Technical Advisor - Kernel Networking

Linux Kernel Programmer

Experience : 8-16 years

Work Mode : Remote

Core skills required : Linux Kernel, Network device driver development, Linux internals, Networking stack

Good to have : Data plane development kit (DPDK) and Vector Packet Processor (VPP)

Who You Are?

You are a senior level software engineer with deep knowledge of the Linux kernel running in embedded systems. You are an expert in C / C++, and have professional programming experience with boot loaders, Linux kernel internals, Linux device drivers, and Linux network drivers. You have experience with analyzing memory and optimizing Linux kernel performance for various architectures (Intel, ARM). You are familiar with interfacing to embedded hardware using SPI, Ethernet, USB, and I2C. You are comfortable working with manufacturers on initial board bring-up.

You come with proven experience of working with globally distributed teams using Agile methodologies, JIRA, and Confluence. You are inquisitive, you love learning, you know how to get to the right answers even if you do not know them to start with. You are completely at ease in providing status updates to managers without prompting and mentoring our experienced engineers when they need assistance. You can anticipate problems before they happen and proactively provide solutions. You also love working with Customer Support to help solve customer problems, as well as supporting QA (Quality Assurance) as necessary to identify and resolve issues.

You have a knack for innovation; you are driven by the desire to help our customers / partners succeed. You also embody the other human values that we care about most (accountability, belonging, bias for action).

A Typical Day in the Life …

You are in a pivotal role on a rapidly growing team on the forefront of network security. Your strong networking background and superb understanding of Linux based embedded systems will give you the foundation to succeed in this role. On a typical day, you might be working with our ODM on bringing up a new hardware platform. Or you could be implementing a complex feature. Or you could be upgrading the WatchGuard OS to a new kernel version. You might see a request from our customer support team regarding a problem reported by a customer, that will prompt you to dive in to your “bug fixing mode” to find a solution. During the latter part of your day, you might interact with our China based QA team on a particular bug, or deal with their concerns regarding performance tests, or comparisons of different hardware platforms. Most days are fast-paced and extremely challenging. You can expect to be interrupted and be responsive to requests from other teams and remote sites. Your ability to thrive in an ever-changing environment will give you the tools you need to succeed.

What to Expect

You can expect to handle the following responsibilities :

Assist in resolution of the most difficult technical problems or issues encountered, including research and analysis.

Estimate size and scope of development tasks to facilitate sprint planning and reliably complete stories in the assigned sprints.

Participate in code reviews and unit test all deliverables.

Create proper documentation, both in code, Jira tickets, and on Confluence.

Work autonomously, consulting with others as required.

Independently manage your own time according to commitments and priorities.

Provide considerable assistance to more junior engineers, ensuring that others’ work is of high quality and meets security standards. Mentoring is a critical aspect of the position.

Provide status updates to managers without prompting.

Work with Product Owners, as required, to resolve product requirement questions.

Provide support to QA as necessary to identify and resolve issues found during testing.

Work with the Customer Support team to resolve critical escalated issues.

Why Work for WatchGuard?

At WatchGuard we create smart security, simply done. We’re a leader in building cybersecurity software, hardware, and cloud solutions that protect small and midsize businesses, and distributed enterprises worldwide. Our award-winning network security solutions provide layered, enterprise-grade protection that is easy to deploy and manage. Whether you are an industry veteran, or at the beginning of your career, now is an amazing time to work in the security industry, and there’s never been a better time to be at WatchGuard.

We love solving the industry’s toughest challenges, and our innovation keeps our customers ahead of increasingly sophisticated hackers, which has fueled record revenues. We are heavily reinvesting in the company and driving rapid acceleration across all aspects of our business. As a result, our employee base has nearly doubled in the last three years, organically and through acquisition.

WatchGuard is headquartered in Seattle, Washington, with team members working remotely and in offices worldwide.

Our company culture places intense focus on our customers and employees. From the newest employee to our CEO, you'll find that each person at WatchGuard embodies our core values : accountability, passion for success, community building, and maintaining a customer focus in all things.