Software Senior Principal Engineer
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Key details
Why this role is notable
Dell's infrastructure group is explicitly reorganizing its engineering around AI agents, with senior engineers framed as people who define intent and specifications while agents do the building, which signals a shift in what 'senior engineer' means at a hardware-and-software infrastructure company.
Job Description
Software Senior Principal Engineer
Infrastructure Solutions Group (ISG) builds the products that power infrastructure, solutions, and data management our customers need most. Our teams design and develop the hardware and software that connect infrastructure, accelerate computational workloads, integrate across the stack, protect data continuity, and deliver the platforms, applications, and diagnostics our customers rely on every day at enterprise scale.
Some product builders follow the rules. Ours rewrite them.
Within ISG, innovation isn't just about creating new technology- it's about challenging assumptions and reimagining how work gets done. Engineers define intent, author precise specifications, and orchestrate AI agents that execute at speed and scale. AI is embedded throughout our development process, helping us move faster, learn quicker, and deliver greater impact. Yet the most important contribution remains uniquely human: deciding what to build, designing how it should work, and applying the judgment needed to earn our customers' trust. When your products power critical infrastructure around the world, that responsibility matters.
We move quickly toward the work that matters most. We reward experimentation, encourage bold thinking, and remove unnecessary barriers so great ideas can become reality faster. Our teams embrace a customer-first, first-to-market mindset, transforming rapid feedback into better products and better outcomes. We aren't looking for people who are content with the status quo- we look for builders who question it, improve it, and occasionally rewrite it.
If you're energized by solving complex systems challenges, excited to work alongside AI to amplify your impact, and motivated by the opportunity to shape what's next instead of simply maintaining what's been done before, you'll find your place here.
Join us and help build the future of enterprise technology.
Join us as a Software Senior Principal Engineer on our Networking team in Chennai/Bangalore to do the best work of your career and make a profound social impact.
What you’ll achieve
As a Senior Principal Software Engineer, you will lead the design, development, and security of next-generation network operating system software for enterprise, cloud, AI, and data center environments. You will drive security architecture and feature development for SONiC-based networking solutions, helping deliver secure, scalable, and high-performance networking platforms for modern workloads.
You will:
Design and develop security features and architecture for SONiC and Linux-based network operating systems across routing, switching, EVPN-VXLAN, and AI fabric deployment
Lead and drive Certificate-based security technologies, platform security initiatives, including secure boot, firmware validation, container security, and hardware root-of-trust architectures.
Champion Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) practices, including threat modeling, secure design, and security code reviews and develop security automation and compliance solutions using modern APIs, YANG models, and CI/CD pipelines.
Partner with product security, architecture, platform, and quality engineering teams to identify and mitigate risks.
Lead complex debugging, root-cause analysis, and security investigations, partnering with cross-functional teams to identify and mitigate risks.
Take the first step towards your dream career
Every Dell Technologies team member brings something unique to the table. Here’s what we are looking for with this role:
Essential Requirements
Bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science, computer engineering, or a related discipline, or equivalent professional experience, with 12+ years of experience developing and securing networking software for enterprise, cloud, and high-performance data center environments
Strong programming skills in C/C++ and Python on Linux, with hands-on experience in SONiC or an equivalent network operating system, including containerized NOS architecture and Linux networking stack
Experience implementing Secure Development Lifecycle (SDL) practices, including threat modeling, secure design reviews, and security code reviews, with security automation using REST APIs, gNMI/OpenConfig, YANG, Python, Ansible, and CI/CD pipelines for continuous compliance
Deep understanding of network security architecture across data, control, and management planes, including packet processing, ACL, control-plane protection, ASIC programming through SAI, and data center technologies such as BGP EVPN, VXLAN, SRv6, and leaf-spine architectures and their threat vectors
Expertise in network security and cryptography, including MACsec, 802.1X, AAA (RADIUS, TACACS+), PKI, TLS, certificate lifecycle management, Post-Quantum Cryptography (PQC), secure key management, and zero-trust principles. Experience with Linux and platform security, including secure boot, firmware validation, container and kernel security, platform hardening, and hardware root-of-trust architectures.
Desirable Requirements
Experience in vulnerability management, including CVE applicability assessment, threat exposure evaluation, coordinated vulnerability remediation, security patch backporting, open-source dependency management, and product security incident response
Familiarity with Dell AI Factory solutions, PowerEdge AI servers, NVMe/TCP storage fabrics, and Kubernetes- or Slurm-based AI/HPC clusters.
We believe that each of us has the power to make an impact. That’s why we put our team members at the center of everything we do. If you’re looking for an opportunity to grow your career with some of the best minds and most advanced tech in the industry, we’re looking for you.
Dell Technologies is a unique family of businesses that helps individuals and organizations transform how they work, live and play. Join us to build a future that works for everyone because Progress Takes All of Us.
Dell Technologies is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. Read the full Equal Employment Opportunity Policy.
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