Engineer Manager, Research Team

About Us

At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500 companies. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare all have web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. 

We realize people do not fit into neat boxes. We are looking for curious and empathetic individuals who are committed to developing themselves and learning new skills, and we are ready to help you do that. We cannot complete our mission without building a diverse and inclusive team. We hire the best people based on an evaluation of their potential and support them throughout their time at Cloudflare. Come join us! 

Available Locations: Austin, TX

About the department

The Cloudflare Research team stands at the nexus of academic inquiry and real-world implementation, operating with a clear mandate: to advance the company's mission to help build a better Internet. That core objective drives every project, publication, and standard the team contributes to, upholding Cloudflare's commitment to a more secure, private, and accessible Internet. The department is crucial in translating Cloudflare's public values into tangible, globally-scaled technologies. This environment offers a unique opportunity for specialized researchers and engineers to perform intellectually challenging work that delivers measurable, positive impacts on global digital infrastructure. Our current focus areas include Artificial Intelligence, Cryptography, Privacy, Network protocols, architecture, measurement and performance evaluation, and distributed systems.

More information about Cloudflare's approach to research can be found here.

What you’ll do

A Cloudflare Research Engineering Manager plays a pivotal role in leading technical teams that are at the forefront of developing groundbreaking solutions. This position involves frequent and close collaboration with both research scientists and data scientists, fostering an environment where cutting-edge research seamlessly transitions into tangible product development. Their expertise is particularly crucial in highly specialized and rapidly evolving domains such as advanced cryptography, robust distributed systems, and practical applications of machine learning.

Beyond their technical acumen, Research Engineering Managers are responsible for the comprehensive oversight of their teams. This includes providing clear technical guidance, making critical architectural decisions that shape the future of Cloudflare's infrastructure, and ensuring that individual projects align with the broader strategic objectives of the business. A key aspect of their role is to bridge the gap between high-level business goals and their granular technical implementation. Their efforts directly contribute to enhancing the developer experience by building scalable, resilient, and state-of-the-art technology that underpins Cloudflare's mission to help build a better Internet.

Examples of desirable skills, knowledge and experience:

• A minimum of 6 years of experience in management or supervisory roles within a large, technology-driven organization.
• A strong foundation in computer science, specializing in areas such as algorithms, data structures, software design, web security, and building large-scale distributed systems.
• Exceptional skills in planning, cross-functional collaboration, and leading teams to consistently deliver results with predictability.
• A proven track record of leading teams, including expertise in hiring, onboarding, and professional development. You are able to inspire your team and effectively communicate both the "why" and the "how."
• Experience in implementing tools, processes, internal instrumentation, and methodologies, as well as resolving blockages.
• Demonstrated ability to recruit and hire top-tier talent.
• Comfort managing teams and projects under tight deadlines and short release cycles.
• Experience in fostering the growth and maximizing the potential of both budding and experienced engineers and researchers.
• A track record of excellence in at least one of the team's key research areas.

Responsibilities

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