Alkira is reinventing networking for the AI era. We're looking for a Software Engineer - Backend Engineer who wants to own products from blank page to production — and operate what you ship. You'll build net-new capabilities and maintain the distributed systems behind Alkira's CSX (Cloud Services Exchange). Ownership here means both shipping the 0→1 and maintaining them.
To learn more about our product and who we are, we invite you to take a look at a quick demonstration or visit our website.
What you'll do
- Take product ideas from 0 to 1: scope, design, build, ship, and own them in production.
- Build and maintain large-scale distributed systems for multi-cloud networking — resiliency, scale, and correctness under real customer load.
- Use AI as a core part of how you ship and operate: agentic workflows, LLM-powered dev loops, and AI tooling to move 5–10x faster than a traditional engineer. We expect you to leverage AI, not just tolerate it.
- Design, build, and maintain APIs and microservices (Java/Spring and Go, PostgreSQL, Kubernetes) — treating the stack as a means to ship and sustain product, not the job itself.
- Operate what you build: customer escalations, on-call, telemetry, and bug fixes are part of ownership, not a separate team's problem. You'll also pick up and maintain existing services in your area.
What we're looking for
- B.S./M.S. (or equivalent) in CS, EE, or a related field, plus 2 years of software engineering experience.
- A builder's instinct: you've taken something from zero to shipped before — and you're also comfortable inheriting, understanding, and improving an existing codebase.
- AI-native workflow: you use tools like Claude Code / Cursor / Copilot daily and have a point of view on how to ship faster with AI.
- Strong CS fundamentals and hands-on Java/Spring and Go, distributed systems, REST API design, DB schema design,
- multithreading.
- Linux/kernel fluency and comfort with container + Kubernetes deployment.
- Security-first thinking for distributed, multi-tenant systems.
- Product and customer empathy — you care about why a feature matters, not just how to build it.
- Networking background (BGP, SD-WAN, overlays, cloud networking) is a strong plus.
- Team player: able to work across teams of varying sizes that may be geographically distributed.
- Ability to multitask and support multiple concurrent projects.
ABOUT ALKIRA
Alkira, a Lumen company, is building the future of enterprise networking: one programmable platform to connect, secure, and operate every cloud, site, partner, data center, and AI workload.
Founded by Amir and Atif Khan, the creators of Viptela and pioneers of the SD-WAN market, Alkira was built to radically simplify how enterprises deploy and manage network infrastructure. Today, as part of Lumen, we are bringing that cloud-native operating model to a global network foundation trusted by the world’s largest enterprises.
Our platform helps customers move faster without managing hardware, stitching together providers, or operating fragmented cloud networks. Teams can build and scale connectivity on demand, apply consistent security and segmentation, and gain visibility across distributed environments from one place.
At Alkira, you’ll help shape the next chapter of networking: cloud-like consumption, private-network performance, and total control across the enterprise. We move fast, solve hard problems, and build technology that changes how global businesses connect.
Join us and help build the future of networking.
Life at Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution
Life at Alkira is human and connected, even in a fast moving, AI‑focused organization. We set clear expectations and trust people to meet them. With real support and shared accountability, teams collaborate better, move faster, and deliver meaningful outcomes.
Our Lumen 8 behaviors guide how we interact, make decisions, and work together, shaping a culture built to perform and win. To learn more about Life at Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution
and how we live into the Lumen 8, please visit:
https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/life-at-lumen
Background Screening
If you are selected for a position, there will be a background screen, which may include checks for criminal records and/or motor vehicle reports and/or drug screening, depending on the position requirements. For more information on these checks, please refer to the Post Offer section of our FAQ page. Job-related concerns identified during the background screening may disqualify you from the new position or your current role. Background results will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Pursuant to the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, we will consider for employment qualified applicants with arrest and conviction records.
Equal Employment Opportunities
We are committed to providing equal employment opportunities to all persons regardless of race, color, ancestry, citizenship, national origin, religion, veteran status, disability, genetic characteristic or information, age, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, family status, pregnancy, or other legally protected status (collectively, “protected statuses”). We do not tolerate unlawful discrimination in any employment decisions, including recruiting, hiring, compensation, promotion, benefits, discipline, termination, job assignments or training.
Privacy Notice
Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution is committed to protecting the privacy and security of personal information collected during the recruitment and hiring process. Our Applicant Privacy Notice explains how we collect, use, disclose, and protect applicant information, as well as how individuals may request access to or deletion of their personal data.
To review Alkira's Global Employment Applicant and Talent Community Privacy Notice, please visit:
https://jobs.lumen.com/global/en/privacy-notice
Disclaimer
The job responsibilities described above indicate the general nature and level of work performed by employees within this classification. It is not intended to include a comprehensive inventory of all duties and responsibilities for this job. Job duties and responsibilities are subject to change based on evolving business needs and conditions.
In any materials you submit, you may redact or remove age-identifying information such as age, date of birth, or dates of school attendance or graduation. You will not be penalized for redacting or removing this information.
Please be advised that Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution does not require any form of payment from job applicants during the recruitment process. All legitimate job openings will be posted on our official website or communicated through official company email addresses. If you encounter any job offers that request payment in exchange for employment at Alkira, a Lumen Connect Solution, they are not for employment with us but may relate to another company with a similar name.
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