Senior Software Engineer – Platform Security

F5 Networks, Inc.; Reston, Northern (VA, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 269,000; Full time

Job summary

F5 Networks, Inc. in Reston, VA is seeking a Senior Software Engineer for the Platform Security team.

You will design and build the foundational security services that protect our distributed cloud platform, focusing on authentication, authorization, and key management. You will write production-grade Go code, deploy on Kubernetes across multi-cloud and edge environments, and collaborate with product, SRE, and other engineering groups to deliver secure, scalable solutions.

Qualifications

• 6+ years of professional software development experience in C++, Java, or Golang.
• Linux proficiency and strong fundamentals.
• Kubernetes experience and cloud/edge deployment familiarity.
• Experience building platform security services (authn/authz/cert/secret/key management).
• Distributed systems fundamentals and secure coding practices.
• Experience with AI-assisted development tools.
• US Citizenship required for FedRAMP compliance.
• Experience with AWS or GCP a plus.
• FedRAMP compliance experience is a plus.
• AI/ML production integration experience a plus.

Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and operate highly available platform security services forming the trust foundation of F5 Distributed Cloud.
• Build security capabilities across domains: authentication, authorization, certificate, secret, and key management.
• Write high-quality production-grade Go code for distributed, performance-sensitive systems.
• Deploy and operate services on Kubernetes across multi-cloud and edge environments.
• Collaborate with product, SRE, and other engineering teams to deliver secure, scalable solutions.
• Participate in design reviews, code reviews, and threat modeling to uphold security standards.
• Contribute to compliance and audit readiness (FedRAMP, PCI) for platform security services.
• Mentor junior engineers and promote engineering best practices.

Skills

Golang

C/C++/Java

Linux

Kubernetes

Platform security

AI tools

US Citizenship

Tools

HashiCorp Vault

Keycloak

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.

About the Role F5 Distributed Cloud is building the next generation of secure, scalable, multi-cloud application services. We are looking for a Senior Software Engineer to join our Platform Security team, where you'll design and build the foundational security services that protect our distributed cloud platform and the customers who rely on it. In this role, you'll work on mission-critical security domains—authentication, authorization, certificate, secret, and key management—at massive scale across a globally distributed Kubernetes-based platform. If you're passionate about building secure, reliable systems and want your work to directly safeguard a leading cloud platform, we'd love to talk to you.

What You'll Do

• Design, develop, and operate highly available platform security services that form the trust foundation of F5 Distributed Cloud.
• Build and enhance core security capabilities across one or more domains: authentication, authorization, certificate management, secret management, and key management.
• Write high-quality, well-tested, production-grade code (primarily Golang) for distributed, performance-sensitive systems.
• Deploy and operate services on Kubernetes across multi-cloud and edge environments.
• Collaborate with cross-functional teams—product, SRE, and other engineering groups to deliver secure, scalable solutions.
• Participate in design reviews, code reviews, and threat modeling to uphold a high security and engineering bar.
• Contribute to compliance and audit readiness efforts (e.g., FedRAMP, PCI) for platform security services.
• Mentor junior engineers and help drive engineering best practices within the team.

What You'll Bring (Must-Have)

• Be Kind
• 6+ years of professional software development experience in C++, Java, or Golang (Golang strongly preferred).
• Advanced knowledge of and hands-on experience with Linux.
• Advanced, hands-on experience with Kubernetes.
• Proven experience building platform security services in at least one of the following domains: authentication, authorization, certificate management, secret management, or key management.
• Strong fundamentals in distributed systems, system design, and writing secure, reliable code.
• Hands-on experience with AI-assisted development tools (Copilot, Claude, Codex, or similar).
• U.S. Citizenship Required: Due to FedRAMP compliance obligations, this role requires the candidate to be a U.S. citizen.
• Nice to Have Experience with public cloud platforms such as AWS or GCP.
• Hands-on experience with HashiCorp Vault, Keycloak.
• Experience contributing to FedRAMP compliance initiatives.
• Experience with Integrating AI/ML or LLM capabilities into production (AI agents, RAG, ML-driven detection).
• AI security best practices (securing AI/ML pipelines, mitigating prompt injection / model misuse).

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: $179,500.00 - $269,300.00 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.