Sr. Software Engineer II - Sensor, Linux Guardian (Hybrid)

CrowdStrike; Sunnyvale (CA); Hybrid; USD 160,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Market-leading compensation

Comprehensive wellness programs

Generous vacation and holidays

Parental and adoption leaves

Professional development opportunities

Employee networks and volunteering

Vibrant office culture

Great Place to Work certified

Job summary

CrowdStrike, a global leader in cybersecurity, seeks a Senior Software Development Engineer 2 to own the Linux sensor development for Falcon Host. You will design enterprise-grade Linux system software for deployment on large-scale servers and cloud environments, delivering features that observe system activity and block malicious behavior.

You will mentor junior engineers, participate in architecture discussions, and improve end-to-end testing and reliability.

Qualifications

• Proficient in C/C++ with demonstrated capability through work, school, or projects.
• Experience developing Linux product code with high concurrency and reliability requirements.
• Deep understanding of kernel internals, memory usage, and kernel-level performance analysis.
• Strong kernel and system software debugging skills.
• Proven experience shipping major features in a team setting.
• Effective communication in distributed teams and cross-functional planning.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop enterprise-quality Linux system software for large-scale servers and cloud environments.
• Drive proposals and design reviews; provide substantive feedback to raise engineering standards.
• Represent technical position in cross-org planning and architecture discussions; articulate tradeoffs and risks.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Linux kernel

Multi-threading

Kernel debugging

Team collaboration

Communication

AI technologies

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 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 proud to work for a mission-driven company leveraging AI to transform the way we work. CrowdStrikers drive their careers through flexibility and autonomy while also being expected to contribute to a culture of responsible AI adoption, experimentation, and innovation. We use an AI-first mindset as a force multiplier to proactively and continuously accelerate execution, build expertise, uncover insights, and solve complex problems. 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”: a driver 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 sensor processes thousands of events per second to provide deep visibility into operations on the endpoint, and performs rich correlation and computation to identify malicious events and blocks malicious activity.

The cloud component aggregates sensor telemetry for each customer’s network, 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 Senior Software Development Engineer 2 role in the engineering team that delivers the sensor (lightweight agent) on Linux. SDE’s in the team own design and development of core features on the platform. Features will cross-cut most core OS subsystems such as file system, memory, process, and networking. Many features are also built in a way that they will have shared components across Windows and Mac. The team operates under the Agile development principles and ships frequently.

Location:

• This role is hybrid, requiring 2-3 days per week on-site at one of the posted locations.

What You’ll Do:

• Design and develop enterprise quality Linux system software for deployment on a large scale server and cloud environments
• Drive technical proposals and design docs; lead design reviews for your area and provide substantive review feedback that raises the bar for the whole team
• Represent the team’s technical position in cross-org planning and architecture discussions; communicate tradeoffs and risks clearly to engineering, product, and program partners
• Participate in planning; help scope work, identify dependencies, and flag technical risk early
• Mentor and grow more junior engineers through direct feedback, pairing, and collaborative code and design review
• Investigate and resolve production incidents and complex escalations; build the team’s shared knowledge of failure modes at fleet scale
• Champion improvements in end-to-end testing and validation for components with strict correctness and reliability requirements

What You’ll Need:

• Can develop high-quality code in C/C++ and can demonstrate that capability, be it through job experience, schoolwork, or contributions to community projects
• Experience on Linux developing product code with the following characteristics:High concurrency requirements needing strong use of multi-threadingHigh reliability requirements
• Detailed understanding on low-level operating characteristics (kernel internals, memory usage, kernel level performance analysis).
• Very strong kernel and system software debugging skills.
• Experience working on a team to ship major features and releases.
• Able to communicate, collaborate, and work effectively in a distributed team.
• Solid design and problem-solving instincts; ability to own ambiguous technical problems and drive them to clean resolution
• Ability to influence technical direction across team boundaries without direct authority, using design docs, prototypes, and well-reasoned technical positions
• Strong written and verbal communication; able to convey complex technical topics clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
• Proven experience utilizing AI technologies to enhance decision-making, streamline workflows and processes, improve efficiency and drive business outcomes.

Bonus Points

• Past experience with Linux eBPF and other tracing technologies.
• Background in endpoint security, EDR, kernel-adjacent software, or sensor platform engineering
• Open source Linux kernel contributions, technical writing, or a visible engineering presence through conference talks or published work.

#LI-CW1

Benefits of Working at CrowdStrike:

• 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 Networks, geographic neighborhood 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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Find out more about your rights as an applicant.

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Right to Work

CrowdStrike, Inc. is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. Placement within the pay range is dependent on a variety of factors including, but not limited to, relevant work experience, skills, certifications, job level, supervisory status, and location. The base salary range for this position for all U.S. candidates is $160,000 - $260,000 per year, with eligibility for bonuses, equity grants and a comprehensive benefits package that includes health insurance, 401k and paid time off.

For detailed information about the U.S. benefits package, please click here.