Staff Software Engineer, Cloud Interconnect

Google•Cambridge, MA

1d•$207,000 - $300,000

About The Position

Google is seeking a Staff Software Engineer for Google Cloud Interconnect (GCI). The role focuses on evolving GCI’s distributed control and data planes and delivering reliable, large-scale cloud networking systems. The engineer will translate product and scale requirements into technical specifications aligned with Google Cloud networking strategy, lead multi-quarter initiatives and team roadmaps, and address complex architectural issues across distributed control planes, virtualized core systems, and physical edge infrastructure. The position also involves developing production software, promoting AI-first engineering practices, leading design reviews, mentoring engineers, and coordinating with Product, SRE, Security, and Partner Engineering teams. The posted US pay range is $207,000–$300,000, plus a 20% bonus target, equity, and benefits.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree or equivalent practical experience.
8 years of experience in software development.
5 years of experience building and developing large-scale infrastructure, distributed systems, or networks, or experience with compute technologies, storage, or hardware architecture.
Experience designing, building, and operating large-scale distributed systems, with a focus on scalability, fault tolerance, and reliability.
Experience with algorithms, data structures, analysis, and software design.
Experience with network routing protocols such as BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, or MPLS, and production-environment troubleshooting.

Nice To Haves

Master’s degree or PhD in Engineering, Computer Science, or a related technical field.
Experience in software-defined networking, virtualized data planes, network security, or network control planes and protocols.
Experience leading AI-first engineering practices using LLMs, agentic workflows, and system automation to accelerate development velocity.
Experience diagnosing and resolving systemic troubleshooting, performance, and reliability issues in distributed control and data plane systems.
Experience in engineering people management, including coaching, performance management, and team growth, or interest in becoming a tech lead manager.

Responsibilities

Lead architectural evolution of GCI’s distributed control and data planes, translating product and scale requirements into technical specifications aligned with Google Cloud networking strategy.
Serve as technical lead for software engineers, own multi-quarter GCI initiatives, define team roadmaps, and drive execution of reliable production systems.
Diagnose and resolve architectural issues across distributed control planes, virtualized core, and physical edge, improving data security, sub-second route convergence, hitless migrations, and 99.99% availability.
Deliver code in C++, Go, or Python; promote AI-first engineering practices incorporating agentic workflows and automation; lead design reviews and mentor engineers.
Partner with Product, SRE, Security, and Partner Engineering teams to align roadmaps, manage cross-organization dependencies, and build consensus to deliver hybrid and AI-scale cloud offerings.
Manage project priorities, deadlines, and deliverables; design, develop, test, deploy, maintain, and enhance software solutions.