Staff Engineer, Network Infrastructure

DigitalOcean

. Design and build network automation and orchestration systems for DigitalOcean's global network infrastructure .

Posted 9/21/2026full-timeRemote • Massachusetts • United StatesLead💰 $191,200 - $239,000 per yearWebsite

Core Competencies

Role fit

Core Competencies

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Demonstrates expertise in designing and building network automation and orchestration systems, with strong programming skills in Go, Python, or C++. Capable of leading technical projects and producing comprehensive technical documentation while ensuring operational safety and reliability.

Highest-signal resume keywords

Network AutomationSoftware Engineering FundamentalsTCP/IP and BGPTechnical WritingDPU and SmartNIC Integration

ATS Keywords

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Applicant Tracking System Keywords

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Hard Skills

Network ProvisioningConfiguration ManagementDevice Lifecycle ManagementDistributed SystemsAPI DesignConcurrencyTestingObservabilitySystem ReliabilityAutomation Frameworks

Soft Skills

Technical LeadershipCommunication SkillsInfluencing Technical DecisionsMentoring EngineersProblem-Solving

Tools & Technologies

DPUsSmartNICsEBPFP4KubernetesOpenConfigGNMINETCONFYANGStreaming Telemetry

Industry Keywords

Hyperscale InfrastructureCloud InfrastructureWhite-Box Networking400G+ Datacenter NetworksAutomated Network Validation

Tech Stack

Tools & technologies

CloudDistributed SystemsKubernetesPythonSwitchingTCP/IPC++Go

About the role

Key responsibilities & impact

Design and build network automation and orchestration systems for DigitalOcean's global network infrastructure
Develop software for network provisioning, configuration management, device lifecycle management, validation, monitoring, and automated remediation
Build software integrating with DPUs, SmartNICs, and programmable network infrastructure
Develop automation for large-scale datacenter and Point of Presence deployments, hardware, network fabrics, routing infrastructure, and vendor integrations
Abstract differences across network vendors and hardware implementations while maintaining operational safety and reliability
Build diagnostic tools and automate operational workflows
Translate complex networking and hardware requirements into maintainable software architectures
Establish engineering standards for infrastructure software development, testing, observability, and operational readiness
Lead projects from technical design through implementation, deployment, and long-term operation
Establish technical direction and make architectural decisions for network and infrastructure software
Author RFCs, architecture/design documents, technical proposals, project plans, and other technical documentation
Mentor engineers and provide technical leadership across the engineering organization
Evaluate emerging hardware and software technologies and identify opportunities for hardware acceleration
Partner across Network Infrastructure, Compute, Storage, Availability, Security, and Hardware/Platform Engineering

Requirements

What you’ll need

Significant experience designing and building production software systems at scale
Strong software engineering fundamentals, including distributed systems, API design, concurrency, testing, observability, and system reliability
Strong programming experience in one or more languages such as Go, Python, or C++
Experience building automation, orchestration, or infrastructure platforms
Strong understanding of TCP/IP, BGP, EVPN/VXLAN, VLANs, routing, switching, and network telemetry
Experience working with network devices, network automation frameworks, APIs, or vendor SDKs
Experience designing systems for highly available production environments
Ability to simplify complex infrastructure problems into scalable software architectures
Strong technical writing skills and ability to produce RFCs, architecture/design documents, technical proposals, project plans, and related documentation
Ability to turn ambiguous problems into technical proposals, documented requirements, architectural decisions, and implementation plans
Strong communication skills and ability to influence technical decisions across engineering teams
Demonstrated ability to operate as a technical leader without relying on organizational authority
Particularly valuable: experience with DPUs, SmartNICs, programmable data planes, eBPF, P4, or DPU/SmartNIC integration
Nice to have: hyperscale/cloud infrastructure, SONiC, white-box networking, 400G+ datacenter networks, OpenConfig, gNMI, NETCONF, YANG, streaming telemetry, Kubernetes, open-source infrastructure, and automated network validation/testing/remediation
Ability to actively leverage AI tooling while maintaining production-quality standards

Benefits

Comp & perks

Reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education
Access to LinkedIn Learning's 10,000+ courses
Employee Assistance Program
Local Employee Meetups
Flexible time off policy
Bonus opportunity based on company and individual performance
Equity compensation, including equity grants upon hire
Option to participate in the Employee Stock Purchase Program