Data Path Team — Principal Engineer 2

Alkira invites experienced professionals to step into the Data Path Team — Principal Engineer 2 position in San Jose, California. This full-time opportunity lets you shape high-impact technical work on a dedicated data path team while contributing to Alkira careers near San Jose, California.

Position Summary

The Data Path Team — Principal Engineer 2 role at Alkira in San Jose, California places you at the forefront of software architecture and implementation for core data path systems. As a full-time principal-level engineer you will guide critical technical decisions, balance performance with reliability, and deliver solutions that enable seamless data movement under real-world demands. This position requires deep ownership of complex challenges within the San Jose, California engineering environment and active collaboration across peer groups to advance Alkira product capabilities.

Key Responsibilities

• Architect, design, and implement scalable data path features for high-throughput packet processing and forwarding.
• Optimize software performance across multi-core platforms, memory systems, and networking stacks while diagnosing bottlenecks.
• Define technical standards, review designs, and mentor junior and mid-level engineers on data path best practices.
• Partner with architecture, testing, and product teams to translate requirements into robust, maintainable code.
• Lead root-cause analysis of production issues and drive resolve for system-level defects affecting data path integrity.
• Contribute to long-term roadmap planning that anticipates future scale and technology shifts for Alkira solutions.

Who We're Looking For

• Proven principal or senior engineering experience building high-performance data path or networking software.
• Mastery of systems programming languages commonly used in data path environments, such as C and C++.
• Strong command of packet processing techniques, buffering, queueing, and multi-threaded concurrency models.
• Familiarity with modern networking protocols, hardware interfaces, and performance profiling tools.
• Track record of technical leadership, clear communication, and delivering complex projects on schedule.
• Bachelor’s or advanced degree in computer science, electrical engineering, or equivalent practical experience preferred for the Data Path Team — Principal Engineer 2 opening.

Working at Alkira

Alkira is hiring for this role and offers a supportive team environment. The full-time Data Path Team — Principal Engineer 2 position in San Jose, California places you among dedicated colleagues who value rigorous engineering, shared problem-solving, and continuous professional growth within Alkira careers.

Apply Today

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