Principal VM Engineer

**About Us** At Cloudflare, we are on a mission to help build a better Internet. Today the company runs one of the world’s largest networks that powers millions of websites and other Internet properties for customers ranging from individual bloggers to SMBs to Fortune 500 companies. Cloudflare protects and accelerates any Internet application online without adding hardware, installing software, or changing a line of code. Internet properties powered by Cloudflare all have web traffic routed through its intelligent global network, which gets smarter with every request. As a result, they see significant improvement in performance and a decrease in spam and other attacks. Cloudflare was named to Entrepreneur Magazine’s Top Company Cultures list and ranked among the World’s Most Innovative Companies by Fast Company. At Cloudflare, we’re not looking for people who wait for a polished roadmap; we’re looking for the builders who see the cracks in the Internet that everyone else has simply learned to live with. We value candidates who have the instinct to spot a "normalized" problem and the AI-native curiosity to create a solution using the latest tools. Our culture is built on iteration, leveraging AI to ship faster today to make it better tomorrow, while ensuring that every improvement, no matter how small, is shared across the team to lift everyone up. If you’re the type of person who values curiosity over bureaucracy, and that AI is a partner in solving tough problems to keep the Internet moving forward, you’ll fit right in. #### **Available Locations: Remote in US and Europe** #### **Principal VM Engineer – Workers Runtime Team** ##### **About the Department** The **Emerging Technologies & Incubation (ETI)** team at Cloudflare builds and launches bold, new products that push the boundaries of what’s possible on the internet. By leveraging Cloudflare’s massive network and edge computing capabilities, we solve complex problems at a scale few others can achieve. ##### **About the Team** The **Workers Runtime team** is responsible for the execution environment that runs customer code at the edge. We focus on **performance, security, and scalability**, enhancing **JavaScript APIs, WebAssembly support, and system optimizations** to prepare for the next **10x scale increase**. Our runtime operates in a **resource-constrained, highly secure environment**, requiring careful management of **memory, CPU, and I/O**. ##### **What You'll Do** We are looking for a **VM Engineer** to help improve and embed the **V8 virtual machine** in our runtime. You’ll work on **low-level optimizations, performance enhancements, garbage collection, and language support** to ensure our platform remains cutting-edge. This role is ideal for engineers who love tackling **high-performance, low-latency challenges** in distributed environments. ##### **Key Responsibilities** - **Optimize and embed the V8 VM** within Cloudflare’s Workers Runtime. - Improve **JavaScript execution performance** and **WebAssembly integration**. - Debug, optimize, and enhance **low-latency, real-time environments**. - Ensure the reliability and efficiency of **large-scale, Linux-based distributed systems**. - Collaborate with engineers across **runtime, security, and networking teams** to push the boundaries of edge computing. ##### **What We're Looking For** - **6+ years of professional experience with C++.** - **4+ years of hands-on VM/compiler experience**, ideally with **V8**. - Strong knowledge of **computer science fundamentals**, including **data structures, algorithms, and system architecture**. - Experience with **low-latency environments** (e.g., game streaming, trading systems, high-performance computing). - Operational mindset – you build **scalable, production-ready** solutions. - Deep understanding of **web technologies** (HTTP, JavaScript, WASM). ##### **Bonus Points** - Experience working with **Rust** in high-performance distributed systems. - Familiarity with **serverless platforms** and **cloud computing**. - Deep knowledge of **JS engine internals** (V8, SpiderMonkey, JavaScriptCore). - Experience with **standalone WebAssembly runtimes** (Wasmtime, Wasmer, Lucet). - Strong expertise in **Linux/UNIX systems, kernels, and networking**. - Contributions to **large open-source projects**. This is an exciting opportunity to work on **cutting-edge compiler and runtime technologies** at an **unmatched scale**. If you're passionate about **high-performance computing, distributed systems, and compilers**, we’d love to hear from you! **What Makes Cloudflare Special?** We’re not just a highly ambitious, large-scale technology company. We’re a highly ambitious, large-scale technology company with a soul. Fundamental to our mission to help build a better Internet is protecting the free and open Internet. [**Project Galileo**](https://blog.cloudflare.com/protecting-free-expression-online/): Since 2014, we've equipped more than 2,400 journalism and civil society organizations in 111 countries with powerful tools to defend themselves against attacks that would otherwise censor their work, technology already used by Cloudflare’s enterprise customers--at no cost. **[Athenian Project](https://www.cloudflare.com/athenian/)**: In 2017, we created the Athenian Project to ensure that state and local governments have the highest level of protection and reliability for free, so that their constituents have access to election information and voter registration. Since the project, we've provided services to more than 425 local government election websites in 33 states. [**1.1.1.1**](https://1.1.1.1/): We released [1.1.1.1](https://1.1.1.1/) to help fix the foundation of the Internet by building a faster, more secure and privacy-centric public DNS resolver. This is available publicly for everyone to use - it is the first consumer-focused service Cloudflare has ever released. Here’s the deal - we don’t store client IP addresses never, ever. We will continue to abide by our [privacy commitment](https://developers.cloudflare.com/1.1.1.1/privacy/public-dns-resolver) and ensure that no user data is sold to advertisers or used to target consumers. Sound like something you’d like to be a part of? We’d love to hear from you! This position may require access to information protected under U.S. export control laws, including the U.S. Export Administration Regulations. Please note that any offer of employment may be conditioned on your authorization to receive software or technology controlled under these U.S. export laws without sponsorship for an export license. Cloudflare is proud to be an equal opportunity employer.  We are committed to providing equal employment opportunity for all people and place great value in both diversity and inclusiveness.  All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to their, or any other person's, perceived or actualrace, color, religion, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, citizenship, age, physical or mental disability, medical condition, family care status, or any other basis protected by law. We are an AA/Veterans/Disabled Employer. Cloudflare provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals with disabilities.  Please tell us if you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job. Examples of reasonable accommodations include, but are not limited to, changing the application process, providing documents in an alternate format, using a sign language interpreter, or using specialized equipment.  If you require a reasonable accommodation to apply for a job, please contact us via e-mail at [email protected] or via mail at 101 Townsend St. San Francisco, CA 94107.