Software Engineer - Network (C++)

SpaceXAI; Palo Alto (CA); On-site; USD 180,000 - 440,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Medical insurance

Vision coverage

Dental coverage

401(k) retirement plan

Disability insurance

Life insurance

Employee discounts

Job summary

SpaceXAI seeks engineers to develop routing algorithms and real-time software for its Colossus datacenter network, delivering low-latency, high-bandwidth AI training fabric. You will participate in architecture reviews, prototype and validate design decisions, and build cross-functional tooling for deployment and testing.

The role requires strong C/C++ development, experience at scale, and deep knowledge of networking protocols.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, or a related technical discipline; OR 2+ years of professional software development experience in lieu of a degree.
• Strong development experience in C or C++.

Responsibilities

• Develop routing and traffic-engineering algorithms for the Colossus high-performance datacenter network.
• Develop highly reliable, real-time software designed to run on the switches that form the backbone of our low-latency, high-bandwidth AI training fabric.
• Participate in and lead architecture, design, and code reviews.
• Develop prototypes and run experiments to validate key design decisions at both small and full-cluster scale.
• Build tools for software development, deployment, data analysis, visualization, and testing across virtualized environments, hardware-in-the-loop setups, and live production clusters.
• Deploy reliable software updates through continuous integration and release systems with rigorous testing and monitoring.

Skills

C/C++ high-performance

Networking protocols

Distributed systems

Real-time systems

Problem solving

Communication skills

Education

Bachelor’s degree or 2+ years experience

Job description

SpaceXAI’s mission is to create AI systems that can accurately understand the universe and aid humanity in its pursuit of knowledge. Our team is small, highly motivated, and focused on engineering excellence. This organization is for individuals who appreciate challenging themselves and thrive on curiosity. We operate with a flat organizational structure. All employees are expected to be hands-on and to contribute directly to the company’s mission. Leadership is given to those who show initiative and consistently deliver excellence. Work ethic and strong prioritization skills are important. All employees are expected to have strong communication skills. They should be able to concisely and accurately share knowledge with their teammates.

RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Develop routing and traffic-engineering algorithms for the Colossus high-performance datacenter network.
• Develop highly reliable, real-time software designed to run on the switches that form the backbone of our low-latency, high-bandwidth AI training fabric.
• Participate in and lead architecture, design, and code reviews.
• Develop prototypes and run experiments to validate key design decisions at both small and full-cluster scale.
• Build tools for software development, deployment, data analysis, visualization, and testing across virtualized environments, hardware-in-the-loop setups, and live production clusters.
• Deploy reliable software updates through continuous integration and release systems with rigorous testing and monitoring.

BASIC QUALIFICATIONS:

• Bachelor’s degree in computer science, engineering, math, or a related technical discipline; OR 2+ years of professional software development experience in lieu of a degree.
• Strong development experience in C or C++.

PREFERRED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE:

• Strong professional experience writing high-performance C/C++ in production environments.
• Experience developing, debugging, and deploying software that runs at scale in real-world systems.
• Deep knowledge of networking protocols (UDP, TCP/IP, RDMA, etc.), distributed systems, and large-scale datacenter fabrics.
• Background in real-time systems, high-performance computing, low-latency networking, or resource-constrained environments.
• Creative problem-solving ability with exceptional analytical skills and strong engineering fundamentals.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with evolving requirements.
• Experience with security considerations in large-scale distributed systems.

ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS:

• Must be willing to work extended hours and weekends as needed.

COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS

$180,000 - $440,000 USD

Base salary is just one part of our total rewards package at SpaceXAI, which also includes equity, comprehensive medical, vision, and dental coverage, access to a 401(k) retirement plan, short & long-term disability insurance, life insurance, and various other discounts and perks.

SpaceXAI is an equal opportunity employer. For details on data processing, view our Recruitment Privacy Notice.