Datum

Lead Engineer – Compute

Datum

full-time

Posted on:

Location Type: Remote

Location: United States

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Job Level

Senior

Tech Stack

Open Source

About the role

  • Build and run the network-optimized Datum compute platform
  • Obsess with the customer experience, foundational security and performance of the service
  • Drive excellence in infrastructure engineering, across software development and platform operations
  • Partner with the infra and network teams to integrate compute seamlessly into the Datum experience and own the long-term health of our infrastructure
  • Leverage vendor relationships, primarily open source, to extend our reach and velocity
  • Approach problems through the lens of Datum APIs
  • Show up with passion for current user personas and help define and build for the future ones too
  • Work in the open and drive community engagement
  • Lean into open source - we make money through our network, not our software
  • Scale yourself and the team through effective automation
  • Play an active role in the community, from meetups and speaking to blog posts and demos
  • Drive your roadmap by modeling Datum’s values every day
  • Distill customer needs into clear problem statements that align priorities
  • Use maximum creativity to solve hard problems, balancing the tradeoffs
  • Shepherd the team through timely decision-making
  • Improve efficiency and processes along the way

Requirements

  • Some overlap with NYC business hours and ability to travel to NYC and elsewhere
  • High EQ: You read rooms, understand people, and navigate complexity with grace
  • Hunger: You're driven by impact and energized by building something meaningful
  • Humility: You check your ego, give credit freely, and focus on collective success
  • Core Attributes: Thrive in an async environment; Simplify technical complexity through writing, demos, and speaking; Relationship builder who creates and maintains genuine, valuable connections; Genuinely passionate about digital infrastructure and the future of the industry; Able to toggle between 30,000-foot vision and ground-level execution; Comfortable with ambiguity and capable of creating structure where none exists
Benefits
  • Datum’s mission is to help 1k clouds thrive in the AI era by unlocking internet superpowers for every builder
  • Significant production experience building and running scaled, containerized VMs or microkernels for real users in multi-tenant environments
  • Production experience building with Kubernetes and can work inside it with accuracy and speed
  • Experience with CNIs, eBPF, VPP, DPDK, or other software-first packet and routing infra
  • You regularly use public and alt clouds, as well as service providers, and have strong opinions about the experience
  • You’re an operator at heart. You don’t tolerate manual deployments or slow builds
  • You’re comfortable with next-gen tools and ways of working, from Cursor to Claude
  • You have a track record of using, building, and contributing to open source
Applicant Tracking System Keywords

Tip: use these terms in your resume and cover letter to boost ATS matches.

Hard Skills & Tools
infrastructure engineeringsoftware developmentplatform operationsautomationAPI integrationopen sourcenetwork optimizationperformance engineeringsecurity engineeringproblem-solving
Soft Skills
high emotional intelligencerelationship buildinghumilitycreativitydecision-makingcustomer obsessionadaptabilitycommunicationcollaborationpassion for digital infrastructure