Software Engineer - Datapath

JOB SUMMARYAlkira’s Data Path team owns the lowest layer of the product: the code that forwards customer traffic at line rate, theencryption that protects it, and the address translation and tunneling that connect customer networks across clouds. At its center is a stateful engine that tracks every connection and applies routing, translation, and policy as packets pass through.

This role begins on the layer that programs the fastpath: the Go agents, Python tooling, and Ansible automation that configure the datapath, push state onto it, and report what it is doing. It progresses into the C fastpath itself, and into ownership of datapath features.

JOB DUTIES Build and extend the Go agents that program the datapath, pushing configuration onto the fastpath and reconciling running state against intended state.

Build the Python tooling and CLI used to drive, inspect, and debug the datapath.

Write the Ansible automation that stands up and configures the networking stack on our nodes.

Develop the exporters and observability that report fastpath behavior: counters, flow state, and packet-level signals.

Write tests and reproduction cases for datapath behavior.

Measure and tune datapath performance: packet rates, latency, and where cycles are spent.

Debug production datapath issues with the team, and participate in the on-call rotation.

Use AI tools such as Claude Code for tooling, test generation, and code navigation.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FORWe weight fundamentals more heavily than experience with any specific technology.

Operating systems. Processes, threads, memory, scheduling, and system call behavior. The fastpath operates across the userspace/kernel boundary.

Computer architecture. Caches, the memory hierarchy, and the cost of a cache miss. At line rate, the budget is cycles perpacket, which makes memory layout a design decision.

Computer networks. TCP/IP, packet header structure, and how packets are forwarded, routed, and translated betweenhosts.

Algorithms and data structures. A flow table is a lookup problem at scale; hashing, tries, and reasoning about time andspace costs apply directly.

Debugging. Isolating faults in an unfamiliar system and driving them to root cause.

Linux. The shell, processes, logs, and standard networking tools.

BONUS POINTSC. The fastpath is written in C, and the role progresses into it. Coursework or substantial personal projects count; production experience is not required.

Go and Python. Both are used throughout the layer that programs the fastpath.

Ansible, or configuration automation generally. Experience writing automation that executes against live systems.

Distributed systems. The datapath runs across a fleet, and the layer that programs it deals with distributed state, control, and observability.

ON-CALLOn-call is a required part of this role. Engineers join the datapath rotation once ramped, with coverage shared across the US and India.

ABOUT ALKIRAAlkira, a Lumen company, is building the future of enterprise networking: one programmable platform to connect, secure, and operate every cloud, site, partner, data center, and AI workload.

Founded by Amir and Atif Khan, the creators of Viptela and pioneers of the SD-WAN market, Alkira was built to radically simplify how enterprises deploy and manage network infrastructure. Today, as part of Lumen, we are bringing that cloud-native operating model to a global network foundation trusted by the world’s largest enterprises.

Our platform helps customers move faster without managing hardware, stitching together providers, or operating fragmented cloud networks. Teams can build and scale connectivity on demand, apply consistent security and segmentation, and gain visibility across distributed environments from one place.

At Alkira, you’ll…