Senior Engineer I, Smart Switch Software Development

Ovii's Interpretation of the Role

Senior Engineer I joining Netgear's Smart Switch firmware team in Chennai, building embedded Linux firmware for ARM64 and MIPS based networking devices. The role blends low‑level kernel work, protocol implementation, and AI‑augmented development to drive next‑gen switch platforms.

Role Snapshot

• Embedded Linux firmware development
• C programming for kernel modules
• Networking protocol implementation
• AI‑augmented coding workflow
• Cross‑compilation for ARM64/MIPS

Must-Have Requirements

• C programming for embedded Linux systems
• Linux kernel module development
• Experience with L2/L3 networking protocols
• ARM64 or MIPS cross‑compilation toolchains
• Embedded Linux build systems (Buildroot, OpenWrt, Yocto, or custom Makefiles)
• Debugging with GDB, strace, tcpdump, Wireshark
• Daily use of AI coding agents
• embedded software development
• networking protocol implementation
• B.Tech/B.E or M.Tech/M.E in Computer Science, Electronics, or related field

Nice-to-Have Signals

• Direct experience with switch ASIC SDKs (Realtek, Broadcom, Marvell)
• Experience with switch stacking or chassis‑based distributed systems
• Familiarity with SNMP, CLI frameworks, REST APIs for device management
• Contribution to open‑source networking packages
• Docker‑based build environments and CI/CD pipelines for firmware
• Git workflows in multi‑repository, multi‑product environments
• Agentic engineering workflow orchestration
• switch ASIC SDK work
• stacking/distributed systems
• network management protocols
• enterprise networking

Work Setup

• Location: Bengaluru, India
• Work mode: HYBRID
• Employment type: Full-Time

Not Specified in JD

• Visa sponsorship
• Salary range
• Remote eligibility
• Relocation
• Notice period
• Travel
• Security clearance
• Coding test
• Portfolio
• GitHub
• Writing sample
• Cover letter

What You'll Likely Work On

• Design and maintain the hardware abstraction layer and kernel modules that bridge switch ASIC SDKs to application software
• Implement, debug, and optimize L2/L3 protocol state machines such as STP, LLDP, LACP, 802.1X, and VLANs
• Develop and sustain firmware across ARM64 and MIPS platforms, ensuring code‑base consistency for multiple product families
• Drive stacking and distributed‑system features, including topology management, member election, and firmware upgrade coordination
• Lead code‑review processes, define C coding standards, and resolve performance, memory, and concurrency issues
• Maintain the GNU Make/Docker build system, support release engineering, and manage OSS compliance (SBOM)
• Collaborate with global engineering teams, participate in architecture and design reviews, and mentor junior engineers
• Leverage AI coding agents for code generation, review, debugging, and rapid prototyping while guiding team adoption

Good Fit If You Have

• Enjoys solving deep technical problems in embedded networking systems
• Comfortable using AI tools to accelerate development and validation
• Effective communicator who can work across time zones and mentor junior staff