Principal Software Development Engineer

F5 Networks, Inc.; Spokane Valley (WA); Hybrid; USD 188,000 - 282,000; Full time

Job summary

F5 Networks, Inc. seeks a Principal Software Design Engineer in Test to shape software quality across enterprise platforms. You will own architecture, develop scalable test frameworks, and mentor teams to embed quality throughout the lifecycle.

You will collaborate with product, software, and hardware groups to align quality with business goals, drive metrics, and push for high-reliability releases in a dynamic, globally distributed environment.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or related field with 10+ years of experience; or Master's with 8+ years; or PhD with 5+ years.
• Progressive experience in software development and software/hardware quality assurance engineering with test framework development.

Responsibilities

• Architectural design and testability leadership for medium to large platform initiatives.
• Define quality strategy and technical roadmap for QA aligned with product goals.
• Lead enterprise-grade automated test framework design, development, and enhancement.
• Partner with Product, Software, and Hardware teams to enforce quality standards and metrics.
• Perform deep system-level analysis and root-cause resolution across product teams.
• Mentor engineers in advanced testing methodologies and quality-focused design.

Skills

QA engineering

Software architecture

Testability

Observability

Critical thinking

Leadership

Education

Bachelor's degree in Computer Science or Electrical Engineering

Tools

Docker

Kubernetes

Job description

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: The Principal Software Design Engineer in Test serves as a key technical leader responsible for both the architectural design of software systems and the strategic implementation of quality assurance. This role applies broad expertise to solve complex issues in creative ways, ensuring that quality is embedded throughout the entire product development lifecycle. The Principal Engineer owns the design and development of scalable, enterprise-grade automated test frameworks, establishes quality standards for major product lines, and provides technical leadership on design, development, and testability to drive the successful delivery of high-quality, resilient software.

Primary Responsibilities

• Architectural Design & Testability: Owns medium to large platform initiatives, providing technical leadership on software architecture with a primary focus on testability, observability, and resilience.
• Quality Strategy & Vision: Collaborates with engineering leadership to define and communicate the strategic vision and technical roadmap for quality assurance, ensuring alignment with product goals and business objectives.
• Advanced Automation Frameworks: Leads the architectural design, development, and enhancement of enterprise-grade automated test frameworks. Analyzes product source code to identify and address quality gaps.
• Cross-Functional Quality Leadership: Partners with Product, Software Engineering, and Hardware teams to establish and enforce quality standards, metrics, and controls as an integral part of the development lifecycle.
• Complex Troubleshooting: Performs deep system-level analysis and troubleshooting of complex software and hardware defects. Evaluates system trade-offs and drives root-cause resolution across product engineering teams.
• Mentorship & Technical Guidance: Guides and mentors other engineers on advanced testing methodologies, automation best practices, and designing for quality.
• Technical Influence: Presents complex technical data, quality metrics, and risk assessments to senior management to direct action and guide strategic decisions.

Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Deep QA Expertise: Deep expertise in software and hardware quality assurance engineering methodologies, enterprise network architectures, and modern testing paradigms.
• Modern Tech Stack: Extensive development experience with microservices (REST API, gRPC) and hands-on experience with Docker and Kubernetes.
• Automation & Source Code Proficiency: Advanced ability to analyze product source code and construct scalable, reusable test automation frameworks using languages like Python, Go, Java, or C++.
• Conceptual & Critical Thinking: Ability to understand advanced technical issues, evaluate complex trade-offs between release velocity and long-term quality, and explain them effectively to non-technical stakeholders.
• Problem Solving: Exceptional analytical and troubleshooting skills, with the ability to bring order to unstructured problems and resolve complex issues in creative and efficient ways.
• Leadership & High-Impact Communication: Superior communication skills with a proven ability to influence technical strategy, mentor engineers, and drive team-wide adherence to engineering best practices.

Qualifications: Requires a Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Electrical Engineering, or a related field with a minimum of 10 years of related experience; or a Master's degree with 8 years of experience; or a PhD with 5 years of experience; or equivalent work history. Progressive experience in both software development and software/hardware quality assurance engineering, including extensive test framework development.

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.

The annual base pay for this position is: $188,000.00 - $282,000.00 F5 maintains broad salary ranges for its roles in order to account for variations in knowledge, skills, experience, geographic locations, and market conditions, as well as to reflect F5’s differing products, industries, and lines of business. The pay range referenced is as of the time of the job posting and is subject to change. You may also be offered incentive compensation, bonus, restricted stock units, and benefits. More details about F5’s benefits can be found at the following link: https://www.f5.com/company/careers/benefits. F5 reserves the right to change or terminate any benefit plan without notice. 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 [e-mail].

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.