Principal Engineer, Secure AI Gateway

Responsibilities

• Architect and develop scalable, high-performance cloud security systems for detecting and mitigating threats against LLM APIs and generative AI applications.
• Set the architectural strategy and technical direction for the Cloud API Gateway platform.
• Define best practices for microservices, distributed systems, APIs, and secure data flows across LLM providers.
• Lead and inspire engineering teams while mentoring junior engineers and fostering technical excellence.
• Build Go-based services for API routing, transformation, security, traffic inspection, load balancing, and failover.
• Design dynamic routing and orchestration algorithms for multi-provider LLM environments.
• Integrate DLP, threat protection, and UEBA capabilities for attack recognition, content inspection, and policy enforcement.
• Implement credential and token management algorithms for secure orchestration.
• Conduct technical research, architectural reviews, and code reviews, and collaborate with product and globally distributed engineering teams.
• Represent the company in external forums and industry events focused on technical thought leadership.

Requirements

• 10 to 12+ years of software engineering experience, including 5+ years in an architectural or technical leadership role.
• Deep backend engineering expertise with Go or similar languages, including the ability to review Go, C, and C++ code.
• Proven experience designing large-scale, secure, cloud-native systems and high-throughput, low-latency data systems.
• Expertise in networking from Layer 3 through Layer 7, web proxies, load balancing, request routing, API gateways, security, observability, distributed systems, or data processing.
• Strong understanding of computer architecture, multithreading, CPU scheduling, memory management, and Linux system or kernel-level operation.
• Hands-on experience debugging Docker and Kubernetes workloads, networking, and storage in on-premises or hybrid environments.
• Experience handling complex and ambiguous customer issues and working with globally distributed teams across time zones.
• Strong communication, negotiation, analytical, troubleshooting, and technical leadership skills.
• Experience with debuggers such as gdb and tools such as Valgrind, plus knowledge of unit testing frameworks.
• Experience with LLM APIs, generative AI platforms, multi-provider orchestration, deep packet inspection, real-time content analysis, threat detection, DLP, security policy enforcement, key management, and credential handling.
• Knowledge of prompt injection, jailbreak mitigation, LLM-specific threat patterns, and emerging generative AI and cloud security challenges.
• BSCS or equivalent required; MSCS or equivalent strongly preferred.
• Startup experience is a plus.

Benefits

• Competitive total rewards package with potential bonus eligibility for non-sales employees and stock award program participation.
• Comprehensive health plan and other benefits available through Netskope Benefits.
• The role works with a globally distributed team across the US, Taiwan, and India and may involve external industry events.