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Everything we do centers around people. That means we obsess over how to make the lives of our customers, and their customers, better. And it means we prioritize a diverse F5 community where each individual can thrive.
Job Summary
We are looking for a highly skilled Senior Software Engineer with strong expertise in Kubernetes, networking, dataplane technologies, IPSec, and Internet protocols. The candidate will design, develop, troubleshoot, and optimize cloud-native networking solutions for scalable and secure distributed systems. This role requires deep technical knowledge of container networking, Linux networking stack, security protocols, and high-performance dataplane technologies.
Key Responsibilities
Design and develop scalable networking solutions for Kubernetes and cloud-native environments.
Work on container networking technologies including CNI, ingress/egress, and network policies.
Implement and troubleshoot IPSec VPN solutions including tunnel setup, encryption, authentication, and key exchange mechanisms.
Analyze and improve network performance, latency, throughput, and scalability.
Debug complex networking issues across Kubernetes clusters, Linux hosts, and distributed systems.
Work with Internet protocols including TCP/IP, UDP, BGP, OSPF, DNS, DHCP, HTTP/HTTPS, NAT, VXLAN, GRE, and routing technologies.
Collaborate with platform, security, and infrastructure teams for end-to-end solution delivery.
Contribute to architecture discussions, design reviews, and technical strategy.
Automate deployment, testing, monitoring, and operational workflows.
Participate in root cause analysis and production issue resolution.
Mentor junior engineers and guide best engineering practices.
Required Skills & Qualifications
Core Technical Skills
Strong experience with Kubernetes architecture and administration.
Deep understanding of Kubernetes networking
Expertise in Linux networking stack
Hands-on experience with IPSec:
IKEv1/IKEv2
ESP/AH
tunnel and transport modes
strongSwan/LibreSwan
Strong understanding of Internet protocols
Experience with cloud platforms and hybrid networking.
Strong debugging and packet analysis skills
Programming/scripting experience in:
Go
Python
C/C++
Bash
DevOps & Automation
Experience with CI/CD pipelines and Git workflows.
Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code and automation tools.
Experience with observability and monitoring tools such as Prometheus and Grafana.
Preferred Qualifications
Knowledge of telecom/cloud networking and CNF architectures.
Experience with OpenShift and enterprise Kubernetes platforms.
Familiarity with multi-cluster and multi-cloud networking.
Contributions to open-source networking projects are a plus.
Soft Skills
Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
Excellent communication and collaboration abilities.
Ability to work independently in fast-paced environments.
Ownership mindset and proactive troubleshooting approach.
Experience Range
8+ years of experience in networking, cloud-native infrastructure, or distributed systems engineering.
The Job Description is intended to be a general representation of the responsibilities and requirements of the job. However, the description may not be all-inclusive, and responsibilities and requirements are subject to change.
Please note that F5 only contacts candidates through F5 email address (ending with @f5.com) or auto email notification from Workday (ending with f5.com or @myworkday.com).
Equal Employment Opportunity
It is the policy of F5 to provide equal employment opportunities to all employees and employment applicants without regard to unlawful considerations of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, age, sensory, physical, or mental disability, marital status, veteran or military status, genetic information, or any other classification protected by applicable local, state, or federal laws. This policy applies to all aspects of employment, including, but not limited to, hiring, job assignment, compensation, promotion, benefits, training, discipline, and termination. F5 offers a variety of reasonable accommodations for candidates. Requesting an accommodation is completely voluntary. F5 will assess the need for accommodations in the application process separately from those that may be needed to perform the job. Request by contacting [email protected].
Skills Required
- Strong experience with Kubernetes architecture and administration.
- Deep understanding of Kubernetes networking
- Expertise in Linux networking stack
- Hands-on experience with IPSec
- Strong understanding of Internet protocols
- Experience with cloud platforms and hybrid networking
- Strong debugging and packet analysis skills
- Programming/scripting experience in: Go, Python, C/C++, Bash
- Experience with CI/CD pipelines and Git workflows
- Familiarity with Infrastructure as Code and automation tools
- Experience with observability and monitoring tools such as Prometheus and Grafana
- Knowledge of telecom/cloud networking and CNF architectures
- Experience with OpenShift and enterprise Kubernetes platforms
- Familiarity with multi-cluster and multi-cloud networking
- Contributions to open-source networking projects
F5 Compensation & Benefits Highlights
The following summarizes recurring compensation and benefits themes identified from responses generated by popular LLMs to common candidate questions about F5 and has not been reviewed or approved by F5.
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Equity Value & Accessibility — Equity grants and an employee stock purchase plan are positioned as meaningful parts of total compensation, with RSUs and a discount ESPP commonly included. Pay packages for many technical roles are considered competitive when equity is taken into account.
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Leave & Time Off Breadth — Paid vacation that increases with tenure, sick time, paid holidays, and paid family leave are prominently featured. Additional programs like volunteer time and periodic wellness long weekends are highlighted as part of the time-off ecosystem.
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Inclusive Benefits Coverage — Health plans include travel support for specific care (such as reproductive and gender‑affirming services) and mental health resources, alongside comprehensive medical, dental, and vision coverage. These elements are presented as part of a broad, inclusive approach to healthcare.
F5 Insights
What We Do
F5 application services ensure that applications are always secure and perform the way they should—in any environment and on any device. F5 (NASDAQ: FFIV) powers applications from development through their entire life cycle, across any multi-cloud environment, so our customers – enterprise businesses, service providers, governments, and consumer brands—can deliver differentiated, high-performing, and secure digital experiences.
