Open Source Software Engineer for Stork (Web front end for network services) Full-time

ISC is a well-established non-profit corporation with a mission to provide open source solutions to help sustain the infrastructure of the Internet and protect against monopoly and centralized control.  We are experts in networking and open source.  The team is spread around the globe and works 100% remotely, although we stay in close communication via chat and frequent video calls.

Kea is a popular open source DHCPv4 and v6 server for Unix/Linux used by Internet service providers and enterprises with many features, including a well-documented RESTful API. BIND 9 is a widely-deployed DNS software system that performs a critical function on the Internet. Both Kea and BIND are considered reference implementations of the Internet standards in their areas. Stork is an easy-to-use graphical management tool that enables the operator to visualize the status and manage the configuration of one or more Kea or BIND servers.

We are looking for a software engineer to work on Stork with occasional contributions to the Kea project. This engineer will be part of the core development team and will be developing important new functionality.

Today Stork is lacking the ability to track DHCP leases (addresses assigned by Kea). Network operators need to be able to use Stork to identify and manage devices on their network using up to date lease information. This is a challenging task because of scaling and performance considerations in a busy network. One of the key goals for this position will be to implement the ability to effectively extract the lease information from Kea servers into Stork, and then process the lease data in various ways to provide the information the administrator needs. An older preliminary design is available on our Stork wiki. A Kea Rest API is also already available, although it may need to be extended or modified.

The software developed will be open source. The code developed will be developed in the open and available publicly on ISC’s GitLab and on GitHub.

• The technologies used in Stork: Go, Angular, Typescript, Docker, PostgreSQL, gRPC, Swagger
• The technologies used in Kea are: C++14, Boost, STL, MySQL, PostgreSQL

Responsibilities

• Working with the team to design and develop new features
• Implementing new features, following the team’s established processes (coding standards, peer reviews, tests, etc.)
• Writing documentation and help text
• Reviewing code changes

Time constraints:
18 months (fixed term contract)
We would like to find someone who can start by the end of June, 2025

Required Skills

• Spoken and written English at conversational level
• Experience with Go and Angular development
• Critical thinking, initiative, and a drive for improving existing solutions
• Strong skills in prioritization and time management
• Familiarity with Unix/BSD/Linux operating systems
• Self-motivation and self-control when working from home
• Ability to work in a team (follow the code development and review procedures, etc.)

Valuable Skills

• Some experience with C++, preferably at the C++14 level (Kea)
• Specific experience of Stork (earlier contributions to Stork are a significant plus)
• Specific experience with Kea (earlier contributions to Kea are a significant plus)
• Knowledge about networking, both from a theoretical as well as a practical standpoint
• Experience with Docker, PostgreSQL, MySQL
• Familiarity with open source tools and working environments (GitLab, GitHub)
• Any sort of prior involvement in work on open source software
• Adequate experience in a scientific or technical subject, this can include relevant coursework.

Location

Although ISC’s headquarters is in Newmarket, NH (USA), most of ISC’s staff work from their homes.
The entire DHCP development team works from home, so you will be managing your own work environment. We communicate constantly via instant messaging and email and have regular team meetings several times a week.
We expect that staff work forty hours a week, but within parameters set by their manager (e.g., available for meetings, having some overlap with other team members), staff can choose their own working hours. It is important that you are able to work during the European and US East Coast business day for collaboration with the rest of the team. Most of our developers and support customers are in Europe and the US.

• This position is suitable for working from home and for a person with children.
• Note that occasional international travel may be required to attend company and team meetings and/or conferences (approximately 1-2 times a year).
• We hire in so many different geographies, it isn’t possible to state a meaningful salary range but we are happy to discuss this during the interview.