F5/Network Administrator

Job Description

F5 Administrator

ONSITE- Tampa, FL

Secret clearance with TS Eligibility (plan to upgrade all team members to TS after onboarding)

Transform technology into opportunity as an F5 Administrator. You will play a crucial role in configuring, maintaining, and troubleshooting F5 load balancing and traffic management systems to ensure high availability, reliability, and performance of critical applications and services for USCENTCOM.

MEANINGFUL WORK AND PERSONAL IMPACT

Position Overview

The F5 Administrator is responsible for the configuration, deployment, and maintenance of F5 BIG-IP systems, ensuring the optimal performance, security, and availability of critical applications. This role involves hands-on technical work, troubleshooting complex F5-related issues, and collaborating with various IT teams to integrate F5 solutions within the broader network and infrastructure environment. The F5 Administrator will contribute directly to the mission success of USCENTCOM by maintaining robust and efficient application delivery services.

HOW A F5 ADMINISTRATOR WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

Responsibilities

F5 System Configuration & Maintenance

• Configure, deploy, and maintain F5 BIG-IP systems, including Load Balancers, Application Delivery Controllers (ADCs), and SSL offloading configurations.
• Design and implement traffic management rules, including global server load balancing (GSLB) and local server load balancing (LSLB).
• Manage F5 configurations for SSL/TLS offloading, including key and certificate management for secure communication.
• Configure and maintain F5 iRules to manage application traffic and provide enhanced functionality for specific use cases.
• Assist in performing F5 system upgrades, patches, and troubleshooting tasks to ensure continued system functionality.
• Assist in the design and implementation of new F5 solutions to improve application delivery, scalability, and security.

Troubleshooting & Performance Optimization

• Troubleshoot and resolve F5-related performance and availability issues, ensuring minimal service disruptions.
• Monitor F5 systems for health and performance, providing proactive recommendations for optimization.
• Support incident response and root cause analysis for any F5-related issues impacting critical applications or services.
• Participate in capacity planning for F5 devices and the overall infrastructure to meet growing demand and service requirements.
• Continuously evaluate and recommend enhancements to optimize the performance, security, and availability of applications.

Operational & Agile Management

• Execute daily F5-related tasks, ensuring compliance and meeting deployment deadlines for application delivery services.
• Utilize Azure DevOps (ADO) boards to track active operational tasks, backlog items, and customer requests related to F5 configurations and deployments.
• Participate in Scrumban planning and review sessions to contribute to the prioritization of F5 operational efforts based on mission urgency, USCENTCOM directives, and service level agreements (SLAs).

Security & Compliance

• Ensure compliance with security policies, best practices, and regulatory requirements in the deployment and maintenance of F5 systems.
• Apply knowledge of DNS, and security mechanisms in the context of F5 load balancing.

Documentation & Collaboration

• Develop and maintain documentation for F5 configurations, change management, troubleshooting guides, and standard operating procedures.
• Collaborate with network, systems, and security teams to integrate F5 solutions into the broader network and infrastructure environment.
• Provide technical support and guidance to other IT teams and end-users regarding F5 traffic management solutions.
• Collaborate with vendors to resolve hardware or software-related issues and escalate problems when necessary.
• Work with multiple teams to design and implement end-to-end application delivery solutions.

Operational Readiness & Improvement

• Ensure continuous coverage for critical operations by maintaining an up-to-date on-call roster for personnel assigned to after-hours or emergency support.
• Identify, evaluate, and recommend opportunities to optimize F5 operational efficiency and application delivery health through automation, custom scripting (e.g., iControl REST, tmsh), and modernized F5 technologies.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED TO SUCCEED:

Required Qualifications

• Minimum five (5) years of hands-on experience with F5 BIG-IP systems, including Load Balancers, ADCs, and SSL offloading.
• Deep proficiency in configuring and managing F5 systems for high availability, disaster recovery, and scalability. Strong knowledge of networking protocols, including TCP/IP, DNS, and SSL/TLS. Experience with F5 iRules and traffic management policies for application delivery. Ability to troubleshoot complex F5 issues, including performance, connectivity, and security problems.
• Experience managing workloads and agile tasking using Azure DevOps (ADO) boards, Scrumban, or related Agile methodologies under tight DoD operational timelines. Excellent documentation skills for creating and maintaining configuration guides, troubleshooting steps, and change management records.
• Applicable DoD 8140 or DoD 8570 Certification (e.g., CompTIA Security+).
• CCNA Certification
• Secret clearance with TS eligibility

Preferred Qualifications

• F5 Certified Administrator (F5-CA), F5 Certified Technology Specialist (F5-CTS), ITIL 4 Foundation Certification.
• Familiarity with monitoring and reporting tools for F5 system performance (e.g., F5 Analytics). Experience with F5 integration in hybrid cloud or multi-cloud environments. Familiarity with automation and orchestration tools for F5 management (e.g., Ansible, Terraform).
• Prior experience supporting USCENTCOM and familiarity with its mission and operations.