Sr. Software Engineer - Austin, TX

Position Summary

TrendAI is seeking a Senior Software Engineer to contribute to the data plane of the TippingPoint Threat Prevention System (TPS). TPS is a family of physical and virtual network appliances designed in-house, featuring custom hardware and acceleration logic. These appliances detect and block malicious network traffic at speeds up to 100Gbps with microsecond latency and low to no false positives. As a member of the Data Plane team, you will work on software development and have the opportunity to influence hardware enhancements. Your contributions will enhance TPS's existing Network Intrusion Prevention capabilities and expand the platform's potential in the age of AI, securing AI resources and leveraging AI to improve security and response.

Responsibilities

• Design and develop enhancements to our deep packet inspection engine and other TPS components.
• Analyze and parse network protocols for real-world use, not just from RFCs.
• Optimize the performance of new and existing components.
• Identify new inspection capabilities and ways to improve our hardware.
• Advise Threat Researchers in writing accurate, high-performance detection filters.
• Test and validate functionality using unit testing and automated frameworks.
• Document design, development, and testing processes.

Required Technical Skills

• Expert knowledge of C or C++, including low-level memory management and concurrent programming.
• Strong understanding of IP networking, both from a wire protocol and application programming (sockets) perspective.
• Familiarity with application-level protocols like HTTP, TLS, QUIC, and SMB.
• Experience in Linux application programming and debugging.
• Proficiency in advanced debugging tools and techniques.
• Experience in optimizing algorithms for high-throughput, low-latency environments.

Nice to Have

• Experience with Intel DPDK, Linux internals, kernel, or network stack.
• Hands-on experience with network analysis tools like Wireshark, nmap, tcpdump, and tcpreplay.
• Familiarity with IPS/IDS tools like Suricata or Snort.
• In-depth knowledge of security protocols and encryption methods.
• Knowledge of KVM and VMware, especially from a networking perspective.
• Practical experience with AI tools like Claude Code, Codex, or GitHub Copilot.
• Experience with AI-DLC tools/frameworks like Amazon AI-DLC, SpecKit, or Open Spec.
• Exposure to machine learning concepts in network security.
• Experience with hardware acceleration technologies like FPGA, ASIC, or GPU.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s or Master’s in a STEM field or equivalent experience with 5+ years in software development, with a preference for work in network security, packet processing, or embedded/real-time systems.