Network Engineer II

F5 Lab Systems/Network Engineer

At F5, we strive to bring a better digital world to life. Our teams empower organizations across the globe to create, secure, and run applications that enhance how we experience our evolving digital world. We are passionate about cybersecurity, from protecting consumers from fraud to enabling companies to focus on innovation.

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.

Position Summary

We are looking for a passionate, high-energy individual to help build and manage the systems and network that powers the Product Development Labs for F5. The F5 Lab Systems/Network Engineer plays a critical role to our Product Development team by providing valuable lab services and tools for the F5 Product Development Lab. The lab supports both production systems and customized/flexible testing environments used by Test and Product Development teams. As a Sr. Lab Systems/Network Engineer, you'll have the opportunity to work with cutting-edge technology and work with talented individuals. The ideal candidate will have experience in Linux, Scripting, Network Engineering and Network Automation in an Operations environment at a global enterprise scale. Arista, Juniper, Cisco, Dell switches, Palo Alto firewalls, BIG-IP (F5), Infoblox, NCM, and DMZ networking.

Primary Responsibilities

• Design, monitor, and improve the performance and reliability of lab network and virtual lab services.
• Linux background and Windows background
• Scripting in bash and python. Bash being the most desirable.
• Hypervisor work in ESXi, Proxmox, and hopefully Xcp-ng.
• Some Automation would help but not critical
• Network abilities. Dont have to be an expert
• Configure and manage enterprise-grade switches (Arista, Juniper, Cisco, Dell) and firewalls (Palo Alto).
• Handle Layer 2 and Layer 3 network configurations including VLANs, STP, OSPF, BGP.
• Manage PXE booting environments for automated OS provisioning.
• Configure and maintain BIG-IP (F5) load balancers and related services.
• Design and maintain DMZ network segments, including firewall rule creation and management.
• Implement and manage Infoblox for IP address management and DNS/DHCP services.
• Use Network Configuration Manager (NCM) for automated configuration backups and compliance.
• Set up and manage switching authentication mechanisms (802.1X, RADIUS/TACACS).
• Maintain core Security Protocols in designing the Network diagram
• Plan and execute lab hardware infrastructure, including rack layouts, cabling, and power planning.
• Collaborate with architects and vendors to align lab infrastructure with emerging technologies and product roadmaps.
• Lead automation efforts for network configuration and troubleshooting using scripting languages (Python, Bash, Perl).
• Maintain inventory tools and perform capacity planning.
• Respond to service tickets and support requests in a timely manner.
• Deploy and support production and pre-production environments for core lab systems.
• Research and implement new technologies to enhance lab capabilities.
• Create and maintain scripts/tools to automate configuration, usability, and troubleshooting.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Strong hands-on experience with:
• Linux/Windows Systems Engineering
• Arista EOS, Juniper JunOS, Cisco IOS/NX-OS, Dell Networking OS
• Palo Alto firewalls and DMZ rule management
• BIG-IP (F5) configurations and traffic management
• Infoblox IPAM/DNS/DHCP
• NCM for network device configuration management
• Switching authentication (802.1X, RADIUS, TACACS)
• PXE booting, DHCP/TFTP/NFS setup
• Deep understanding of L2/L3 networking, routing protocols, and high availability systems
• Building for Security, Monitoring solutions and Log Capturing solutions for Switches.
• Experience with virtualization platforms Network connectivity: OpenStack, VMware, Hyper-V, KVM
• Scripting and automation experience (Python, Bash, Perl)
• Exposure to cloud platforms Networking (AWS, Azure) will be add-ons
• Experience with storage technologies Network Configurations
• Knowledge of Software Defined Networking (SDN) is a plus
• Database administration experience (PostgreSQL, MySQL, NoSQL)

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in computer science, Engineering, or related field (or equivalent work experience)
• 10+ years of experience in enterprise network environments
• 6+ years of experience with virtualization platforms
• Strong problem-solving, decision-making, and communication skills
• Ability to quickly learn and adopt new technologies

Physical Demands and Work Environment

• May require occasional on-call support and work outside normal hours (evenings/weekends)
• Occasional travel (approx. 5%) via automobile or airplane
• Work performed in a standard office environment with regular use of computers and communication tools