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Sdn Developer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

... SDN software and Infrastructure; โ€ข Design, develop, test, and maintain network monitoring ... engineering, software development, and NOC teams to develop requirements and timelines for new ...

As part of the SDN/NFV team, the Network Software Developer will be responsible for the development and maintenance of SDN subsystem of network software platform. Design, develop, test and maintain ...

DevOps Engineer

Sunnyvale, CA ยท On-site

$62 - $84.75/hr

- DevOps skill-set with knowledge/expertise in network-automation/SDN/NFV Build and integrate technologies related to SDN, NFV in a virtualization environment to build end-to-end solutions that are ...

Showing results 21-40

Sdn Developer information

See California salary details

$39.5K

$127.7K

$156.4K

How much do sdn developer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 14, 2026, the average yearly pay for sdn developer in California is $127,654.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $104,600.00 and $154,900.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is an SDN developer?

An SDN (Software-Defined Networking) Developer is responsible for designing, implementing, and maintaining network solutions using software-defined networking technologies. They work with network controllers, APIs, automation frameworks, and scripting languages to optimize and manage network infrastructure. SDN Developers collaborate with network engineers and software teams to create scalable, programmable, and efficient network solutions that enhance performance, security, and flexibility. Proficiency in programming languages like Python, Go, or Java, along with experience in networking protocols and cloud platforms, is essential for this role.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an SDN developer?

To thrive as an SDN Developer, you need a solid understanding of software development, networking protocols, and systems integration, typically backed by a degree in computer science, information technology, or a related field. Familiarity with programming languages like Python, Java, or C++, along with hands-on experience using SDN controllers such as OpenDaylight, ONOS, or Cisco ACI, is highly valuable; relevant certifications like Cisco CCNP or SDN-specific credentials are advantageous. Strong problem-solving, collaboration, and effective communication skills enable SDN Developers to work seamlessly in multidisciplinary teams and adapt to evolving network requirements. These skills are essential to build scalable, automated network solutions and drive innovation in dynamic IT environments.

What are common challenges faced by SDN developers, and how can they be addressed?

SDN Developers often encounter challenges such as integrating new solutions with legacy network infrastructure, ensuring security across programmable networks, and keeping up with rapid technology changes in the field. Successful developers stay current by continuous learning, collaborating closely with network engineers and IT teams, and proactively testing solutions in controlled lab environments before deployment. Many organizations support SDN Developers through professional development opportunities and cross-functional teamwork, which helps address these challenges collaboratively. By maintaining adaptability and focusing on robust documentation and security best practices, SDN Developers can effectively navigate the complexities of modern network environments.

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What job categories do people searching Sdn Developer jobs in California look for?

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Infographic showing various Sdn Developer job openings in California as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 84% Full Time, 7% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 8% Contract. Highlights an 76% Physical, 5% Hybrid, and 19% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $127,654 per year, or $61.4 per hour.

Senior Engineering Manager, SDN Control Plane

San Francisco, CA โ€ข On-site

Crusoe
IT Servicesย โ€ขย 201 - 500 employees

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 8 days ago


Job description

Crusoe is on a mission to accelerate the abundance of energy and intelligence. As the only vertically integrated AI infrastructure company built from the ground up, we own and operate each layer of the stack - from electrons to tokens - to power the world's most ambitious AI workloads. When you join Crusoe, you join a team that is building the future, faster.
We're in the midst of the greatest industrial revolution of our time. The demand for AI compute is boundless, and power is a bottleneck. We're solving that - with an energy-first approach that makes AI infrastructure better for the world and faster for the people innovating with AI.
We're looking for problem-solving, opportunity-finding teammates with a sense of urgency, who believe in the scale of our ambition and thrive on a path not fully paved - people who want to grow their careers alongside a team of experts across energy, manufacturing, data center construction, and cloud services.
If you want to do the most meaningful work of your career, help our customers and partners advance their AI strategies, and be part of a high-performing team that believes in each other, come build with us at Crusoe.
About the Role:
Crusoe is seeking a Senior Engineering Manager, SDN Control Plane to lead the team building the scalable control plane for VPC networking, the Crusoe Cloud frontend network. In this hands-on senior leadership role, you will own the architecture, implementation, and production operation of the distributed systems that program multi-tenant virtual networks across large-scale GPU fleets. Unlike generic networking manager roles, this position focuses on delivering control-plane scale and reliability on aggressive timelines, often moving features from commit to production within days.
What You'll Be Working On:
  • Technical Ownership: You will define the roadmap for the VPC control plane and lead the evolution of network virtualization systems (such as OVN/OVS) that deliver VPCs, subnets, security groups, load balancing, NAT, and internet/hybrid connectivity.
  • Architecture & Scale: You will oversee the design of distributed control-plane services: intent APIs, state reconciliation, network policy compilation, and southbound programming of hosts and DPUs, while driving scalability well beyond current fleet size.
  • Production Execution: You will lead reliability engineering, convergence and API-latency benchmarking, regression prevention, and incident response, ensuring operational excellence within 3-6 month execution cycles.
  • People Leadership: You will mentor and grow a team of senior and staff-level distributed systems engineers, setting technical standards and fostering a high-performance culture of accountability.
  • Collaboration: You will partner closely with data-plane teams (XDP/eBPF, DPDK, DPU offload) and cloud product teams to deliver low-latency, highly available networking for multi-tenant GPU clusters.

What You'll Bring to the Team:
  • Extensive Experience: At least 10+ years in distributed systems or cloud networking engineering, with 5-7+ years specifically managing senior/staff-level talent.
  • Technical Depth: Deep knowledge of SDN and network virtualization: overlay networking (VXLAN/Geneve), VPC constructs, routing (BGP/EVPN), and control-plane architectures such as OVN/OVS or equivalent.
  • Distributed Systems Expertise: Hands-on experience building large-scale control planes: state reconciliation, consensus and consistency trade-offs, API design, and fleet-wide configuration propagation (Go, Kubernetes-style controllers, or similar).
  • Reliability Focus: A strong understanding of operating multi-tenant cloud services: SLOs, convergence-time and scale benchmarking, graceful degradation, and blast-radius containment. Execution Mindset: The ability to resolve complex technical challenges in a fast-moving, execution-heavy environment.

Bonus Points
  • Experience with DPU/SmartNIC-programmed dataplanes, cloud load balancing or NAT at scale, network security policy engines, or open-source contributions to OVN/OVS or SDN projects

Benefits:
  • Competitive compensation and equity packages
  • Restricted Stock Units
  • Paid time off, paid holidays & leave of absence programs
  • Comprehensive health, dental & vision insurance
  • Employer contributions to HSA account
  • Paid parental leave
  • Paid life insurance, short-term and long-term disability
  • Professional development & tuition reimbursement
  • Mental health & wellness support
  • Commuter benefits (parking & transit)
  • Cell phone stipend
  • 401(k) Retirement plan with company match up to 4% of salary
  • Volunteer time off
  • Global travel insurance & emergency assistance
  • Daily meals allowance
  • Additional perks & programs specific to location

Compensation Range
Compensation will be paid in the range of up to $250,000 - $300,000 + Bonus. Restricted Stock Units are included in all offers. Compensation to be determined by the applicant's knowledge, education, and abilities, as well as internal equity and alignment with market data.
Crusoe is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Employment decisions are made without regard to race, color, religion, disability, genetic information, pregnancy, citizenship, marital status, sex/gender, sexual preference/ orientation, gender identity, age, veteran status, national origin, or any other status protected by law or regulation.