Lead Software Engineer - Cloud Storage (C++) - SAN JOSE

Requirements:

• At least 8 years of experience in systems software engineering, cloud infrastructure, distributed systems, or storage platform development.
• Strong programming skills in C/C++ and Python.
• Deep knowledge of operating system internals, concurrency, memory management, performance optimization, and systems-level debugging.
• Hands-on experience with software-defined storage systems, distributed storage platforms, or enterprise infrastructure software.
• Strong experience with KVM/QEMU, libvirt, virtio, and virtualized networking or storage infrastructure.
• Experience developing or troubleshooting storage and networking subsystems, kernel modules, or device drivers.
• Knowledge of storage technologies and protocols such as NVMe, iSCSI, NFS, SMB/CIFS, S3, or distributed block, object, or file storage systems.
• Hands-on operational experience with AWS, Azure, GCP, or OCI infrastructure.
• Experience with CI/CD systems, automation frameworks, observability, and infrastructure-as-code tools.
• Strong analytical, debugging, and performance-tuning abilities.
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills, including the ability to influence technical discussions across teams.
• Ability to resolve most technical blockers independently and proactively escalate major risks.
• Preferred: Experience with enterprise-scale storage operating systems such as ONTAP or similar platforms.
• Preferred: Experience leading subsystem development or technically complex cross-functional projects.
• Preferred: Familiarity with cloud-native virtualization and infrastructure orchestration platforms.
• Preferred: Experience in scalability engineering, reliability engineering, or operational excellence initiatives.
• Preferred: Advanced cloud certifications or equivalent industry experience.

Responsibilities:

• Design, develop, and optimize components across software-defined storage and virtualization, including storage services, virtual networking, Linux system services, and distributed infrastructure.
• Contribute to substantial portions of our products across projects involving storage, networking, virtualization, and cloud infrastructure.
• Develop and maintain Linux user-space and kernel-space software for storage subsystems, networking stacks, virtualization, and infrastructure services.
• Work with KVM/QEMU, libvirt, virtio, virtual networking, and storage virtualization frameworks.
• Diagnose and resolve complex system-level issues involving compute, storage, networking, virtualization, and distributed systems.
• Apply advanced technical judgment to architectural tradeoffs, scalability, and operational reliability.
• Drive technical solutions independently while identifying risks, dependencies, and escalation points.
• Collaborate with engineering, product, support, and cloud partner teams to deliver robust infrastructure capabilities.
• Mentor junior engineers, take part in code and design reviews, and advance engineering best practices.
• Participate throughout the product lifecycle, including architecture, implementation, testing, deployment, operational support, and customer issue resolution.

Technologies:

• AI
• AWS
• Azure
• CI/CD
• Cloud
• GCP
• Support
• KVM
• Linux
• NFS
• Python
• QEMU
• SMB
• C++
• Embedded
• Excel
• Security

More

At NetApp, we build intelligent data infrastructure, including unified storage, integrated data services, and solutions that help organizations use their data across AI and multicloud environments. This Senior Software Development Engineer role is part of our Cloud Platforms organization and Research and Development team, where we work with cloud providers and engineering teams on scalable, secure, high-performance cloud-native infrastructure, software-defined storage, and virtualization platforms for AWS, Azure, GCP, and OCI. Our culture values curiosity, initiative, ownership, collaboration, and diverse perspectives, and we offer flexibility to help employees balance work and personal life. The target salary range is $170,000–$253,000 in on-target earnings, with final compensation based on location, qualifications, experience, and education; a comprehensive benefits package may include health and life insurance, retirement or pension plans, paid time off, leave options, employee stock purchase plans, and restricted stock, subject to regional terms and policies. We use a hybrid working environment, with in-office or in-person expectations varying by role and shared during recruitment. We are committed to equal employment opportunity and applicable nondiscrimination laws. Applications are reviewed through our company website, and select hiring stages may use AI tools to support, not replace, human decision-making.

last updated 43 week of 2026