PitchMeAI
Cloudflare

Senior Technical Support Engineer, Application Performance

Cloudflare · Austin, TX

  • On site
  • Full-time
  • $110,000 / year
  • Austin, TX

Job highlights

  • Resolve tough technical issues for high-profile customers.
  • Gain deep product and internet technology knowledge.
  • Collaborate with engineers and cross-functional teams.
  • Mentor team members and improve processes.
  • Contribute to building a better Internet.

About the role

About Us

At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500 companies. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare all have web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company.

At Cloudflare, we’re not looking for people who wait for a polished roadmap; we’re looking for the builders who see the cracks in the Internet that everyone else has simply learned to live with. We value candidates who have the instinct to spot a "normalized" problem and the AI-native curiosity to create a solution using the latest tools. Our culture is built on iteration, leveraging AI to ship faster today to make it better tomorrow, while ensuring that every improvement, no matter how small, is shared across the team to lift everyone up. If you’re the type of person who values curiosity over bureaucracy, and that AI is a partner in solving tough problems to keep the Internet moving forward, you’ll fit right in.

About The Department

The Customer Support Team is dedicated to resolving complex issues and providing technical assistance across various channels, including phone, email, chat, and social media. Our team passionately advocates for all customers, from individual Wordpress bloggers to Fortune 500 customers handling millions of clients daily. By actively listening to real-world pain points and use cases, we serve as the vital link between our customers and the rest of Cloudflare and play a key role in building a better Internet every day!

What You’ll do

As a Senior Technical Support Engineer at Cloudflare, you will be responsible for working with your peer Support engineers and cross-functional teams to tackle the toughest issues for our highest-profile customers. You’ll gain hands-on experience with our products, learn the inner workings of Cloudflare’s offerings, and continue to extend and deepen your understanding of foundational internet technologies. This role also provides opportunities to develop valuable technical and professional skills as well as job shadowing experiences to explore different roles within the company.

Responsibilities

  • Own the toughest technical challenges and escalations within the scope of the Customer Support while maintaining high standards of individual and team performance
  • Maintain clear, timely, and productive communications with customers via our ticketing system and phone support channels
  • Become a go-to resource for technical and process knowledge inside and outside the Support organization
  • Proactively identify and execute on opportunities for team growth and improvement
  • Assist with training and mentoring other team members
  • Help create and update technical documentation and runbooks
  • Provide feedback on our product and potential improvements based on customer interactions
  • Support the team in testing new releases and reporting bugs
  • Perform other duties/projects as assigned

Required Skills And Experience

  • 5-7 years of experience working in a technical Customer Support role supporting large enterprise and SMB clients
  • Excellent written and verbal communication skills
  • Self-driven and comfortable learning new technologies and systems on an ongoing basis
  • Strong understanding of how the Internet works at OSI Model layers 3, 4, and 7
  • Strong understanding of DNS, SSL/TLS, and HTTP(S) protocols
  • Strong understanding of HTTP reverse proxying, caching, and load balancing
  • Experience using Linux and associated command line tools, including curl, dig, traceroute, openssl, git, etc.
  • Experience writing scripts in Bash, Python, JavaScript, or other scripting languages
  • Experience installing and configuring web servers like Apache, Nginx, and/or IIS

Preferred Skills And Experience

  • Prior experience with the Cloudflare platform, especially for personal projects/websites
  • Experience troubleshooting network connectivity issues, BGP routing, and GRE tunnels
  • Experience configuring network or application firewalls
  • Experience with web development and/or web hosting
  • Degrees or certifications in Computer Science, Information Technology, and related fields
  • Fluency in Mandarin, Spanish, and/or Portuguese

What Makes Cloudflare Special?

We’re not just a highly ambitious, large-scale technology company. We’re a highly ambitious, large-scale technology company with a soul. Fundamental to our mission to help build a better Internet is protecting the free and open Internet.

Project Galileo: Since 2014, we've equipped more than 2,400 journalism and civil society organizations in 111 countries with powerful tools to defend themselves against attacks that would otherwise censor their work, technology already used by Cloudflare’s enterprise customers--at no cost.

Athenian Project: In 2017, we created the Athenian Project to ensure that state and local governments have the highest level of protection and reliability for free, so that their constituents have access to election information and voter registration. Since the project, we've provided services to more than 425 local government election websites in 33 states.

1.1.1.1: We released 1.1.1.1 to help fix the foundation of the Internet by building a faster, more secure and privacy-centric public DNS resolver. This is available publicly for everyone to use - it is the first consumer-focused service Cloudflare has ever released. Here’s the deal - we don’t store client IP addresses never, ever. We will continue to abide by our privacy commitment and ensure that no user data is sold to advertisers or used to consumer target consumers.

Sound like something you’d like to be a part of? We’d love to hear from you!

Key skills/competency

  • Senior Technical Support Engineer
  • Application Performance
  • Cloudflare
  • Customer Support
  • Technical Escalations
  • Internet Technologies
  • Network Protocols
  • Scripting Languages
  • Web Servers
  • Troubleshooting

Skills & topics

  • Senior Technical Support Engineer
  • Cloudflare
  • Application Performance
  • Technical Support
  • Customer Support
  • Escalations
  • Internet Technologies
  • DNS
  • SSL/TLS
  • HTTP(S)
  • Linux
  • Bash
  • Python
  • Web Servers
  • Apache
  • Nginx
  • IIS
  • Hybrid
  • Austin, TX

How to get hired

  • Tailor your resume: Highlight your 5-7 years of technical customer support experience, focusing on enterprise and SMB clients, and specific technical skills like OSI layers 3, 4, 7, DNS, SSL/TLS, and HTTP(S).
  • Showcase your Linux skills: Emphasize your proficiency with command-line tools (curl, dig, etc.) and scripting languages (Bash, Python, JavaScript) relevant to web server support.
  • Demonstrate problem-solving: Prepare examples of how you've owned tough technical challenges and escalated complex issues, showcasing your communication and self-driven learning abilities.
  • Research Cloudflare's mission: Understand their commitment to building a better Internet and their innovative use of AI, and be ready to discuss how your skills align with their values.
  • Prepare for technical questions: Be ready to discuss your understanding of internet technologies, protocols, reverse proxying, caching, load balancing, and web server configuration.

Technical preparation

Master OSI layers 3, 4, and 7.,Deepen DNS, SSL/TLS, and HTTP(S) knowledge.,Practice Linux command-line tools (curl, dig).,Write scripts in Bash, Python, or JavaScript.

Behavioral questions

Describe a tough technical escalation you handled.,How do you proactively identify team improvements?,Share an example of mentoring a junior engineer.,How do you stay updated with new technologies?

Frequently asked questions

What are the primary responsibilities of a Senior Technical Support Engineer at Cloudflare?
As a Senior Technical Support Engineer at Cloudflare, you will be responsible for tackling the most challenging technical issues and escalations for high-profile customers. This includes maintaining clear communication, serving as a knowledge resource, identifying areas for team improvement, assisting with training, updating documentation, and providing product feedback.
What technical skills are essential for this Senior Technical Support Engineer role at Cloudflare?
Key technical skills include 5-7 years of technical customer support experience, strong understanding of Internet protocols (OSI layers 3, 4, 7), DNS, SSL/TLS, HTTP(S), reverse proxying, caching, load balancing, Linux command line tools, scripting languages (Bash, Python, JavaScript), and experience with web servers like Apache, Nginx, or IIS.
Does Cloudflare offer opportunities for professional growth in this Senior Technical Support Engineer position?
Yes, Cloudflare explicitly mentions that this role provides opportunities to develop valuable technical and professional skills, including job shadowing experiences to explore different roles within the company, encouraging continuous learning and career development.
What is the work arrangement and schedule for the Senior Technical Support Engineer role at Cloudflare?
This is a hybrid role based in Austin, TX, requiring employees to come into the office twice a week. The schedule is full-time, Monday to Friday, with a firm start time of 7:00 AM Central Time to align with global operations.
How does Cloudflare's mission relate to the Senior Technical Support Engineer role?
Cloudflare's mission is to help build a better Internet. As a Senior Technical Support Engineer, you directly contribute to this mission by resolving complex customer issues, ensuring the performance and security of their online properties, and acting as a vital link between customers and the company's product development.
What distinguishes Cloudflare's culture for a Senior Technical Support Engineer applicant?
Cloudflare values builders who identify and solve problems, emphasizing curiosity over bureaucracy and leveraging AI for rapid iteration and improvement. They foster a culture where every team member shares knowledge to elevate everyone, aiming to keep the Internet moving forward.
What preferred skills would make a candidate stand out for the Senior Technical Support Engineer position at Cloudflare?
Preferred skills include prior experience with the Cloudflare platform, troubleshooting network connectivity, BGP routing, GRE tunnels, configuring firewalls, web development/hosting experience, relevant degrees/certifications, and fluency in languages like Mandarin, Spanish, or Portuguese.