Senior Network Engineer

About the role

Cloudflare operates one of the most extensive global networks, spanning over 335 cities across the globe. This role is part of the Edge Network and Backbone team, where you will engage in hands-on operations during your initial year while also developing AI-driven tools aimed at minimizing manual tasks and expediting issue resolution. You will collaborate with a globally distributed team that ensures continuous operations through effective time zone handoffs.

Key facts

What you'll do

• Oversee the technical operations, engineering, and architecture of the global network, which includes both hardware and software components across edge and backbone infrastructures.
• Identify and resolve intricate network issues, participate in an on-call rotation, and lead incident response efforts, including conducting follow-up reviews.
• Develop and maintain AI-powered agents for network operations, ensuring their integration with operational systems through tool calling, evaluations, observability, cost tracking, and human checkpoints for actions deemed high-risk.
• Enhance internal AI platforms (such as Workers AI and AI Gateway) to facilitate faster root cause analysis and pattern recognition during network incidents.
• Design improvements to the network that aim to lower latency and packet loss while enhancing scalability across the global infrastructure.
• Mentor junior engineers through structured troubleshooting sessions and help establish technical standards within the team.
• Contribute to the creation of design documentation, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and knowledge base articles for various cross-functional network projects.
• Collaborate with other teams to ensure that network operations align with broader organizational goals and objectives.

Requirements

• Proven experience in large-scale network engineering and operational roles.
• Proficiency in programming languages such as Python, TypeScript, or Go, sufficient for building and maintaining agent code.
• Familiarity with agent integration patterns, including function/tool calling, MCP or similar frameworks, and retrieval of operational data (like runbooks and postmortems).
• Understanding of potential agent failure modes in production, including strategies for hallucination prevention, fallback paths, rollback procedures, and blast-radius control.
• Extensive knowledge of BGP and anycast routing, with the ability to troubleshoot complex routing challenges in a production environment.
• Strong understanding of MPLS and Segment Routing technologies.
• Experience with various network vendor operating systems, including but not limited to Juniper, Cisco, and Arista.
• Practical experience with network automation frameworks such as SaltStack, Ansible, or similar tools.
• Ability to maintain composure and prioritize tasks effectively in high-pressure situations.
• Excellent communication skills, adaptable to different audiences ranging from junior engineers to senior leadership.

Nice to have

• Experience deploying LLM-powered tools into production environments, demonstrating measurable operational improvements.
• Professional network certifications such as JNCIP, CCNP, or equivalent credentials.
• Familiarity with optical transport technologies, including CWDM and DWDM.
• Background in Linux system administration.
• Experience in drafting network configuration and architectural design documentation.

Skills & tools

• Programming Languages: Python, TypeScript, Go
• Networking Protocols: BGP, anycast routing, MPLS, Segment Routing
• Network Operating Systems: Juniper, Cisco, Arista
• Automation Tools: SaltStack, Ansible
• AI Platforms: Workers AI, AI Gateway
• LLM Agent Development and Integration

Practical notes

• Candidates who progress to the offer stage may be required to attend an in-person interview at a Cloudflare office or hub.
• This position may necessitate access to information governed by U.S. export control laws; therefore, employment offers may be contingent upon authorization to receive controlled software or technology without the need for export license sponsorship.
• If you require accommodations, please reach out to hr@cloudflare.com or send your request to 101 Townsend St, San Francisco, CA 94107.

About the company

Cloudflare operates one of the largest networks in the world, providing security, performance, and reliability services to websites and internet applications. Founded by Matthew Prince, Lee Holloway, and Michelle Zatlyn in 2009, Cloudflare went public on the NYSE in September 2019.