Reference Solution Engineer — Telco & MSSP
Location: Flexible / Remote (EMEA)
Team: CSE Solutions Telco & MSSP EMEA — Validation & Lab Circle
About the role:
Our CSE Solutions team builds and validates the reference architectures that Fortinet's largest service provider and MSSP customers deploy in production. We don't just write slideware — we build, test, and ship Reference Solution Stacks (RSS) as executable artifacts, with validation pipelines that prove they work at carrier scale.
We're looking for an engineer who treats validation as a first-class discipline: someone who can stand up a multi-vendor topology, push it to its limits, and turn the results into evidence the field can sell on.
What you'll do:
Design and execute validation campaigns for Telco and MSSP reference architectures, with a focus on CGNAT, SecGW, SD-WAN, uniSASE, and large-scale firewalling
Build performance and scalability test plans using tools like Spirent, Ixia/Keysight and FortiTester
Contribute to Reference Solution Stack (RSS) — your validation work is the artifact's release gate
Automate test execution and reporting through CI pipelines so results are reproducible, not one-off heroics
Work directly with field SEs on customer-driven validation requests, turning real opportunities into reusable evidence
Feed findings back into Product Management and Engineering to shape what gets built next
Produce clear technical documentation, live demos and Proof of concepts, and customer-facing reports
What we need:
Strong networking foundation: routing, switching, IPsec, BGP, QoS, and security fundamentals
Hands-on experience in service provider, large enterprise, or MSSP environments — production scale, not just lab toys
Solid Linux, scripting (Python or Bash), and comfort with virtualization (KVM, OpenShift and Hyperscalers)
Sharp troubleshooting instincts across multi-layer, multi-vendor systems
Ability to drive your own work — we run on consent-based governance, not micromanagement.
The Validation & Lab Team has flat decision-making, clear role accountabilities, and high autonomy over your domain. If that sounds refreshing, you'll fit. If you want a top-down hierarchy, you won't.
Bonus points for:
Traffic generator experience (Spirent / Ixia / FortiTester)
CI/CD for infrastructure: GitLab CI, Jenkins, pipeline-driven testing
Telco protocol depth: GTP, Diameter, 5G core, carrier-grade NAT
Experience writing Infrastructure-as-Code (Terraform, Ansible) or treating documentation as code
Why this role:
You'll work on the reference architectures that show up in the largest service provider RFPs in EMEA
Your validation results directly drive multi-million-euro deals — your work is visible and consequential
You'll help shape how Fortinet productises validation as code, not as a deliverable
#LI-NC1
Skills Required
- Strong networking foundation: routing, switching, IPsec, BGP, QoS, and security fundamentals
- Hands-on experience in service provider, large enterprise, or MSSP production-scale environments
- Solid Linux skills and scripting (Python or Bash)
- Comfort with virtualization and cloud/hypervisor platforms (KVM, OpenShift, Hyperscalers)
- Sharp troubleshooting instincts across multi-layer, multi-vendor systems
- Ability to work independently and drive own validation work
- Traffic generator experience (Spirent, Ixia/Keysight, FortiTester)
- CI/CD for infrastructure and pipeline-driven testing (GitLab CI, Jenkins)
- Telco protocol depth (GTP, Diameter, 5G core)
- Experience with Infrastructure-as-Code / automation (Terraform, Ansible)
Fortinet Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about Fortinet and has not been reviewed or approved by Fortinet.
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Affordable Benefits — Medical coverage includes a no-premium HDHP option with HSA funding alongside PPO/HMO choices, reducing employee costs at enrollment. Eligibility starts on the date of hire and includes company-paid life and disability coverage.
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Wellbeing & Lifestyle Benefits — Mental-health access through Modern Health and an EAP offers therapy, coaching, and counseling resources. Lifestyle extras such as legal assistance, commuter benefits, pet-insurance discounts, and subsidized meals and snacks enhance everyday support.
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Strong & Reliable Incentives — Compensation packages include annual bonuses, sales commissions, and stock awards. Earnings potential can be strong in sales when quotas are realistic and attainment is high.
Fortinet Insights
What We Do
Fortinet develops and sells cybersecurity solutions.
