Principal Backend Software Engineer, Forward Networks

Scaling

$200-240k

Docker
Kubernetes
Java
C++
REST API
Senior and Expert level
San Francisco Bay Area

Office located in Santa Clara, CA

Forward Networks

Mathematically-accurate network modeling

Open for applications

Forward Networks

Mathematically-accurate network modeling

101-200 employees

B2BSecurityEnterpriseSaaSAPI

Open for applications

$200-240k

Docker
Kubernetes
Java
C++
REST API
Senior and Expert level
San Francisco Bay Area

Office located in Santa Clara, CA

101-200 employees

B2BSecurityEnterpriseSaaSAPI

Company mission

Forward's mission is to transform networks to be agile, predictable, and secure.

Role

Who you are

  • Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science or related field; Masters or Ph.D. preferred
  • 8+ years of full lifecycle software development experience
  • Proven experience in backend development using Java, C++, or similar languages
  • Strong background in object-oriented design and development
  • Proficiency with databases
  • Proficiency with algorithms and design for performance and scalability
  • In-depth knowledge of software architecture, design patterns, and best practices
  • Strong systems programming skills including multi-threading, concurrency, caching, batching etc
  • Experience with RESTful APIs and frameworks
  • Familiarity with containerization tools such as Docker and orchestration platforms like Kubernetes
  • Exposure to big data technologies
  • Excellent problem-solving abilities and attention to detail
  • Strong communication skills, both written and verbal
  • Ability to work collaboratively in a fast-paced environment
  • Experience in the networking domain is NOT a requirement for this role but is a plus

What the job involves

  • We are seeking an experienced Principal Backend Software Engineer to join our Scaling team
  • In this pivotal role, you will lead the development of our product’s core components, ensuring they interact seamlessly with other services and systems
  • You will be instrumental in enhancing the efficiency of our core data structures and scaling our computational capabilities
  • Architect and Develop Pipelines: Design and build robust pipelines to ingest and analyze data from network devices and other sources
  • Enhance Scalability and Performance: Optimize computational processes to improve efficiency and implement solutions that scale with growing data and user demands
  • Innovate on Product Features: Develop new features leveraging our network model to provide actionable insights. Collaborate with product teams to translate user needs into technical solutions
  • Technical Leadership: Mentor and guide junior engineers, fostering a culture of excellence. Lead code reviews, design reviews and contribute to best practices in software development
  • Cross-functional Collaboration: Work closely with other engineering teams to ensure cohesive integration of services

Our take

Business has become increasingly complicated. The rapid flow of data from inside and outside the organisation has rendered top-down planning difficult and often ineffective especially in an enterprise network setting. Forward Networks provides a solution with a digital twin, creating an accurate copy of a company's network architecture so planners and developers can see how their activities will affect operations across the entire network.

Although digital twinning is a relatively new concept, made possible only by recent advances in AI, there is already intense competition for this space. Forward Networks has carved out a unique niche in focusing on enterprise networks rather than the organisation as a whole, a focus which is needed given the complexity of modern hybrid networks which can span several cloud environments. This has led to Forward Networks picking up major clients such as Tesltra, Paypal, and Ubisoft.

In 2023, Forward Networks completed a Series D funding round led by MSD Partners, with participation from Goldman Sachs, one of its long-term customers. This investment will help develop its product, expand the services available to its customers, and scale its core team as business continues to grow.

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Kirsty

Company Specialist at Welcome to the Jungle

Insights

Top investors

Few candidates hear
back within 2 weeks

95% employee growth in 12 months

Company

Funding (last 2 of 4 rounds)

Jan 2023

$50m

SERIES D

Oct 2019

$35m

SERIES C

Total funding: $112.5m

Company benefits

  • We’re an agile team and early-stage company with plenty of opportunities to grow, as a company and as individuals.
  • Every team member receives a compensation package that includes equity, so we can grow together.
  • We offer top-grade insurance, with medical, dental, and vision benefits for you and your family.
  • Vacations, holidays, family days. With no tracked time off, you can go as long as it’s okay with your manager.

Company HQ

Santa Clara, CA

Leadership

David Erickson

(Co-Founder & CEO)

David holds a PhD in Computer Science from Stanford. He is a contributor to the OpenFlow spec and the author of Beacon, the OpenFlow controller at the core of commercial products from Big Switch Networks, Cisco, and others, and open source controllers such as Floodlight and OpenDaylight.

Brandon Heller

(Co-Founder & CTO)

Brandon received his PhD in Computer Science from Stanford. Involved in OpenFlow before it had that name, he served as main editor of the spec for three years, seeing it grow from an academic prototype to a real tool for industry. His more recent projects include energy-efficient data centers (ElasticTree) and flexible network emulation (Mininet).

Nikhil Handigol

(Co-Founder)

Nikhil is a Computer Science PhD from Stanford. As a member of the Stanford team that pioneered SDN/OpenFlow, his research focused on using SDN principles for systematic network troubleshooting (NetSight), flexible network emulation (Mininet), and smart load-balancing (Aster*x). Previously, he worked at SDN Academy, ON.Lab, and Cisco.

Peyman Kazemian

(Co-Founder)

Peyman received his PhD in Electrical Engineering from Stanford. His dissertation showed novel ways to troubleshoot and verify the correctness of networks. Previously, he created and taught SDN Academy courses, worked at Google and Ericsson, and was part of the team at Stanford that developed OpenFlow and SDN.

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