Sr. Software Engineer - Austin, TX

Overview

Trend

AI™ is a global AI security leader and enterprise business unit of Trend Micro. We empower organizations with full AI visibility and consolidated security that inspires confidence, drives innovation, and eliminates risk.

Location: Hybrid role based in our Austin, TX office with an expectation of 3 days onsite per week.

Trend

AI is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to contribute to the data plane of the Tipping Point Threat Prevention System (TPS). TPS is a family of physical and virtual network appliances designed in‑house, featuring custom hardware and acceleration logic. These appliances detect and block malicious network traffic at speeds up to 100

Gbps with microsecond latency and low to no false positives. As a member of the Data Plane team, you will work on software development and have the opportunity to influence hardware enhancements. Your contributions will enhance TPS's existing Network Intrusion Prevention capabilities and expand the platform's potential in the age of AI, securing AI resources and leveraging AI to improve security and response.

• Design and develop enhancements to our deep packet inspection engine and other TPS components.
• Analyze and parse network protocols for real‑world use, not just from RFCs.
• Optimize the performance of new and existing components.
• Identify new inspection capabilities and ways to improve our hardware.
• Advise Threat Researchers in writing accurate, high‑performance detection filters.
• Test and validate functionality using unit testing and automated frameworks.
• Document design, development, and testing processes.

• Expert knowledge of C or C++, including low‑level memory management and concurrent programming.
• Strong understanding of IP networking, both from a wire protocol and application programming (sockets) perspective.
• Familiarity with application‑level protocols like HTTP, TLS, QUIC, and SMB.
• Experience in Linux application programming and debugging.
• Proficiency in advanced debugging tools and techniques.
• Experience in optimizing algorithms for high‑throughput, low‑latency environments.

• Experience with Intel DPDK, Linux internals, kernel, or network stack.
• Hands‑on experience with network analysis tools like Wireshark, nmap, tcpdump, and tcpreplay.
• Familiarity with IPS/IDS tools like Suricata or Snort.
• In‑depth knowledge of security protocols and encryption methods.
• Knowledge of KVM and VMware, especially from a networking perspective.
• Practical experience with AI tools like Claude Code, Codex, or Git Hub Copilot.
• Experience with AI‑DLC tools/frameworks like Amazon AI‑DLC, Spec Kit, or Open Spec.
• Exposure to machine learning concepts in network security.
• Experience with hardware acceleration technologies like FPGA, ASIC, or GPU.

Bachelor’s or Master’s in a STEM field or equivalent experience with 5+ years in software development, with a preference for work in network security, packet processing, or embedded/real‑time systems.

• Comprehensive medical, dental, and vision insurance
• Life insurance
• Short & long‑term disability
• Pre‑partum, maternity, parental, and medical leave
• Mental health wellness program
• Adoption assistance
• Wellness incentive
• Pet insurance
• 401(k) with company match
• Paid time off
• 14 annual holidays
• Tuition assistance
• Employee resource groups

Trend Micro provides equal employment opportunity for all applicants and employees. Trend Micro does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, pregnancy and childbirth or related medical conditions, national origin, ancestry, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care leave status, veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, or gender identity.