Software Engineer - Control/Routing

Alkira, Inc.; San Jose (CA); On-site; USD 125,000 - 150,000; Full time

Job summary

Alkira, a Lumen company, in San Jose, CA, is seeking a Software Engineer to design and implement routing features from PLM/Sales teams, own the work, and quickly resolve defects. You will work in Go and C with a focus on control-plane services and FRR routing stacks.

The role requires 2+ years in networking, strong Linux fundamentals, and the ability to collaborate across US and India in a hybrid onsite setup at our San Jose office.

Qualifications

• B.S. or equivalent in EE or CS with at least 2 years in networking or routing software.
• Strong Go (primary) and C programming skills.
• Solid understanding of IP routing; BGP knowledge preferred; FRR/ZebOS experience preferred.
• Strong Linux networking fundamentals and multithreading experience preferred.
• Experience with debugging and root-cause analysis on live routing issues; AI-assisted tool development a plus.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of assigned features from requirements to delivery.
• Design and implement features with team collaboration, and address defects.
• Participate in on-call rotation.
• Work with distributed teams across the US and India.

Skills

Go programming

C programming

Networking fundamentals

BGP knowledge

Debugging

AI tooling

Education

B.S. in EE or CS

Tools

FRR

ZebOS

Job description

Responsibilities

The Software Engineer will perform the requirements from PLM/Sales teams and work with team members to design and implement the feature. You will take ownership of their work and follow-through on defects reported.

Requirements

• B.S. or equivalent in EE or CS, plus a minimum of 2 years of hands‑on experience in networking or routing software development.
• Strong programming skills in Go (primary) and C — the team works daily in Go for control‑plane services and in C for the FRR routing protocol stack.
• Deep, hands‑on understanding of networking fundamentals and IP routing; BGP knowledge preferred. Experience with FRR, ZebOS, or equivalent open‑source routing stacks preferred.
• Strong Linux networking fundamentals: interfaces, namespaces, the kernel routing/forwarding path, and routing‑related tooling preferred.
• Experience designing and implementing multithreaded systems preferred.
• Systematic debugging and root‑cause analysis skills for live routing issues. Fluency with using AI for tool development preferred.
• Ability to work in geographically distributed teams across US and India.
• Familiarity with cloud networking across major providers (AWS, Azure, GCP) — VPC/VNet constructs, peering, transit gateways, and how cloud networking interacts with routing preferred.

Nice to Have

• Deeper expertise in L2/L3VPN.
• Experience with VPN/remote‑access technologies (OpenVPN or comparable tunneling).
• Experience with ZTNA / zero‑trust remote access solutions.
• Familiarity with the data path (encryption, NAT, overlay tunnels) and how it interacts with routing.

ON-CALL

On-call is a mandatory part of this role. You’ll join the on-call rotation and help debug and resolve production provisioning issues, with coverage coordinated across the US and India. It’s also where a lot of the deepest learning happens — there’s no faster way to understand a system than to keep it running.

Location and Sponsorship

We’re looking for a candidate who is currently based in the San Francisco Bay Area and already authorized to work in the U.S. Unfortunately, we’re not able to offer visa sponsorship for this role at this time, as well as relocation bonus. This position is a hybrid role and requires onsite collaboration with the team at San Jose, CA office.

About Alkira

Alkira, a Lumen company, is building the future of enterprise networking: one programmable platform to connect, secure, and operate every cloud, site, partner, data center, and AI workload.

Founded by Amir and Atif Khan, the creators of Viptela and pioneers of the SD‑WAN market, Alkira was built to radically simplify how enterprises deploy and manage network infrastructure.

Today, as part of Lumen, we are bringing that cloud‑native operating model to a global network foundation trusted by the world’s largest enterprises.

Our platform helps customers move faster without managing hardware, stitching together providers, or operating fragmented cloud networks. Teams can build and scale connectivity on demand, apply consistent security and segmentation, and gain visibility across distributed environments from one place.

At Alkira, you’ll help shape the next chapter of networking: cloud‑like consumption, private‑network performance, and total control across the enterprise. We move fast, solve hard problems, and build technology that changes how global businesses connect.

Join us and help build the future of networking.

Compensation And Interview Process

The salary range for this position is $125,000 —$150,000 USD. Your actual base salary and level will be determined on a case by case basis and may vary based on the following considerations: job‑related knowledge, skills, experience, education and location. The interview process will include a coding challenge, screening with the hiring manager and technical interviews.

Life at Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution

Life at Alkira is human and connected, even in a fast moving, AI‑focused organization. We set clear expectations and trust people to meet them. With real support and shared accountability, teams collaborate better, move faster, and deliver meaningful outcomes.

Our Lumen 8 behaviors guide how we interact, make decisions, and work together, shaping a culture built to perform and win. To learn more about Life at Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution and how we live into the Lumen 8, please visit:

https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/life-at-lumen

Background Screening

If you are selected for a position, there will be a background screen, which may include checks for criminal records and/or motor vehicle reports and/or drug screening, depending on the position requirements. For more information on these checks, please refer to the Post Offer section of our FAQ page. Job‑related concerns identified during the background screening may disqualify you from the new position or your current role. Background results will be evaluated on a case‑by‑case basis.

Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.

Equal Employment Opportunities

We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, ancestry, citizenship, national origin, religion, veteran status, disability, genetic characteristic or information, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family status, pregnancy, or other legally protected status (collectively, “protected statuses”). We do not tolerate unlawful discrimination in any employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, benefits, discipline, termination, job assignments or training.

Privacy Notice

Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution is committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal information collected during the recruitment and hiring process. Our Applicant Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect applicant information, as well as how individuals may request access to or deletion of their personal data.

To review Alkira's Global Employment Applicant and Talent Community Privacy Notice, please visit:

https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/privacy-notice

Disclaimer

The job responsibilities described above indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not intended to include a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities for this job. Job duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on evolving business needs and conditions.

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