Deep Tech Networking Engineer (DPDK/Linux)

Location: Paris, IDF, France; hybrid workplace with one to two remote-working days per week

Company

Free/Iliad builds embedded networking products including 5G and edge gateways, OLTs, carrier-grade routers, and NPU-based appliances for high-performance deployments.

What you will do

• Design, develop, and optimize high-performance networking systems from hardware through the dataplane.
• Build DPDK packet-processing pipelines using PMDs, mempools, mbufs, rings, lcores, eventdev, graph libraries, and QoS.
• Connect Linux control planes to dataplanes through netlink and maintain kernel exception paths with virtio-user, TAP, and shared-memory rings.
• Develop Linux networking for embedded targets, including drivers, netdev, PHY, phylink, DSA, switchdev, TC flower, XDP, and AF_XDP components.
• Work with VFIO, IOMMU, hugepages, CPU isolation, device trees, U-Boot, Buildroot, SoCs, and NIC vendors.
• Profile and troubleshoot production performance issues, write design documents, review code, submit upstream patches, and support other engineers.

Requirements

• Strong C programming skills and solid understanding of Linux systems.
• Good knowledge of L2/L3 networking, including Ethernet, VLAN, IPv4/IPv6, ARP/ND, routing, FIB lookups, VXLAN, GRE, and IPsec.
• Experience with DPDK or another high-performance packet-processing stack such as VPP, ODP, AF_XDP, or OVS-DPDK.
• Understanding of caches, NUMA, DMA, PCIe, and SR-IOV.
• Experience or strong interest in Linux kernel networking, embedded systems, drivers, cross-compilation, or board bring-up.
• A disciplined optimization approach based on measuring, changing, comparing, and documenting results.
• Clear written English is required for technical documentation, code reviews, and upstream discussions.
• Open-source contributors and engineers with strong foundations are both considered; candidates should be able to explain shipped work, technical decisions, constraints, and measurable impact.
• For Staff and Senior Staff positions, a proven public track record through patches, reviews, maintainer responsibilities, or contributions to DPDK, Linux, U-Boot, Buildroot, Zephyr, Yocto, FRR, or VPP is expected.

Nice to have

• Experience with SmartNICs or DPUs such as NVIDIA BlueField, Marvell OCTEON, NXP DPAA2, or Intel IPU.
• Experience with switchdev, SAI, SONiC, PTP, TSN, KernelCI, LAVA, or DPDK DTS.
• Public open-source contributions.

Culture & Benefits

• Open-source work on DPDK, Linux, U-Boot, and Buildroot is planned and tracked as a deliverable, potentially representing 20–80% of the work depending on the project and experience.
• Profit-sharing, incentive scheme, comprehensive health and income protection, and a French Time Savings Account.
• Free home internet reimbursement, meal card, public transport reimbursement up to 70%, and secure bicycle parking.
• On-site restaurants and cafeteria, training opportunities, Free University access, internal mobility, and employee benefits through the CSE.
• Workspaces are located in an iconic Paris building with regular collaboration on target hardware and production platforms.

Hiring process

• 15-minute phone screen with the recruiter.
• 30-minute hiring-manager interview, followed by a 60-minute technical interview.
• 60-minute HR interview.