The internet's evolution has progressed through distinct phases. Cisco became synonymous with the internet itself, providing the foundational infrastructure that enabled client-server architectures and established the backbone of global connectivity. Subsequently, API gateways and platforms like MuleSoft facilitated human-to-web commerce. We are now entering a phase defined by autonomous agent-to-agent communication, a fundamental shift towards interconnected intelligent systems.

Just as Cisco and API gateway technologies defined their respective eras, Tetrate is now defining the next generation of the internet. We are building the foundational platform that enables secure, scalable, and efficient communication between Large Language Models (LLMs) and autonomous agents. By architecting the control plane for these complex interactions, we are establishing the core infrastructure for the next phase of interconnected AI systems.

We're seeking a Technical Lead to own and evolve the core of our multi-cluster control plane, with a deep focus on Envoy Proxy. You'll design and implement high-performance extensions—custom filters, xDS enhancements, and advanced listener/cluster logic—powering Tetrate Service Bridge (TSB) and Tetrate Istio Subscription Plus (TIS+). This role blends low-level systems work with large-scale distributed design, driving features like AI-aware traffic shaping, intelligent policy enforcement, and real-time observability. You'll collaborate closely with the Envoy and Istio open-source communities, contribute upstream, and help shape the future of cloud-native networking at scale.

What You'll Do

• Design and implement core Envoy extensions and filters, working hands-on in C++ to build production-grade proxy features for high-throughput, mission-critical workloads.
• Lead by example—write code, guide system architecture, debug complex networking behavior, and own the full development lifecycle for core data plane functionality.
• Innovate at the intersection of AI and service mesh, enabling AI-aware traffic shaping, adaptive routing, and intelligent observability between autonomous agents and LLMs.
• Prototype and integrate AI-powered control plane features, such as real-time anomaly detection, ML-informed policy enforcement, or behavior prediction from Envoy telemetry.
• Work across the stack, ensuring seamless integration of Envoy with Tetrate Service Bridge (TSB), Tetrate Istio Subscription Plus (TIS+), Kubernetes, and cloud-native environments.
• Engage directly with customers, translating complex networking and security needs into extensible, scalable Envoy-based solutions.
• Drive upstream contributions, collaborating with the Envoy and Istio open-source communities to advance the ecosystem and maintain technical leadership.
• Mentor and collaborate with a high-performing team, fostering a culture of engineering excellence, experimentation, and technical depth.

Required Qualifications

• Deep expertise in Envoy proxy internals, including filters, listener/cluster config, xDS APIs, and performance tuning under high load.
• Strong C++ development skills, especially in systems or networking contexts—you've built or extended proxies, compilers, or similarly complex software.
• Experience building distributed systems and service meshes, ideally with Istio or similar cloud-native platforms.
• Deep understanding of security principles, including Zero Trust networking, mTLS, identity-aware routing, and fine-grained policy management across clusters and tenants.
• Hands-on experience operating cloud-native infrastructure at scale, particularly Kubernetes, microservices orchestration, and observability pipelines (e.g., Prometheus, OpenTelemetry, Jaeger).
• Track record of upstream contributions (or equivalent experience), and comfort working in open-source collaboration environments.
• Excellent communication and mentorship skills, with the ability to lead architectural conversations, build consensus, and elevate team output.

Preferred Qualifications

• Understanding of AI system patterns—such as model serving, real-time inference, or agent-based architecture—and curiosity to push the boundary between networking and intelligent coordination.
• Fundamentals-based problem-solving skills; Drive decision by function, first principles based mindset. We are not “title” driven and we value results over process
• Demonstrate bias-to-action and avoid analysis-paralysis; Drive action to the finish line with high quality and on time
• You are ego-less when searching for the best ideas; You contribute effectively outside of your specialty; You think about solving problems from the standpoint of the best outcome for the team
• Values autonomy and results over process

Location: We are a fully distributed company with a presence in 15 countries globally, and we welcome talent from anywhere. This role specifically requires coverage of the North American time zone, so you must be willing to work within those hours.