Software Engineer, Networking

About Tailscale

Tailscale is revolutionizing the Internet by providing software that simplifies the secure interconnection of people and devices, regardless of their location. Used by hobbyists to multinational corporations, Tailscale helps teams protect networks, share internal tools, and more. The company, founded in 2019 and fully distributed, is backed by leading investors like Accel and CRV, building a future where the Internet is easy, sensible, and safe.

Job Summary: Software Engineer, Networking

Tailscale is seeking a skilled and diligent full-time Software Engineer, Networking to join their growing engineering team. This role involves developing the Tailscale product, contributing to both open-source client code and backend services with a strong focus on networking features and optimizations. You will take ownership of the entire product lifecycle, from coding to product ideation and strategic decision-making, collaborating with UX/UI designers and product managers to shape enhanced networking capabilities.

As an early-stage and fully remote company, Tailscale values strongly motivated individuals who can drive product forward, think on their feet, collaborate with highly technical teams, and work comfortably asynchronously.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, build, test, and document core networking software components as part of the engineering team.
• Develop and optimize product features for the control plane, relay infrastructure, and networking protocols.
• Diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve complex networking issues across diverse environments.
• Take ownership of running services by building for observability, participating in incident response, and handling customer support escalations.
• Analyze and improve the efficiency, scalability, and stability of networking systems and resources.
• Implement a security-first mindset in both design and implementation for robust networking components.

What Tailscale is Looking For

• Significant experience with networking software and diagnosing networking issues.
• Deep understanding of networking concepts including IP addressing, routing, NAT traversal, and VPN technologies.
• Experience with distributed systems.
• Experience with one or more SQL databases.
• Proficiency with Go is a plus.
• Ability to provide and receive constructive feedback, and work independently.
• Flexibility to adapt to a dynamic startup environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

What Tailscale Offers

• An inclusive, flexible, and remote-first environment.
• Competitive total compensation including base salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits.
• Full group benefits with no waiting period (health, vision, dental).
• Opportunity to connect with colleagues at annual company retreats and team off-sites.
• Support for personal and professional development with an annual $1500 USD allowance.
• Flexible paid time off program for healthy work-life integration.
• Build-your-own home office setup including laptop, monthly internet reimbursement, and $1000 USD for workstation customization.
• Generous parental leave program from day one (up to 26 weeks top-ups).

Key skills/competency

• Networking Software
• Distributed Systems
• NAT Traversal
• VPN Technologies
• IP Addressing
• Routing Protocols
• Go Programming Language
• SQL Databases
• Observability
• Security Engineering