Staff Software Engineer - Data Plane & Packet Processing
First seen by Alion on Oct 26, 2026.
Join the Team That's Redefining Wireless Technology :
At Tarana, we're more than just a fast-growing tech company - we're a team of bold innovators on a mission to revolutionize broadband.
Our groundbreaking Fixed Wireless Access technology is delivering fiber-class internet speeds worldwide, bridging the digital divide in ways previously thought impossible.
We are seeking an experienced Staff Software Engineer Networking.
This role involves technical ownership, hands-on design, and active participation across different stages of network and cloud software development.
The ideal candidate will have a deep understanding of networking, software development best practices, and a passion for driving innovation.
Experience shipping working products in the networking/telecom/embedded domain is essential.
We don't just build next-gen wireless technology - we build people.
What You'll Be Doing :
You will be designing, developing, and integrating critical elements for the network stack of our wireless communication systems, including data plane, control plane, security, and remote/cloud management :
- Data Plane & Packet Processing : Design and implement Layer 2 and Layer 3 networking features, packet forwarding, routing, bridging, switching, VLAN architectures, traffic management/classification, and SLA enforcement.
- Hardware & Device Interfacing : Implement software interfaces for underlying hardware devices (ASIC/FPGA), switch management, configuration engines, alarms, diagnostics, and WebUI/CLI backends.
- Security & Network Services : Build network security services, including authentication, encryption, encapsulation, and tunneling (e.g., IPSec, CAPWAP, 802.1x).
- Frameworks & Telemetry : Implement scalable network and cloud management frameworks for device provisioning, event logging, telemetry collection, and automated fault isolation/analysis.
- System Resilience : Design decentralized network services with a focus on scalability, resilience, high availability, and interoperability with customer networks.
What You'll Need :
- Strong experience in socket, network, and systems programming using C or C++ on UNIX-style operating systems (IPC, multi-threading).
- Advanced knowledge of computer networks (TCP/IP), Internet architecture, and core protocols (e.g., IGMP, DHCP, OSPF, BGP).
- Expertise in packet forwarding, routing, bridging, switching, VLANs, Ethernet services, and Ethernet OA&M.
- Familiarity with network/cloud management and configuration/provisioning systems (e.g., YANG Models, gRPC, NETCONF, SNMP, TR-69, HTTP, OpenFlow).
- Strong debugging and problem-solving skills, with a proven ability to drive complex issues to closure.
- Previous experience in embedded software development for carrier and/or enterprise telecom products is a big plus.
Nice to Have :
- Strong C++ or Go programming experience; proficiency with scripting languages (Python, Bash).
- Experience using AI tools/agents across the software development lifecycle (from requirements analysis to field debugging).
- Background in MAC or network-layer implementations of 802.11, LTE, or other OFDM wireless standards.
Join Tarana and help shape the future of wireless connectivity.
About Us :
Tarana's mission is to accelerate the deployment of fast, affordable, and reliable internet access around the world.
Through a decade of R&D and over $400M of investment, the Tarana team has created and continues to enhance a suite of next-generation fixed wireless access (ngFWA) technologies.
Its unique ngFWA platform delivers game-changing advances in broadband economics in mainstream and underserved markets, using both licensed and unlicensed spectrum.
Tarana's ngFWA technology has been embraced by more than 300 service providers in 24 countries.
Tarana is headquartered in Milpitas, California, with additional research and development in Pune, India.
Skills
Network Infrastructure, Network Architecture, Data Plane, VLAN, Routing & Switching, Packet Forwarding, IPsec, C++, TCP/IP, BGP