Software Engineer

About Tailscale

Tailscale is building the new Internet by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, regardless of their location. Teams of all sizes, from hobbyists to multinational corporations, rely on Tailscale daily to protect their networks and share access to internal tools. Founded in 2019 and operating as a fully distributed company, Tailscale is backed by prominent investors including Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital.

Job Description

We are seeking a skilled and diligent full-time Software Engineer to join our growing team. You will work as part of the engineering team to:

• Support and enable internal business units through shared engineering services and functionalities, building the tools and processes necessary for those teams to succeed.
• Cultivate relationships with multiple stakeholders across the organization to understand and meet their needs with projects you will own end-to-end.
• Collaborate directly with internal customer-facing teams to empower their mission and enhance their daily operations. Work with product engineering to extract the data required to drive business decisions.
• Example deliverables in this role might include:
• Enhancing observability through metrics, alerting, logging, and telemetry integration.
• Identifying and implementing improvements for Continuous Deployment pipelines.
• Utilizing infrastructure as code to manage changes in a cloud environment.
• Collaborating with other engineering teams on cross-functional infrastructure improvements.
• Automating upgrades for managed services and virtual machines.

As an early-stage, fully-remote company, we are looking for a highly motivated individual capable of driving product forward. Essential skills include the ability to think critically, collaborate effectively with highly technical teams, and comfortably work asynchronously.

Key Responsibilities

• Collaborate within a team of engineers to design, build, test, and document core software components.
• Exhibit ownership of the running services that constitute Tailscale’s product by building for observability, participating in incident response, and handling customer support escalations.
• Analyze and improve the efficiency, scalability, and stability of various system resources.

What We Are Looking For

• Experience with CI/CD, secrets management, infrastructure as code, and observability tools.
• Experience with distributed systems.
• Experience operating managed services in a cloud environment (preferably AWS).
• Experience operating Kubernetes in production is a strong plus.
• Familiarity with networking concepts (e.g., IP addressing, routing).
• Experience with the Go programming language is a plus, as most non-frontend components are developed in Go.
• Ability to provide and receive constructive feedback, and to work independently.
• Flexibility to adapt to the dynamic nature of a startup environment.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.

Tailscale is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. The compensation package includes base salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits. The salary range displayed represents the target range for a new hire's base salary, which may vary based on experience and skill set.

US Pay Range: $181,000 - $226,000 USD

What We Offer

• An inclusive, flexible environment: Embrace your authentic self in a culture that values diverse voices and backgrounds, offering flexibility in how and when you work.
• A competitive total compensation package: Includes base salary, equity incentive plan, and variable commission (for quota-based roles).
• Comprehensive group benefits with no waiting period: Coverage for health, vision, dental, and more for you and your family.
• Remote-first company: Enjoy the flexibility of working from anywhere with Wi-Fi, participate in virtual and in-person social events, and utilize our corporate co-working program.
• Connect with other Tailscalars IRL: Attend our annual company retreat, participate in team off-sites, and collaborate in person with teammates across different regions. We support intentional in-person connection.
• Support for personal and professional development: Access $1500 USD annually for professional development, mentorship, coaching, and internal promotion opportunities.
• Paid time off and healthy work-life integration: A flexible PTO program supports various life events.
• A build-your-own home office setup: Choose your company-owned laptop, receive a monthly home internet reimbursement, and a stipend for workstation customization.
• Generous parental leave program: Benefit from parental leave top-ups for up to 26 weeks from your first day.