Software Principal Engineer
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Key details
- Location
- Chennai, TN, India
- Work style
- Onsite
- Level
- Lead / Staff+
- Job type
- Full-time
- Experience
- 10–15 yrs
- Function
- Software engineering
- Focus area
- Infrastructure / Cloud
- Posted
- 4h ago
Skills
About the role
Principal Software Engineer
The Software Engineering team delivers next-generation software application enhancements and new products for a changing world. Working at the cutting edge, we design and develop software for platforms, peripherals, applications and diagnostics — all with the most advanced technologies, tools, software engineering methodologies and the collaboration of internal and external partners.
Join us as a Software 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 Principal Software Engineer, you will lead the end-to-end engineering of Dell networking products and solutions for data center and AI fabric environments, driving innovation in a fast-paced development environment from requirements definition and architecture through development, validation, release, and customer deployment.
You will collaborate with platform, silicon, software, validation, solutions, and customer-facing teams to deliver next-generation Dell Enterprise SONiC capabilities for the high-performance network fabrics powering the Dell AI Factory. You will also apply AI-assisted engineering tools throughout the development lifecycle to accelerate delivery, improve quality, and enhance engineering productivity.
You will:
- Own complex networking features end to end, including requirements analysis, architecture, functional specifications, implementation, validation, and the delivery of production-quality Dell Enterprise SONiC software.
- Architect and deliver large-scale data center networks and AI fabric capabilities on Dell PowerSwitch (800GbE/1.6TbE) platforms. This includes RoCEv2, PFC/ECN-based congestion management, adaptive routing, MRC, SRv6 and dynamic load balancing for large-scale GPU clusters.
- Troubleshoot complex system, scalability, performance, and customer issues across the control plane, data plane, SAI, and switch ASIC layers. Apply Dell-provided AI tools for software development, test generation, log analysis, debugging, and documentation, while championing AI-enabled engineering and automation practices across the team. Drive automation for fabric deployment, configuration, observability, and lifecycle management using REST APIs, gNMI/OpenConfig, YANG, Python, Ansible, ONIE, and ZTP.
- Lead architecture, design, and code reviews; mentor engineers; and clearly communicate technical status, dependencies, and risks to stakeholders. Collaborate with global hardware, silicon, quality engineering, product management, solutions, and customer-facing teams to deliver reliable, high-quality releases through continuous integration and delivery.
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 10 to 15 years of experience developing networking software for enterprise, cloud, AI, 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 the Switch Abstraction Interface (SAI).
Deep understanding of NPU architecture, packet processing pipeline, ACLs, QoS / buffer management, forwarding and ASIC programming through SAI/SDK and In-depth knowledge of data center networking technologies, including OSPF, IS-IS, BGP EVPN, VxLAN, SRv6, multicast, and leaf-spine architectures.
Expertise in AI/HPC Ethernet fabrics, including RDMA/RoCEv2, PFC, ECN/DCQCN, DCB, adaptive routing, dynamic load balancing, and fabric telemetry on merchant-silicon-based 800GbE/1.6TbE platforms and understanding of interoperability among GPUs, SmartNICs, and NCCL-based collective communication workloads and experience with network automation and programmability using REST APIs, gNMI/OpenConfig, YANG, Python, Ansible, ONIE/ZTP, and CI/CD pipelines.
Proven ability to use AI coding assistants, LLM-based agents, and AI-assisted testing and analysis tools throughout the software development lifecycle and strong debugging and validation skills using packet captures, traffic generators such as Ixia or Spirent, switch telemetry, and diagnostic tools and demonstrated technical leadership, mentoring, and communication skills, with the ability to lead complex initiatives across multiple teams
- Desirable Requirements
Experience with open-source networking projects, AI/ML tools, or the broader AI infrastructure ecosystem and familiarity with Dell AI Factory solutions, PowerEdge AI servers, NVMe/TCP storage fabrics, and Kubernetes- or Slurm-based AI/HPC clusters.
Experience validating large-scale AI fabrics for performance, congestion management, resiliency, scalability, and interoperability and ability to manage multiple complex initiatives effectively in a global, cross-functional engineering environment