About the Role
As a pivotal technical contributor within the Network Hardware Engineering (NetHW) team, you will drive the selection and qualification process for network devices used in Cloudflare's Global Network. The NetHW team manages the New Product Introduction (NPI) process for all network devices. Our responsibilities also include the evaluation and qualification of new production network operating system images and versions. Furthermore, we provide essential support by reproducing bugs to assist Operations with TAC cases and testing new features and major configuration updates.
What You'll Do
You will be involved in every stage of the New Product Introduction (NPI) process, including requirements gathering, device selection, Device Validation Testing (DVT), Production Validation Testing (PVT), and Operational Acceptance. Furthermore, you will be responsible for creating test plans that align with both operational needs and hardware limitations, as well as driving efforts to improve testing efficiency.
Network Hardware Systems Engineering Responsibilities:
- Product Lifecycle Management: Lead the introduction of new network hardware systems, including detailed engineering validation in lab environments
- Qualification & Validation: Gather requirements, contribute to network architecture, and execute hardware design and product validation
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with Network Engineering & Operations, Datacenter Engineering & Operations, and other operational teams to make network hardware decisions
- Operational Support: Assist operational engineers by troubleshooting, reproducing, and resolving network hardware issues
- Automation & Performance Testing: Develop tools and automation to effectively evaluate network hardware performance
- Communication: Document and share results and updates via blog/wiki posts, ticketing systems, and internal presentations
Qualifications
- BS, MS, or PhD in Computer Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Computer Science, or equivalent practical experience
- Proven ability to conduct thorough evaluation and experimentation, including testing, measurement, and/or simulation of hardware performance
- Extensive experience with networking hardware architecture, validation, performance benchmarking, debugging, and deployment
- Deep knowledge of network engineering and protocols used in data center switching and routing as well as Internet routing
- Track record of driving engineering projects from idea to experiment to implementation
- Demonstrated success in working with OEM/ODMs and technology vendors
- Professional-level proficiency in Python or similar programming and/or scripting languages
Bonus Points
- Adept at automating traffic generation equipment (Spirent/Ixia) and test cases
- In-depth hardware knowledge of platforms (ASICs, TCAMs, Packet-Pipelines, etc)
- Familiarity with different network operating systems such as Junos, IOS-XR, EOS, SONiC, and ArcOS
- Experience with white-box network switches and open source projects
- Proficient in using observability and monitoring tools like Prometheus and Grafana, with the ability to analyze and observe trends over time.
- Hands-on experience with configuring and validating RoCEv2 (RDMA over Converged Ethernet) fabrics, specifically implementing Priority Flow Control (PFC) and Explicit Congestion Notification (ECN) on network devices.
Top Skills
What We Do
Cloudflare, Inc. (NYSE: NET) is the leading connectivity cloud company on a mission to help build a better Internet. It empowers organizations to make their employees, applications and networks faster and more secure everywhere, while reducing complexity and cost. Cloudflare’s connectivity cloud delivers the most full-featured, unified platform of cloud-native products and developer tools, so any organization can gain the control they need to work, develop, and accelerate their business.
Powered by one of the world’s largest and most interconnected networks, Cloudflare blocks billions of threats online for its customers every day. It is trusted by millions of organizations – from the largest brands to entrepreneurs and small businesses to nonprofits, humanitarian groups, and governments across the globe.
Why Work With Us
Cloudflare employees come from all walks of life. We are mission-driven, and our team is energized by a collaborative, creative environment that celebrates our differences and fosters new ways to grow together.
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Employees engage in a combination of remote and on-site work.
We are committed to developing a global team that is distributed with a flexible working approach. Doing this equitably and inclusively is essential to our success. Visit our careers site for more on 'How & Where We Work.'
