Go Core Client Engineer

About Tailscale

Tailscale is building the new Internet by delivering software that makes it easy to securely interconnect people and their devices, no matter where they are. From hobbyists to multinational corporations, teams of every size use Tailscale each day to protect their networks, share access to internal tools, and more.

We're building a future for the Internet that's easy, sensible, and safe, like it used to be. Founded in 2019 and fully distributed, we're backed by Accel, CRV, Insight, Heavybit, and Uncork Capital.

Job Description

We’re hiring a Go Core Client Engineer. This remote role is for an engineer who will design, implement, and operate the Go-based shared client code that powers our product.

You’ll work on core client subsystems: connection management, NAT traversal, control connection, encrypted transport, client lifecycle, and cross-platform runtime. You will be expected to ship end-to-end features, and improve reliability, performance, and observability.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, implement, test, and maintain core client features in Go: connection orchestration, reconnection strategies, NAT traversal, encrypted transport lifecycle, and sync logic

• Ship end-to-end client work: design, implementation, launch, and observability (metrics, logs, traces)

• Diagnose and reduce client performance and reliability issues

• Collaborate closely with product, per-platform clients, and platform teams

• Champion engineering excellence by driving code quality, architectural reviews, and design documentation

• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to other engineers, fostering a culture of learning and knowledge sharing

What We Are Looking For

The list below captures the skills and experiences we use to evaluate candidates. A strong candidate will typically demonstrate a subset of those items. You don’t need to meet every bullet to be a good fit, and we consider the overall combination of skills, growth potential, and impact.

• Strong production experience writing and shipping Go code (experience with Go is required)

• Experience operating large Go codebases and designing robust client or distributed systems

• Startup mindset: flexibility to adjust to changing priorities and thrive in an async, remote environment

• Strong written and verbal communication and the ability to collaborate across product and engineering stakeholders

Nice to Have

• Experience with concurrency, performance tuning, and debugging

• Solid networking and systems fundamentals: IP, routing, NATs, TCP/UDP, and TLS

• Experience with P2P, WireGuard or similar encrypted transports and NAT traversal techniques

Compensation

As a company, we strive to maintain fair and equitable compensation practices within our team across all roles and all levels. Tailscale's compensation package includes base salary, equity, and comprehensive benefits.

The salary range displayed on each job posting represents the target range for a new hire's base salary. Individual offers may vary based on experience and skill set.

CAN Pay Range: $218,420 - $302,840 CAD

Frequently cited statistics show that people who identify with historically marginalized groups are likely to apply to jobs only if they meet 100% of the qualifications. We encourage you to help us break that statistic!

What We Offer

• An inclusive, flexible environment where you can be your authentic self

• A competitive total compensation package (base salary, equity incentive plan, and variable commission for quota-based roles)

• Comprehensive group benefits with no waiting period (health, vision, dental, and more for you and your family)

• Remote-first company — most of our teams work fully remotely, with options for co-working spaces and intentional in-person collaboration

• Opportunities to connect IRL: annual company retreat, team off-sites, and distributed collaboration across Canada, the U.S., and the U.K.

• Support for personal and professional development ($1500 USD annually for professional growth, mentorship, coaching, and promotion opportunities)

• Flexible paid time off program for any situation life throws your way

• Build-your-own home office setup: choose your laptop, monthly internet reimbursement, and $1000 USD to customize your workstation

• Generous parental leave program from your first day (top-ups for up to 26 weeks)

• Commitment to accessible and inclusive hiring processes — accommodations available at any stage of recruitment