Sr. Software Engineer (Systems Engineering, C/C++)

NetApp; Waltham (MA); Hybrid; USD 196,000 - 293,000; Full time

Job summary

NetApp seeks a senior Software Development Engineer to lead the design and execution of foundational infrastructure across cloud infrastructure, software-defined storage, virtualization, and distributed systems. You will influence architecture, drive scalability, and ensure performance in hybrid cloud environments.

This role requires deep expertise in distributed systems, Linux internals, and virtualization, with strong leadership and collaboration across multiple teams to deliver impactful

Qualifications

• 12+ years in systems software or cloud infra.
• Expert C/C++ with Python.
• Deep Linux internals and kernel knowledge.
• Experience building distributed storage or cloud infra.
• Strong virtualization experience with KVM/QEMU.
• Excellence in performance and scalability.
• Experience with AWS/Azure/GCP/OCI.
• Proven cross-functional leadership.
• Strong debugging and problem solving skills.
• Excellent communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead design of scalable infrastructure components across storage, networking, virtualization, and Linux systems layers.
• Shape architecture for major subsystems within software-defined storage and virtualization.
• Coordinate execution across stakeholders and partner teams.
• Architect and optimize storage and networking data paths for performance and scalability in cloud-scale environments.
• Provide technical leadership across virtualization technologies including KVM/QEMU and hypervisor integrations.
• Drive engineering excellence through robust design, observability, and reliability.
• Mentor engineers and scale engineering capability through technical guidance.
• Influence technical direction via architecture reviews and cross-functional collaboration.
• Establish collaboration models across teams to drive alignment and execution.
• Evaluate emerging technologies in cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, and virtualization.

Skills

C/C++ programming

Python

Linux internals

Distributed storage

Cloud infrastructure

KVM/QEMU virtualization

Systems architecture

Hypervisor integration

Performance optimization

Debugging skills

Cross-functional leadership

Education

Bachelor's or Master’s in CS

Job description

Own Every Moment at NetApp

At NetApp, your ideas power innovation. We lead in intelligent data infrastructure—delivering unified storage, integrated data services, and solutions that help organizations unlock the full potential of their data, from AI to multicloud.

Ready to innovate and contribute to our path to $10B? Here, you'll collaborate with passionate teams, tackle real-world challenges, and see your impact in how customers transform and grow. If you're ready to bring curiosity, creativity, and drive to every moment, NetApp is where your journey begins. Join teams that innovate to elevate, drive results, and excel together across every function.

Job Summary

NetApp is seeking a highly experienced Senior Software Development Engineer to help lead innovation across cloud infrastructure, software-defined storage, virtualization, and distributed systems technologies. This role is responsible for driving the design and execution of foundational infrastructure capabilities that power NetApp’s cloud-native storage and data management services across hyperscaler cloud environments. As an Senior Software Engineer, you will apply broad and deep expertise across multiple specialized disciplines including distributed systems, Linux systems software, storage architecture, networking infrastructure, and virtualization technologies. You will contribute to significant technical initiatives spanning multiple products, teams, and partner organizations while influencing architecture, execution, scalability, and operational excellence across the organization.

This role requires strong technical leadership, advanced systems thinking, and the ability to identify challenges and blockers early while navigating complex technical and organizational constraints to deliver impactful outcomes.

Responsibilities

• Lead the design and development of scalable, resilient, and high-performance infrastructure components across storage, networking, virtualization, and Linux systems layers.
• Drive architecture and technical direction for major subsystems within software-defined storage, virtualization infrastructure, and distributed cloud platforms.
• Contribute to significant portions of the product across multiple technical domains and projects while coordinating execution across stakeholders and partner teams.
• Architect and optimize storage and networking data paths for performance, scalability, reliability, and operational efficiency in cloud-scale environments.
• Provide technical leadership across virtualization technologies including KVM/QEMU, hypervisor integrations, virtual networking, storage virtualization, and infrastructure orchestration.
• Drive engineering excellence through strong design practices, observability, scalability, reliability, automation, and operational readiness.
• Lead resolution of highly complex technical challenges involving distributed systems, virtualization, cloud infrastructure, and enterprise storage technologies.
• Influence technical direction across organizations through architecture reviews, technical mentoring, design leadership, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Establish effective technical collaboration models across engineering teams and partner organizations to drive alignment and execution.
• Mentor engineers and help scale organizational engineering capability through technical guidance and leadership.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and industry trends in cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, storage, and virtualization platforms.

Job Requirements

• 12+ years of experience in systems software engineering, distributed infrastructure platforms, virtualization, storage systems, or cloud infrastructure development.
• Expert-level programming skills in C/C++ with strong proficiency in Python.
• Deep expertise in Linux operating systems internals, kernel technologies, systems architecture, concurrency, memory management, and performance engineering.
• Significant experience designing and building distributed storage systems, software-defined infrastructure platforms, or cloud-native infrastructure services.
• Deep expertise with virtualization stacks including KVM/QEMU, virtio, hypervisors, virtual storage, and virtual networking technologies.
• Strong experience with storage and networking subsystems, kernel development, or device driver development.
• Deep understanding of distributed systems architecture, scalability, fault tolerance, reliability engineering, and operational excellence.
• Strong operational expertise with hyperscaler cloud platforms including AWS, Azure, GCP, or OCI.
• Proven ability to lead large cross-functional technical initiatives and influence engineering outcomes across organizations.
• Exceptional debugging, systems analysis, and performance optimization capabilities.Strong communication, technical leadership, and stakeholder management skills.
• Demonstrated ability to independently solve highly complex technical challenges with broad organizational impact.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience architecting enterprise-scale storage operating systems such as ONTAP or similar platforms.
• Experience driving large-scale infrastructure modernization or platform transformation initiatives.
• Contributions to open-source systems software, kernel, virtualization, storage, or cloud infrastructure ecosystems.
• Recognized technical expertise in cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, virtualization, or storage platforms.
• Advanced cloud certifications or equivalent industry-recognized expertise.

Education

• Bachelors or Masters Degree in computer scicnece or similar field is preferred.

Compensation

The target salary range for this position is 196,350 - 292,600 USD. The salary offered will be determined by the candidate's location, qualifications, experience, and education and may be outside of this range. Final compensation packages are competitive and in line with industry standards, reflecting a variety of factors, and include a comprehensive benefits package. This may cover Health Insurance, Life Insurance, Retirement or Pension Plans, Paid Time Off, various Leave options, Performance-Based Incentives, employee stock purchase plan, and/or restricted stocks (RSU’s), with all offerings subject to regional variations and governed by local laws, regulations, and company policies. Benefits may vary by country and region, and further details will be provided as part of the recruitment process.

At NetApp, we embrace a hybrid working environment designed to strengthen connection, collaboration, and culture for all employees. This means that most roles will have some level of in-office and/or in-person expectations, which will be shared during the recruitment process.

Equal Opportunity Employer

NetApp is firmly committed to Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) and to compliance with all federal, state and local laws that prohibit employment discrimination based on age, race, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information, pregnancy, protected veteran status, and any other protected classification.

Why You'll Thrive at NetApp

At NetApp, you won't wait for the perfect moment—you'll make it. The early planning, the extra thought, the bold idea that turns good into great: That's how our people operate and how we continue to push the boundaries of data infrastructure.

NetApp is the trusted partner for organizations transforming data into opportunity. As the only enterprise-grade storage service natively embedded in Google Cloud, AWS, and Microsoft Azure, we empower customers to run everything from traditional workloads to enterprise AI with unmatched performance, resilience, and security.

Our culture

We celebrate mold breakers, bold thinkers, and problem solvers. We reward initiative, impact, and ownership. We provide flexibility so you can balance professional ambition with your personal life. Here, differences are not just welcomed—they drive everything we do.

AI Disclosure

For select roles, some stages of our hiring process may use artificial intelligence tools to help evaluate applications and candidate selection. These tools support—rather than replace—human decision-making.