Staff Build Systems Engineer

DDN is seeking a Staff Build Systems Engineer to own the build, packaging, and developer build infrastructure for Infinia Software Defined Storage (SDS). The role ensures fast, reproducible builds across C/C++, Go, and web UI components and delivers reliable container and Linux package artifacts. You will support a large, distributed engineering organization working across multiple repositories, maintaining and evolving a complex multi-repo build ecosystem powered by GitHub Actions and internal runners.

Why Join Us?

This role combines systems software, developer productivity, and product delivery. You will own a complex multi-component build ecosystem and modernize it without disrupting active development or releases.

End-to-End Ownership

Own and evolve build workflows from source checkout through compilation, packaging, publication, and installation validation. Define and modernize build architecture while maintaining and improving existing systems to ensure reliability and scalability.

Build Modernization

Introduce maintainable, scalable build technology while preserving existing product capabilities.

Developer Productivity

Reduce build times, improve diagnostics, and ensure consistency across developer and CI environments. Own and enhance local developer tooling, including build scripts and containerized dev environments. Lead CI/CD design and maintenance in collaboration with DevOps where needed, and drive release automation and artifact promotion workflows to streamline delivery.

Core Responsibilities

Own the technical direction and operational reliability of the product build ecosystem in partnership with Development, QA, Release, and DevOps.

Build Systems and Toolchains

Own C/C++, Go, and npm build workflows, including compilers, linkers, flags, dependencies, and configuration.

Reproducible Environments

Standardize containerized and host build environments and maintain local, CI, and release branch consistency.

Internal Build Automation

Maintain orchestration utilities for component builds, full-product builds, packaging, and deployment preparation.

Failure Diagnosis

Resolve compiler, linker, dependency, packaging, platform, and developer-versus-CI issues.

Artifacts and Packaging

Produce versioned container images and Debian/RPM packages; validate dependencies, installation, upgrades, and rollback.

CI and Artifact Repositories

Integrate builds with CI platforms and repositories such as Nexus, JFrog Artifactory, Harbor, or Quay.

Build Performance

Improve clean and incremental build times through caching, parallelism, dependency tracking, and measurement.

What You’ll Work On

Build-System Modernization

Inventory SCons logic and evaluate CMake, Meson/Ninja, Bazel, and other suitable alternatives.

Prototyping and Migration

Benchmark alternatives and deliver staged migration with compatibility, validation, and rollback plans.

Multi-Platform Delivery

Support multiple processor architectures, Linux distributions, build variants, and release branches.

Technical Leadership

Write designs, set standards, review changes, mentor engineers, and drive cross-team decisions.

Required Skills

All of the following skills are mandatory

Experience

8+ years in software, build engineering, developer infrastructure, or a closely related field.

C/C++ Builds

Strong Linux compilation and linking knowledge with GCC/Clang and SCons, Make, CMake, Meson, Ninja, or Bazel.

Automation

Strong Python and Bash skills for maintainable build tooling and diagnostics.

Other Ecosystems

Practical experience with Go build tooling and Node.js/npm workflows.

Containers

Experience with Docker-based build environments and multi-stage images.

Linux Packaging

Hands-on Debian and RPM packaging, dependency management, versioning, installation, upgrades, and publication.

CI/CD

Build-system integration with GitHub Actions, Jenkins, GitLab CI, or equivalent platforms and artifact repositories.

Collaboration

Strong troubleshooting, documentation, communication, ownership, and cross-team technical leadership.

Preferred Skills

The following skills are desirable but not mandatory

DDN Confidential

Build Acceleration

ccache, sccache, distributed builds, remote execution, or comparable optimization technologies.

Secure Builds

Hermetic builds, dependency pinning, provenance, SBOMs, signing, or software supply chain security.

Migration Experience

Migration from a legacy build system to CMake, Meson/Ninja, Bazel, or a comparable platform.

Systems Software

Storage, networking, operating system, compiler, or other performance-critical software.

Developer Productivity

Build-health metrics, engineering standards, documentation, and self-service developer workflows.