Principal Software Engineer - Networking Architecture and SDN - TeraWave

TL;DR

Principal Software Engineer - Networking Architecture and SDN - TeraWave: Design a dynamic, self-healing network for a multi-orbit constellation of 5,408 optically interconnected satellites with an accent on multi-hop routing, topology management, and fast-reroute strategies for time-varying LEO environments. Focus on architecting SDN frameworks, real-time traffic engineering, self-healing logic, and cross-layer optimizations for low-latency, power-constrained space communications.

Location: Bay Area, CA or Greater Seattle Area. Must be a U.S. citizen, national, permanent resident (Green Card holder), refugee, or asylee.

Salary: $230,773 - $323,082 (CA/WA)

Company

hirify.global is developing reusable, safe, low-cost space vehicles and systems, including the TeraWave satellite constellation for space-based communications.

What you will do

• Lead end-to-end design of hybrid space-ground transport network.
• Define strategy for multi-hop routing, topology management, and fast-reroute in LEO constellations.
• Drive capacity modeling from RF links to network-layer performance.
• Architect SDN framework for centralized/distributed control planes.
• Implement real-time traffic engineering and policy enforcement.
• Build observability stack with telemetry for packet-level visibility and self-healing logic.
• Lead cross-layer optimizations with RF and silicon teams; mentor staff and influence roadmaps.

Requirements

• Bachelor's in CS/EE or related + 15+ years in network architecture, distributed systems, or telecom.
• Deep expertise in BGP, IS-IS, OSPF, Segment Routing in high-scale environments.
• Track record building/managing SDN controllers and programmable data planes (P4, OpenFlow).
• Understanding of packet processing, ASIC/FPGA forwarding, high-speed switching.
• Experience leading satellite/wireless/cloud-scale network architecture.
• Strong analytical skills and communication; mission/safety-critical development experience.

Nice to have

• MS/PhD in CS/EE or related.
• LEO/MEO satellite or hybrid network experience.
• Large-scale telemetry pipelines and analytics.
• Graph theory/dynamic topology optimization.
• Contributions to IETF/IEEE standards or open-source networking.
• Multi-orbit design, regulatory knowledge, MBSE tools.

Culture & Benefits

• Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, paid parental leave, short/long-term disability.
• 401(k) with up to 5% company match; Education Support Program.
• Up to 4 weeks PTO + 14 company holidays.
• Potential bonuses based on contributions (not guaranteed).
• Culture of safety, collaboration, inclusion; encourages applications even if not perfect fit.