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DigitalOcean

Director, Virtual Networking

Posted 2 Days Ago
Be an Early Applicant
Hybrid
Seattle, WA
198K-248K Annually
Expert/Leader
Hybrid
Seattle, WA
198K-248K Annually
Expert/Leader
Leads DigitalOcean’s Virtual Networking organization and multi-year strategy. Oversees architecture, development, reliability, security, and operation of cloud-scale networking services including VPC, DNS, gateways, DDoS protection, and firewalls. Builds and mentors engineering teams, drives operational excellence, partners across engineering and product, and shapes networking investments supporting global infrastructure and AI workloads.
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Dive in and do the best work of your career at DigitalOcean. Journey alongside a strong community of top talent who are relentless in their drive to build the simplest scalable cloud. If you have a growth mindset, naturally like to think big and bold, and are energized by the fast-paced environment of a true industry disruptor, you’ll find your place here.  We value winning together—while learning, having fun, and making a profound difference for the dreamers and builders in the world. 

At DigitalOcean, we believe the cloud should be a springboard, not a barrier.

As AI workloads become increasingly distributed and data-intensive, networking is one of the foundational technologies that enables secure, reliable, and scalable cloud infrastructure. We're looking for an exceptional engineering leader to own the strategy, execution, and operation of DigitalOcean's Virtual Networking organization.

Reporting to the Senior Director of Networking, you will lead the organization responsible for the core networking platforms that power DigitalOcean services and customer workloads. This includes VPC, Public/Private/Global DNS, gateway services, DDoS protection, Network Firewall, and other foundational networking services. Your organization will design, build, and operate more than 12 cloud-scale, multi-tenant networking services that enable secure, resilient connectivity within and across DigitalOcean's global infrastructure.

This is a highly strategic leadership role responsible for defining the long-term vision for Virtual Networking while building a world-class engineering organization that delivers reliable, secure, and scalable networking services for millions of developers and businesses.

What You'll Do:Own the Virtual Networking Strategy

Define and execute the multi-year strategy for DigitalOcean's Virtual Networking platform, delivering the foundational networking services that power customer workloads and DigitalOcean's cloud platform.

Build the Next Generation of Networking Services

Lead the architecture, development, and operation of cloud-scale, multi-tenant networking services, including VPC, DNS, gateway services, DDoS protection, Network Firewall, and future networking capabilities that support the evolving needs of AI and cloud-native workloads.

Deliver Reliable Cloud Services

Own the availability, scalability, security, and operational excellence of more than 20 production networking services. Establish engineering mechanisms and operational practices that enable the organization to operate reliably at cloud scale.

Lead a High-Performing Engineering Organization

Recruit, develop, and mentor engineering managers and senior engineers while fostering a culture of technical excellence, accountability, innovation, and customer obsession.

Partner Across Engineering

Collaborate closely with Physical Networking, Compute, Storage, GPU, Security, Product, and Infrastructure teams to deliver integrated networking capabilities that simplify the customer experience and accelerate product innovation.

Drive Operational Excellence

Establish engineering metrics, operational reviews, reliability goals, and automation that improve service availability, operational efficiency, and engineering velocity across the Virtual Networking portfolio.

Influence Product Strategy

Partner with Product Management to shape the networking roadmap, prioritize investments, and deliver differentiated networking capabilities that enable customer growth and DigitalOcean's long-term business strategy.

What You'll Bring:Executive Leadership
  • Experience leading multiple engineering teams or organizations responsible for cloud infrastructure or networking platforms.
  • Proven ability to build and scale high-performing engineering teams through strong technical leadership, organizational design, and operational excellence.
  • Strong cross-functional leadership skills with a track record of influencing engineering, product, and executive stakeholders.
Technical Expertise
  • Deep expertise in cloud networking, distributed systems, and large-scale software platforms.
  • Experience designing and operating highly available, multi-tenant networking services such as VPC, DNS, gateways, load balancing, firewalls, service networking, or adjacent cloud networking technologies.
  • Strong understanding of networking architecture, cloud infrastructure, security, and reliability engineering.
Execution Excellence
  • Demonstrated success delivering large-scale, cross-functional initiatives from strategy through execution.
  • Experience defining engineering metrics, operational mechanisms, and service reliability practices that improve customer experience and engineering efficiency.
  • Excellent communication skills with the ability to translate complex technical challenges into clear business outcomes.
Compensation Range: 
  • $198,000 - $248,000

*This is a hybrid role

JR: 2026-8168

#LI-Hybrid


Why You’ll Like Working for DigitalOcean
  • We innovate with purpose. You’ll be a part of a cutting-edge technology company with an upward trajectory, who are proud to simplify cloud and AI so builders can spend more time creating software that changes the world. As a member of the team, you will be a Shark who thinks big, bold, and scrappy, like an owner with a bias for action and a powerful sense of responsibility for customers, products, employees, and decisions.
  • We prioritize career development. At DO, you’ll do the best work of your career. You will work with some of the smartest and most interesting people in the industry. We are a high-performance organization that will always challenge you to think big. Our organizational development team will provide you with resources to ensure you keep growing. We provide employees with reimbursement for relevant conferences, training, and education. All employees have access to LinkedIn Learning's 10,000+ courses to support their continued growth and development.
  • We care about your well-being. Regardless of your location, we will provide you with a competitive array of benefits to support you from our Employee Assistance Program to Local Employee Meetups to flexible time off policy, to name a few. While the philosophy around our benefits is the same worldwide, specific benefits may vary based on local regulations and preferences.
  • We reward our employees. The salary range for this position is based on market data, relevant years of experience, and skills. You may qualify for a bonus in addition to base salary; bonus amounts are determined based on company and individual performance. We also provide equity compensation to eligible employees, including equity grants upon hire and the option to participate in our Employee Stock Purchase Program.
  • DigitalOcean is an equal-opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.

Application Limit: You may apply to a maximum of 3 positions within any 180-day period. This policy promotes better role-candidate matching and encourages thoughtful applications where your qualifications align most strongly.

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