, including, but not limited to affordability, skills, qualifications and experience, and may vary from the range.