Senior Staff Engineer, Software Defined Dataplane

Equinix
paid time off, paid holidays, retirement plan
United States, California, Redwood City
1 Lagoon Drive (Show on map)
Jun 04, 2026
Who are we? Equinix is the world's digital infrastructure company, shortening the path to connectivity to enable the innovations that enrich our work, life and planet. A place where tech thinkers and future builders turn bold ideas into breakthrough experiences, we welcome your unique perspective. Help us challenge assumptions, uncover bias, and remove barriers-because progress starts with fresh ideas. You'll find belonging, purpose, and a team that welcomes you-because when you feel valued, you're empowered to do your best work. Job Summary Equinix is the world's digital infrastructure company, operating 280+ data centersacross the globe andproviding interconnections to all the key clouds and networks. Much of the internet that you know flows through our rapid interconnected network and data centers. Equinix Internet Exchange is the world's largest Internet Exchange while Equinix Fabric has the largest market share in Software Defined Interconnection. Our software defined dataplane engineering team is designing new network service offerings through network-adjacent virtualized compute on our global network which will support Equinix's Digital Interconnection services. We're looking for a Senior Staff Software Engineer who will be responsible for building easy to operate, reliable and high-performing applications and networking software for our next generation networking platform. As a senior staff engineer, you'll work with the team to build highly scalable and reliable systems. You will participate in software design and operationalization - providing leadership in all aspects of running services across critical and pivotal initiatives. You will focus on building networking services through network-adjacent virtualized compute platforms to deliver network primitives by providing a platform for future cloud-native network software. You will be a key contributor in building and maintaining the components that drive our customers' experience. This role presents a great opportunity for a passionate senior engineer to make a tangible impact to the future-state technology stack of Equinix' global networks and infrastructure. If you believe in the power of technology to change the world, and if you value creativity, work comfortably in a fast-paced environment and are eager to learn new technologies, we would like to talk to you. Responsibilities Software development towards designing an ecosystem of software services to extend Equinix's networking services through a network-adjacent virtualized compute platform Design and manage networking software services in highly concurrent, scalable, distributed transactional systems Aligning technical design of software systems with business outcomes to ensure our software services meet customer SLAs Contribute and lead the team to set up CICD pipelines with solid unit tests and integration tests to help deliver code from commit to deployment in minutes with confidence Develop an observability strategy for our software services Work with the team for constant improvement of system performance and scale using system profiling tools and stress testing techniques Help identify technical debt and drive continual improvement of our software quality Contribute to next-generation networking proof-of-concept projects in close collaboration with cross functional teams to deliver tangible outcomes that guide new technology investments and implementation decisions to evolve the network technology stack Partner with support and operations teams to ensure proper operationalization and support of our software in Production Drive a culture of innovation, excellence & collaboration with other business functions Participate in designing and improving incident management processes and collaborating with the team in troubleshooting strategies and fixing production issues in a timely manner Participate in an on-call rotation (when we get software into Production) Qualifications 7-10 years experience in software development, preferably building & operating highly reliable distributed systems Bachelor's/Master's degree in computer science or relevant engineering field or equivalent industry experience Experience in building software defined multi-tenant networking platforms at scale using cloud-native networking technologies and ecosystems Deep understanding of L2/L3 networking protocols and concepts (BGP, EVP-LAN, IPSEC, etc) Experience in working with network management protocols: gRPC, Netconf Experience with containerization and orchestration technologies: Docker, Kubernetes, or other open-source alternatives Experience with public cloud (AWS, GCP, Azure) services and technologies Expertise in automating deployments of applications into Kubernetes on x86 deployments Experience with open source and networking technologies, ecosystems, communities and industry forums such the Linux Foundation Good understanding of application development stack Substantive track record with Golang programming language Experience in leading and mentoring a team of developers to ensure timely delivery of high-quality software Excellent writing and verbal communications skills from engineering to executive The targeted pay range for this position in the following location is / locations are: United States - Dallas Infomart Office DAI : 136,000 - 204,000 USD / Annual United States - Other posted locations not specifically listed : 136,000 - 204,000 USD / Annual United States - CA Non-Bay Area, AK, CT, DC, IL, MD, MA, NJ, NY, VA, WA : 150,000 - 224,000 USD / Annual United States - CA Bay Area : 163,000 - 245,000 USD / Annual Canada : 131,000 - 181,000 CAD / Annual Our pay ranges reflect the minimum and maximum target for new hire pay for the full-time position determined by role, level, and location.The pay range shown is based on our compensation structure in place at the time of posting and may be updated periodically based on business needs. Individual pay is based on additional factors including job-related skills, experience, and relevant education and/or training. The targeted pay range listed reflects the base pay only and does not include bonus, equity, or benefits. Employees are eligible for bonus, and equity may be offered depending on the position. Equinix Benefits As an employee, you become important to Equinix's success. We ensure all your benefits are in line with our core values: competitive, inclusive, sustainable, connected and efficient. We keep them competitive within the current marketplace to ensure we're providing you with the best package possible. So, wherever you are in your career and life, you'll be able to enhance your experience and bring your whole self to work. Employee Assistance Program: An Employee Assistance program is available to all employees. US Benefits: - Insurance: You may enroll in health, life, disability and voluntary plans that are designed for you and your eligible family members. - Retirement: You and Equinix may contribute to a retirement plan to help you plan for your financial future. - Paid Time Off (PTO) and Paid Holidays: You will receive an accrued amount of PTO each pay period along with various paid holidays for you to rest and recharge. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to specific plan or program terms. Canada Core Benefits: - Insurance: You may enroll in healthcare coverage that is designed to complement the provincial healthcare system, along with life, disability and optional benefit plans that are designed for you and your eligible family members. - Retirement: You may also enroll in Equinix-sponsored retirement or savings plans: Defined Contribution Pension Plan (DCPP), Group Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) and Tax-Free Savings Plan (TSFA). - Vacation and Paid Holidays: Equinix offers both vacation and personal time, along with various paid holidays for you to rest and recharge. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits. Benefits are subject to specific plan or program terms, and to change at Equinix discretion. Equinix is committed to ensuring that our employment process is open to all individuals, including those with a disability. If you are a qualified candidate and need assistance or an accommodation, please let us know by completing this form. Equinix is an Equal Employment Opportunity and, in the U.S., an Affirmative Action employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to unlawful consideration of race, color, religion, creed, national or ethnic origin, ancestry, place of birth, citizenship, sex, pregnancy / childbirth or related medical conditions, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital or domestic partnership status, age, veteran or military status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, genetic information, political / organizational affiliation, status as a victim or family member of a victim of crime or abuse, or any other status protected by applicable law. We use artificial intelligence in our hiring process. Learn more here. This posting is for a backfill position, meaning it is to fill an existing vacancy within our organization.