Software Engineer – Programming Languages Team

Forward was founded in 2013 by four Stanford Ph.D.s, building the industry's first network digital twin: a mathematically accurate model of the production network. It's the foundation for autonomous networking, giving engineers and AI agents the ability to know the impact of every change before it touches production. That founding instinct still defines how we work. We're accurate and evidence-driven, relentless about clarity, and we'd rather be certain than comfortable, building a groundbreaking platform that transforms how teams run and secure networks across every major cloud and vendor environment.

Global leaders like Goldman Sachs, PayPal, S&P Global, IBM, and Dell trust Forward, alongside fast-growing enterprises and government agencies, realizing an average of $14.2 million in annual benefits, according to IDC. Backed by top-tier investors, including A. Capital, Andreessen Horowitz, Goldman Sachs, MSD Partners, Omega Venture Partners, Section 32, and Threshold Ventures, and headquartered in Santa Clara, we're most proud of our team: curious people who'd rather build what doesn't exist than accept how things have always been done.

Forward Networks is currently looking for a talented Software Engineer to join our NQE and Programming Languages team. This team develops NQE (Network Query Engine), a query engine for network data, enabling non-programmers to express custom data views, reports, and verifications on their networks. This team also maintains a suite of internally-used domain-specific languages that help deliver a reliable, robust experience with Forward Networks’ network verification and assurance software.

In addition to Java development, the NQE & Programming Languages Engineer will draw on concepts and techniques from the areas of programming languages (PL) and database systems (DBMS) to help develop the state-of-the-art network verification platform and improve how network operators manage networks today. Here are some of the types of problems that this engineer might be challenged with:

• Implement a cost-based query optimizer for NQE’s query language.
• Design extensions to a novel hierarchical text pattern-matching language.
• Design and implement a bidirectional parsing language and system.
• Collaborate with AI experts to design natural language interfaces to DSLs.

Responsibilities:

• Develop, enhance, and maintain our code base (primarily Java)
• Develop, enhance, and maintain NQE, leveraging various PL and DBMS techniques.
• Deliver a suite of domain-specific languages used in the development of Forward Enterprise.
• Build and support tools (such as IDE plugins providing language support) associated with the above domain-specific languages.

Requirements:

• BS in Computer Science or related degree; MS preferred
• 3+ years of work experience with Java, Scala or other similar languages (C#, F#, etc.)
• Strong object-oriented design and development skills

Nice to Haves:

• Strong functional programming skills with experience in at least one of the main functional programming languages, such as Scala, Haskell, OCaml, Scheme, F#, etc. Familiarity with functional programming idioms such as monads, functors, algebraic data types, and persistent data structures.
• Experience implementing parts of programming languages or domain specific languages (DSLs), such as implementing any of the following components: a parser for language syntax, a type checker or type inference algorithm, a compiler or evaluator, a static analysis or optimization pass, or editor support such as auto-completion and semantic information about programs
• Experience implementing parts of a database-like system, such as implementing a query parser, a query optimizer, execution pipeline, or storage format (like Parquet, etc.).
• Experience leveraging open source data systems libraries such as Apache Parquet, Iceberg or Datafusion.
• Experience analyzing and optimizing performance of complex applications, especially on JVM-based languages.
   

NOTE: Experience in the networking domain is NOT a requirement for this role but is a plus.