Senior Director of Software Engineering

About the position

Cornelis Networks delivers the world's highest performance scale-out networking solutions for AI and HPC datacenters. Our differentiated architecture seamlessly integrates hardware, software and system level technologies to maximize the efficiency of GPU, CPU and accelerator-based compute clusters at any scale. Our solutions drive breakthroughs in AI & HPC workloads, empowering our customers to push the boundaries of innovation. Backed by top-tier venture capital and strategic investors, we are committed to innovation, performance and scalability - solving the world's most demanding computational challenges with our next-generation networking solutions. We are a fast-growing, forward-thinking team of architects, engineers, and business professionals with a proven track record of building successful products and companies. As a global organization, our team spans multiple U.S. states and six countries, and we continue to expand with exceptional talent in onsite, hybrid, and fully remote roles. This role represents a unique opportunity to lead a world-class software engineering organization developing critical networking infrastructure software for AI and High Performance Computing. Working closely with the CTO and architecture teams, you will drive software execution strategy across multiple domains including kernel development, network management, embedded systems, and high-performance computing middleware. Leading a talented team of software engineers, you will be responsible for transforming architectural vision into innovative solutions that deliver industry leading performance and efficiency for AI and HPC.

Responsibilities

• Partner with CTO and architecture teams to execute technical vision
• Transform architectural roadmaps into deliverable software solutions
• Drive software innovation within established architectural frameworks
• Ensure effective collaboration between development and architecture teams
• Lead implementation strategies across kernel, embedded, and systems software
• Collaborate with architecture team on design decisions
• Foster innovation in software development approaches and methodologies
• Guide software-hardware integration in partnership with system architects
• Lead and mentor a diverse team of software engineers across multiple domains
• Build and scale engineering teams to meet growing business needs
• Foster a culture of technical excellence and innovation
• Drive adoption of best practices in software development including use of AI tools to accelerate time to deliverable and increase organizational efficiency
• Guide development of high-performance device drivers and kernel modules
• Ensure optimal integration with operating system networking stacks
• Drive performance optimization and scalability initiatives
• Maintain high standards for code quality and reliability
• Lead development of comprehensive fabric management solutions
• Drive architecture for next-generation network operating systems
• Ensure scalability and reliability of management platforms
• Guide development of network automation capabilities
• Oversee development of embedded software and firmware
• Guide optimization of hardware-software interfaces
• Ensure robust deployment and update mechanisms
• Drive performance improvements in embedded systems
• Lead development of high-performance networking middleware
• Guide integration with industry-standard APIs and frameworks
• Ensure broad compatibility with networking ecosystems
• Drive optimization for key networking use cases
• Establish and maintain robust software development processes
• Drive adoption of modern development practices and tools
• Ensure high quality through comprehensive testing strategies
• Lead continuous improvement in development efficiency
• Drive successful execution of complex software projects
• Manage dependencies across multiple software components
• Ensure timely delivery of software releases
• Balance resources across competing priorities
• Partner with CTO organization and architecture teams on implementation strategies
• Work with product management to align execution with requirements
• Collaborate with customer engineering on deployment needs
• Coordinate with quality assurance on testing strategies
• Build strong bridges between development and architecture teams

Requirements

• 15+ years of software development experience in networking, operating systems, or related fields
• 7+ years of technical leadership experience managing complex software organizations
• Deep expertise in operating systems, device drivers, and kernel development
• Strong background in networking protocols and architectures
• Experience with embedded software and firmware development
• Track record of delivering enterprise-grade software products
• Excellence in building and leading high-performing engineering teams
• Strong understanding of software development methodologies
• Excellent communication and collaboration skills
• BS in Computer Science or related field; MS/PhD preferred

Nice-to-haves

• Experience with AI, high-performance computing and networking
• Background in network operating systems and management platforms
• Knowledge of network automation and orchestration
• Familiarity with hardware-software co-design
• Experience with open-source software development
• Track record of innovation and technical leadership
• Experience scaling software organizations

Benefits

• Competitive compensation package that includes equity, cash, and incentives
• Health and retirement benefits
• Medical, dental, and vision coverage
• Disability and life insurance
• Dependent care flexible spending account
• Accidental injury insurance
• Pet insurance
• Generous paid holidays
• 401(k) with company match
• Open Time Off (OTO) for regular full-time exempt employees
• Sick time, bonding leave, and pregnancy disability leave