Principal Software Engineer (Network Development)

Principal Software Engineer (Network Development)

  

This role has been designed as ‘’Onsite’ with an expectation that you will primarily work from an HPE office.

Who We Are:

Hewlett Packard Enterprise is the global edge-to-cloud company advancing the way people live and work. We help companies connect, protect, analyze, and act on their data and applications wherever they live, from edge to cloud, so they can turn insights into outcomes at the speed required to thrive in today’s complex world. Our culture thrives on finding new and better ways to accelerate what’s next. We know varied backgrounds are valued and succeed here. We have the flexibility to manage our work and personal needs. We make bold moves, together, and are a force for good. If you are looking to stretch and grow your career our culture will embrace you. Open up opportunities with HPE.

Job Description:

   

Principal, Software Engineer (Network Development)

Location (HYBRID): Sunnyvale, CA or Westford, MA

 

We are seeking a highly experienced Principal Software Engineer to join the Routing Switching Protocols Intelligence (RSPI) team within the HPE Networking division. In this role, you will drive the design, development, coding, unit testing, and review of scalable networking solutions. You will ensure robust, multi-dimensional scalability tailored to diverse market segments and customer use cases across HPE’s global customer base.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and implement high-quality software solutions for the BGP team aligned with business and customer needs

• Conduct end-to-end testing and ensure high-quality deliverables

• Collaborate with test engineers to enhance solution coverage and reduce field defects

• Perform code reviews to maintain high engineering standards

• Analyze and root-cause software defects

• Replicate customer-reported issues and provide corrective actions

• Develop Proof of Concepts (POCs) to validate customer use cases

• Partner with cross-functional teams, architects, and global stakeholders

• Work closely with senior leadership to align technical deliverables with business objectives

• Identify and evaluate emerging technologies to enhance product capabilities

Basic Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s degree (MS/M.Tech) in Computer Science or a related field

• 10+ years of industry experience in networking or systems software development

• Strong expertise in C/C++ and complex data structures (required)

• Proven experience as a systems or solutions engineer in networking technologies

• DC/AI-ML fabrics including EVPN and IP Fabric with VXLAN or CLOS architecture

• Strong understanding of Layer 2 and Layer 3 protocols

• MPLS VPNs and High Availability (HA) features

• Cloud provider, enterprise, and data center networking technologie

• Networking Protocols: BGP, OSPF, ISIS, ARP, VLANs, MC-LAG, LACP, EVPN-VXLAN, GRE, IPSec, NAT, HTTP, NetConf, and related technologies

• TCP/IP, IPC (inter-process communication), Object-oriented programming concepts, multi-threading, virtualization technologies (preferred), exposure to AI/ML technologies

• Experience preparing test plans and executing complex test scenarios

• Understanding of complex customer network topologies

• Experience with automated test execution and debugging automation failures

• Proficiency in Python (Pytest), Go, Rust, or other scripting languages

• Excellent written and verbal communication skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities

• Ability to diagnose and resolve complex customer issues

• Ability to manage multiple priorities effectively

Additional Skills:

Cloud Architectures, Cross Domain Knowledge, Design Thinking, Development Fundamentals, DevOps, Distributed Computing, Microservices Fluency, Full Stack Development, Security-First Mindset, Solutions Design, Testing & Automation, User Experience (UX)

What We Can Offer You:

Health & Wellbeing

We strive to provide our team members and their loved ones with a comprehensive suite of benefits that supports their physical, financial and emotional wellbeing.

Personal & Professional Development

We also invest in your career because the better you are, the better we all are. We have specific programs catered to helping you reach any career goals you have — whether you want to become a knowledge expert in