Sr. Software Engineer II - Sensor, Linux Guardian (Hybrid)
Company: CrowdStrike
Locations: Sunnyvale, California, United States; New York, New York, United States; Austin, Texas, United States; Redmond, Washington, United States
Salary: $160K – $260K a year
Work arrangement: Hybrid, 3 days a week in the office
Employment type: Full-time
Experience: 5-10 years
Posted: 2026-11-03
Responsibilities
Design and develop enterprise-quality Linux system software for large-scale server and cloud environments. Lead technical proposals, mentor junior engineers, and resolve complex production incidents.
Requirements
Requires high-quality C/C++ development skills and deep understanding of Linux kernel internals and multi-threading. Candidates must demonstrate strong problem-solving instincts and the ability to influence technical direction across teams.
Skills
- C
- C++
- Linux
- Kernel internals
- System software debugging
- Multi-threading
- Distributed systems
- eBPF
- Endpoint security
- EDR
- Agile
- Technical leadership
- Mentoring
- Performance analysis
- Software architecture
Benefits
- Health insurance
- 401k
- Paid time off
- Equity awards
- Physical and mental wellness programs
- Paid parental leave
- Adoption leave
- Professional development opportunities
About this role
As a global leader in cybersecurity, CrowdStrike protects the people, processes and technologies that drive modern organizations. Since 2011, our mission hasn’t changed — we’re here to stop breaches, and we’ve redefined modern security with the world’s most advanced AI-native platform. We work on large scale distributed systems, processing almost 3 trillion events per day and this traffic is growing daily. Our customers span all industries, and they count on CrowdStrike to keep their businesses running, their communities safe and their lives moving forward. We're proud to work for a mission-driven company leveraging AI to transform the way we work. CrowdStrikers drive their careers through flexibility and autonomy while also being expected to contribute to a culture of responsible AI adoption, experimentation, and innovation. We use an AI-first mindset as a force multiplier to proactively and continuously accelerate execution, build expertise, uncover insights, and solve complex problems. We’re always looking to add talented CrowdStrikers to the team who have limitless passion, a relentless focus on innovation and a fanatical commitment to our customers, our community and each other. Ready to join a mission that matters? The future of cybersecurity starts with you.
About the Role:
CrowdStrike Falcon Host is a two-component security product. One component is a “sensor”: a driver installed on client machines that observes system activity and recognizes malicious behavior, then provides on-box prevention capability and remote telemetry to the Falcon Host cloud. The sensor processes thousands of events per second to provide deep visibility into operations on the endpoint, and performs rich correlation and computation to identify malicious events and blocks malicious activity.
The cloud component aggregates sensor telemetry for each customer’s network, correlates malicious behavior across multiple machines, and presents our customers’ operations teams with a prioritized summary of the threats detected in their environments.
This is a Senior Software Development Engineer 2 role in the engineering team that delivers the sensor (lightweight agent) on Linux. SDE’s in the team own design and development of core features on the platform. Features will cross-cut most core OS subsystems such as file system, memory, process, and networking. Many features are also built in a way that they will have shared components across Windows and Mac. The team operates under the Agile development principles and ships frequently.
Location:
This role is hybrid, requiring 2-3 days per week on-site at one of the posted locations.
What You'll Do:
Design and develop enterprise quality Linux system software for deployment on a large scale server and cloud environments
Drive technical proposals and design docs; lead design reviews for your area and provide substantive review feedback that raises the bar for the whole team
Represent the team's technical position in cross-org planning and architecture discussions; communicate tradeoffs and risks clearly to engineering, product, and program partners
Participate in planning; help scope work, identify dependencies, and flag technical risk early
Mentor and grow more junior engineers through direct feedback, pairing, and collaborative code and design review
Investigate and resolve production incidents and complex escalations; build the team's shared knowledge of failure modes at fleet scale
Champion improvements in end-to-end testing and validation for components with strict correctness and reliability requirements
What You’ll Need:
Can develop high-quality code in C/C++ and can demonstrate that capability, be it through job experience, schoolwork, or contributions to community projects
Experience on Linux developing product code with the following characteristics:High concurrency requirements needing strong use of multi-threadingHigh reliability requirements
Detailed understanding on low-level operating characteristics (kernel internals, memory usage, kernel level performance analysis).
Very strong kernel and system software debugging skills.
Experience working on a team to ship major features and releases.
Able to communicate, collaborate, and work effectively in a distributed team.
Solid design and problem-solving instincts; ability to own ambiguous technical problems and drive them to clean resolution
Ability to influence technical direction across team boundaries without direct authority, using design docs, prototypes, and well-reasoned technical positions
Strong written and verbal communication; able to convey complex technical topics clearly to both technical and non-technical audiences
Proven experience utilizing AI technologies to enhance decision-making, streamline workflows and processes, improve efficiency and drive business outcomes.
Bonus Points
Past experience with Linux eBPF and other tracing technologies.
Background in endpoint security, EDR, kernel-adjacent software, or sensor platform engineering
Open source Linux kernel contributions, technical writing, or a visible engineering presence through conference talks or published work.
#LI-CW1
Benefits of Working at CrowdStrike:
Market leader in compensation and equity awards
Comprehensive physical and mental wellness programs
Competitive vacation and holidays for recharge
Paid parental and adoption leaves
Professional development opportunities for all employees regardless of level or role
Employee Networks, geographic neighborhood groups, and volunteer opportunities to build connections
Vibrant office culture with world class amenities
Great Place to Work Certified™ across the globe
CrowdStrike is proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering a culture of belonging where everyone is valued for who they are and empowered to succeed. We support veterans and individuals with disabilities through our affirmative action program.
CrowdStrike is committed to providing equal employ...
About CrowdStrike
Computer and Network Security · 5,001-10,000 employees · headquartered in Remote