Senior Software Engineer - Network Reliability Engineering

The Trade Desk is a global technology company with a mission to create a better, more open internet for everyone through principled, intelligent advertising. Handling over 1 trillion queries per day, our platform operates at an unprecedented scale. We have also built something even stronger and more valuable: an award-winning culture based on trust, ownership, empathy, and collaboration. We value the unique experiences and perspectives that each person brings to The Trade Desk, and we are committed to fostering inclusive spaces where everyone can bring their authentic selves to work every day.

The Trade Desk Network Team partners closely with application development, Data Center Engineering, and SRE teams to provide a software-first networking platform supporting a global advertising technology stack at massive scale. We're seeking passionate technologists who thrive in complex, high-throughput environments and are excited to build scalable, resilient systems.

Do you have a passion for solving hard problems at scale? Are you eager to join a dynamic, globally- connected team where your contributions will make a meaningful difference in building a better media ecosystem? Come and see why Fortune magazine consistently ranks The Trade Desk among the best small- to medium-sized workplaces globally.

About the role:

• Design, build, and scale a global network platform across physical data centers and multi-cloud environments (AWS, Azure, Alibaba Cloud).
• Support thousands of hosts globally, addressing petabyte-scale data challenges with efficient, reliable network solutions.
• Troubleshoot and resolve complex network issues, ensuring high availability and performance across our infrastructure.
• Drive root cause analysis and postmortems to foster continuous operational improvements.
• Automate repetitive tasks, streamline workflows, and eliminate manual toil by developing tools and improving processes.
• Participate in a global on-call rotation to maintain network integrity 24/7.

Who you are:

• Software-first mindset with strong development and networking experience-able to think like an engineer and operate like an architect.
• Deep expertise in TCP/IP, the OSI model, and IP networking protocols (BGP, OSPF, etc.) for large-scale environments.
• Experienced in Kubernetes networking, including technologies such as Cilium and Calico, with a deep understanding of container network interfaces (CNIs).
• Skilled in troubleshooting and performance tuning within Kubernetes and Docker environments, particularly in relation to networking components.
• Proficient in advanced networking technologies such as:
  
  
  
  • IPv6 configuration and transition strategies.
  • RSVP (Resource Reservation Protocol) for QoS and bandwidth management.
  • Software-Defined Networking (SDN) and experience with SDN controllers.
  • Quality of Service (QoS) implementations.
  
  
  
  
• Hands-on with network operating systems like Cumulus Linux, SONiC, Cisco IOS, and Junos.
• Familiarity with monitoring and alerting systems, utilizing complex rules and time-series queries (e.g., Prometheus, Grafana).
• Experience with infrastructure-as-code and DevOps principles for building and managing networks programmatically.
• Interest or background in platform engineering; able to plan and build infrastructure to support large-scale, distributed applications.

Key Attributes:

• Technical Contributions:
• Demonstrated experience in building resilient, always-on networks across diverse technologies and layers.
• Data-driven decision-maker: evaluates ROI, implementation complexity, and customer impact.
• Operationally savvy: reduces complexity, mitigates risk, and ensures cost-effective scaling.
• Track record of self-directed contributions to high-impact, large-scale projects.
• Collaboration and Communication:
• Strong communication and documentation skills-able to effectively share insights and drive alignment.
• Empathetic and critical thinker: understands the broader context and motivations behind objectives.
• Highly collaborative team player: communicates effectively across engineering disciplines to achieve unified goals.

Variety of technical opportunity is one of the best things about working at The Trade Desk as a software engineer which is why we do not expect you to know every technology we use when you start. What we care about is that you can learn quickly and find solutions to complex problems using the optimum tools for the job. What you know is less important than how well you learn and innovate. We don't need engineers who know all the answers; we need engineers who can invent the answers no one has thought of yet, to the questions yet to be asked.

The Trade Desk does not accept unsolicited resumes from search firm recruiters. Fees will not be paid in the event a candidate submitted by a recruiter without an agreement in place is hired; such resumes will be deemed the sole property of The Trade Desk. The Trade Desk is an equal opportunity employer. All aspects of employment will be based on merit, competence, performance, and business needs. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, marital status, age, national origin, ancestry, physical or mental disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic information, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, veteran status, or any other status protected under federal, state, or local law.

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