Staff Linux Kernel Networking Architect

Socket.dev; Sunnyvale (CA); On-site; USD 207,000 - 300,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Equity

Benefits

20% bonus target

Job summary

Google is seeking a software engineer to work on the Linux Kernel Networking team, designing and maintaining high-throughput, latency-sensitive networking solutions. You will influence architecture across multiple projects and mentor engineers while contributing to upstream kernels and managing delivery across a distributed team.

The role sits at the core of Google’s global infrastructure, delivering planet-scale performance and reliability with opportunities to influence AI-assisted tooling and

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience.
• 8 years of experience programming in C++.
• 5 years of experience testing, and launching software products.
• 5 years of experience building and developing large-scale infrastructure, distributed systems or networks, or compute technologies, storage, or hardware architecture.
• 3 years of experience with software design and architecture.
• Experience in systems programming using C or C++, with experience in Linux kernel internals and large-scale system architecture design.

Responsibilities

• Serve as technical lead for the Linux Kernel Networking team, defining strategy and priorities.
• Design, develop, test, and enhance large-scale Linux kernel networking solutions and PCIe device drivers.
• Coach and mentor a distributed team, supporting career development and engineering standards.
• Drive cross-organizational alignment on goals, roadmaps, and dependencies for planet-scale infra projects.
• Leverage AI-assisted tools to accelerate development, testing, and deployment cycles.

Skills

C++ programming

Systems programming

Linux kernel internals

Large-scale infra

Distributed systems

Software design & architecture

Education

Bachelor's degree or equivalent practical experience

Master's degree or PhD in Engineering/CS

Job description

Google is seeking a software engineer to work on the Linux Kernel Networking team, designing and maintaining high-throughput, latency-sensitive networking solutions. You will influence architecture across multiple projects and mentor engineers while contributing to upstream kernels and managing delivery across a distributed team.

The role sits at the core of Google’s global infrastructure, delivering planet-scale performance and reliability with opportunities to influence AI-assisted tooling and