Software Development Engineer III — Firewall

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 Software Development Engineer III to build and evolve the core data‑plane and control‑plane capabilities of BIG‑IP TMOS and BIG‑IP Next for Kubernetes(BNK) Firewall platforms. This role is for an experienced systems engineer who thrives in high‑scale, high‑performance networking and security software, and who can take features from architecture to production with a strong sense of ownership. In this role, you will work on mission‑critical firewall, traffic management, and L4–L7 networking components, contributing to both classic TMOS and cloud‑native BIG‑IP Next (Kubernetes‑based) architectures. Primary Responsibilities: • Design, develop, and maintain high-performance Firewall and IPS features in a cloud-native, Kubernetes-based environment • Independently determine and develop approaches to solutions for assigned projects • Provide technical solutions to ensure that resulting design specifications fit into the technical architectural framework • Investigate and resolve reported security and networking issues related to Firewall and IPS components • Recommend and maintain technical design methodologies, processes, and standards • Unit test the software using automation frameworks and contribute to CI/CD pipelines Required Skills: • Excellent coding skills in C, C++, Go • Mastery of data structures and algorithms, run-time complexities, IPC, etc. • Background in networking technologies & protocols. • Experience with Linux, network security tools, and packet analysis • Good understanding of Firewalls, NAT, and Intrusion Prevention/Detection System (IPS/IDS) • Experience with Kubernetes, Docker, and software networking • Able to collaborate and thrive in a fast-paced, high-performance environment • Experience building networking or security solutions in cloud native environment. • Requires a minimum of 5 years of related experience with a Bachelor's degree; or 3 years with a Master's degree; or equivalent experience 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 accommodations@f5.com. Hybrid: Employees within 30 commutable miles of an F5 office are required to work from the office a minimum of 30 business days per quarter. Remote: Primarily work from designated home location but can come into an F5 office to work or travel to an offsite location as needed. Together, we're building a better digital world. Founded in 1996, F5 is a global leader in application delivery and security. Our premier platform helps customers secure and deliver every app, API, and piece of infrastructure across all environments. Backed by over three decades of expertise and 553 patents, our solutions protect against threats while ensuring fast, reliable digital experiences. With over 6,400 employees, we serve more than 23,000 customers in over 170 countries. To continue this work, we need people like you—the best minds in the industry. We're committed to a unique, human-first culture that encourages authenticity, prioritizes diversity and inclusion, and fosters the growth and success of our employees.