Dive in and do the best work of your career at DigitalOcean. Journey alongside a strong community of top talent who are relentless in their drive to build the simplest scalable cloud. If you have a growth mindset, naturally like to think big and bold, and are energized by the fast-paced environment of a true industry disruptor, you’ll find your place here. We value winning together—while learning, having fun, and making a profound difference for the dreamers and builders in the world.
As AI workloads become increasingly distributed and data-intensive, networking is one of the foundational technologies that enables secure, reliable, and scalable cloud infrastructure. We're looking for an exceptional engineering leader to own the strategy, execution, and operation of DigitalOcean's Virtual Networking organization.
Reporting to the Senior Director of Networking, you will lead the organization responsible for the core networking platforms that power DigitalOcean services and customer workloads. This includes VPC, Public/Private/Global DNS, gateway services, DDoS protection, Network Firewall, and other foundational networking services. Your organization will design, build, and operate more than 12 cloud-scale, multi-tenant networking services that enable secure, resilient connectivity within and across DigitalOcean's global infrastructure.
This is a highly strategic leadership role responsible for defining the long-term vision for Virtual Networking while building a world-class engineering organization that delivers reliable, secure, and scalable networking services for millions of developers and businesses.
What You'll Do:Own the Virtual Networking StrategyDefine and execute the multi-year strategy for DigitalOcean's Virtual Networking platform, delivering the foundational networking services that power customer workloads and DigitalOcean's cloud platform.
Build the Next Generation of Networking ServicesLead the architecture, development, and operation of cloud-scale, multi-tenant networking services, including VPC, DNS, gateway services, DDoS protection, Network Firewall, and future networking capabilities that support the evolving needs of AI and cloud-native workloads.
Deliver Reliable Cloud ServicesOwn the availability, scalability, security, and operational excellence of more than 20 production networking services. Establish engineering mechanisms and operational practices that enable the organization to operate reliably at cloud scale.
Lead a High-Performing Engineering OrganizationRecruit, develop, and mentor engineering managers and senior engineers while fostering a culture of technical excellence, accountability, innovation, and customer obsession.
Partner Across EngineeringCollaborate closely with Physical Networking, Compute, Storage, GPU, Security, Product, and Infrastructure teams to deliver integrated networking capabilities that simplify the customer experience and accelerate product innovation.
Drive Operational ExcellenceEstablish engineering metrics, operational reviews, reliability goals, and automation that improve service availability, operational efficiency, and engineering velocity across the Virtual Networking portfolio.
Influence Product StrategyPartner with Product Management to shape the networking roadmap, prioritize investments, and deliver differentiated networking capabilities that enable customer growth and DigitalOcean's long-term business strategy.
What You'll Bring:Executive Leadership- Experience leading multiple engineering teams or organizations responsible for cloud infrastructure or networking platforms.
- Proven ability to build and scale high-performing engineering teams through strong technical leadership, organizational design, and operational excellence.
- Strong cross-functional leadership skills with a track record of influencing engineering, product, and executive stakeholders.
- Deep expertise in cloud networking, distributed systems, and large-scale software platforms.
- Experience designing and operating highly available, multi-tenant networking services such as VPC, DNS, gateways, load balancing, firewalls, service networking, or adjacent cloud networking technologies.
- Strong understanding of networking architecture, cloud infrastructure, security, and reliability engineering.
- Demonstrated success delivering large-scale, cross-functional initiatives from strategy through execution.
- Experience defining engineering metrics, operational mechanisms, and service reliability practices that improve customer experience and engineering efficiency.
- Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical challenges into clear business outcomes.
- $198,000 - $248,000
*This is a hybrid role
JR: 2026-8168
#LI-Hybrid
- We innovate with purpose. You’ll be a part of a cutting-edge technology company with an upward trajectory, who are proud to simplify cloud and AI so builders can spend more time creating software that changes the world. As a member of the team, you will be a Shark who thinks big, bold, and scrappy, like an owner with a bias for action and a powerful sense of responsibility for customers, products, employees, and decisions.
- We prioritize career development. At DO, you’ll do the best work of your career. You will work with some of the smartest and most interesting people in the industry. We are a high-performance organization that will always challenge you to think big. Our organizational development team will provide you with resources to ensure you keep growing. We provide employees with reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education. All employees have access to LinkedIn Learning's 10,000+ courses to support their continued growth and development.
- We care about your well-being. Regardless of your location, we will provide you with a competitive array of benefits to support you from our Employee Assistance Program to Local Employee Meetups to flexible time off policy, to name a few. While the philosophy around our benefits is the same worldwide, specific benefits may vary based on local regulations and preferences.
- We reward our employees. The salary range for this position is based on market data, relevant years of experience, and skills. You may qualify for a bonus in addition to base salary; bonus amounts are determined based on company and individual performance. We also provide equity compensation to eligible employees, including equity grants upon hire and the option to participate in our Employee Stock Purchase Program.
- DigitalOcean is an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.
Application Limit: You may apply to a maximum of 3 positions within any 180-day period. This policy promotes better role-candidate matching and encourages thoughtful applications where your qualifications align most strongly.
Skills Required
- Experience leading multiple engineering teams or organizations responsible for cloud infrastructure or networking platforms
- Proven ability to build and scale high-performing engineering teams through technical leadership, organizational design, and operational excellence
- Strong cross-functional leadership skills and experience influencing engineering, product, and executive stakeholders
- Deep expertise in cloud networking, distributed systems, and large-scale software platforms
- Experience designing and operating highly available, multi-tenant networking services such as VPC, DNS, gateways, load balancing, firewalls, or service networking
- Strong understanding of networking architecture, cloud infrastructure, security, and reliability engineering
- Demonstrated success delivering large-scale, cross-functional initiatives from strategy through execution
- Experience defining engineering metrics, operational mechanisms, and service reliability practices
- Excellent communication skills and ability to translate complex technical challenges into clear business outcomes
DigitalOcean Compensation & Benefits Highlights
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Healthcare Strength — Health coverage is described as market‑leading across medical, dental, vision, and mental health, with above‑average employer contributions and 100% employer‑paid life, AD&D, and disability insurance. Some materials note fully paid health benefits for employees in certain locations, though details vary by region.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Employees are offered company equity alongside an Employee Stock Purchase Plan (ESPP) that enables discounted share purchases, with references to performance equity grants as part of total rewards. This ownership component complements competitive cash pay and bonuses highlighted in company materials.
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Parental & Family Support — Parental benefits are positioned as above‑average, with references to fully paid parental leave (e.g., 10 weeks in newer listings) and a part‑time transition‑back program. Fertility and parenthood support such as Carrot is also called out.
DigitalOcean Insights
What We Do
DigitalOcean is the Inference Cloud — a full-stack, production-ready cloud platform built to run AI applications with predictable performance, sustainable economics, and radically simpler operations at scale. We are built for teams turning AI into real products — not just training models. Our advantage is not fewer features, but fewer failure modes when operating AI at scale — combining minimal operational overhead, predictable cost efficiency, and a full-stack cloud that works as a system. Hyperscalers are broad by design. Neoclouds are infrastructure-first. DigitalOcean is inference-first — with a real cloud underneath. It combines inference-optimized compute, managed inference software, and integrated cloud capabilities that reduce operational burden for teams running real workloads. Inference is the foundation—not the boundary. Everything else builds on top of it.
Why Work With Us
At DO, we do career-defining work. We innovate with AI and build cutting-edge tech. Our rewards to match that intensity - to motivate you, recognize your impact, and give you what you need to thrive. If you have a growth mindset, like to think big and bold, and are energized by the fast-paced environment, you'll find your place here.
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DigitalOcean Offices
Hybrid Workspace
Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We commit to both remote work and in-person collaboration. These ways of working are dependent on specific roles and are mutually agreed upon by employees. In the US, we are mainly remote. In our APAC locations, we have a hybrid in-office approach.
