Solutions Architect

F5; Bend (OR); On-site; USD 140,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

F5 in Bend, Oregon seeks a Solutions Architect – BNK to lead AI infrastructure architecture for enterprise Kubernetes, high-performance networking, and GPU-enabled workloads.

You will partner with a Principal Account Executive to qualify opportunities, drive technical win strategies, and align BNK solutions to executive business cases with hyper-scale Neocloud and AI-native customers.

Qualifications

• 12+ years in Solutions Architecture, Solutions Engineering, or related roles.
• Deep, hands-on Kubernetes, containers, CNIs, and scalable networking.
• Experience designing massive-scale cloud infrastructure (HPC or AI data centers).
• Advanced understanding of L2-7 networking and hardware offload (DPUs/SmartNICs).
• Proven ability to engage and influence senior technical stakeholders.
• Excellent communication and consultative problem-solving skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead architecture strategy and design for enterprise Kubernetes, networking, and AI workload ingress/egress.
• Co-lead the sales team, qualifying opportunities and mapping BNK capabilities to business cases.
• Act as a trusted advisor to CTOs and platform leaders at hyper-scale customers.
• Conduct deep-dive discovery, architecture workshops, and PoCs in high-throughput environments.
• Master the AI stack with advanced networking and GPU utilization optimization.
• Develop reusable AI Factory reference architectures and playbooks.
• Bridge customer needs to F5 Product and Engineering.

Skills

Kubernetes

Cloud-native networking

HPC / AI data centers

BGP / EVPN / VXLAN

NVIDIA BlueField DPUs

DOCA

DPUs / SmartNICs

Executive stakeholder engagement

Technical leadership

Tools

NVIDIA DOCA

Multus

SmartNICs

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.

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.

Solutions Architect – BIG-IP Next for Kubernetes (BNK)

The Solutions Architect BNK is a senior technical leader and trusted advisor. Operating in lockstep with a Principal Account Executive, you will help Neocloud and AI infrastructure customers design, modernize, and scale their AI Factories. This role drives technical strategy, customer adoption, and technical wins by aligning BNK solutions (including native NVIDIA BlueField DPU offload) to massive-scale AI workload requirements.

This role aligns with F5's Solutions Architect (P6) career framework.

What You'll Do

• Lead AI Infrastructure Architecture: Drive architecture strategy and solution design for enterprise Kubernetes, high-performance networking, and AI workload ingress/egress initiatives.
• Co-Lead the Sales Team: Partner daily with a Principal Account Executive to qualify opportunities, drive technical win strategies, and map F5 capabilities to executive business cases.
• Be the Trusted Technical Advisor: Engage directly with CTOs, Chief Architects, and Platform Engineering leaders at hyper-scale Neoclouds and AI Native companies.
• Execute Technical Validation: Conduct deep-dive technical discovery, architecture workshops, demonstrations, and complex Proof of Concepts (PoCs) in high-throughput environments.
• Master the AI Stack: Architect solutions leveraging advanced networking (BGP, VRFs, Multus), NVIDIA DOCA, and hardware-accelerated traffic management to maximize GPU utilization and reclaim host CPU.
• Develop the Playbook: Create reusable AI Factory reference architectures, technical playbooks, and best practices for DPU-resident service layers.
• Bridge Field to Engineering: Represent cutting-edge Neocloud market trends and customer requirements directly to F5 Product and Engineering teams.

Required Qualifications

• 12+ years of experience in Solutions Architecture, Solutions Engineering, Platform Engineering, or related customer-facing technical roles.
• Deep, hands-on expertise in Kubernetes, container orchestration, cloud-native networking (CNIs), and application delivery.
• Experience architecting massive-scale cloud infrastructure, particularly in high-performance computing (HPC) or AI data center environments.
• Advanced understanding of Layer 2-7 networking (BGP, EVPN, VXLAN) and hardware acceleration (SmartNICs, DPUs like NVIDIA BlueField).
• Proven ability to engage, challenge, and influence elite technical stakeholders (Network Architects, AI Platform Leads).
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and consultative problem-solving skills.

Skills & Competencies

• Deep expertise in Kubernetes edge networking, security, and multi-tenant isolation.
• Ability to design and communicate highly complex physical-to-logical network architectures (e.g., eSwitch hardware offload, SR-IOV).
• Strong executive presence mixed with undeniable technical depth.
• Fierce collaboration skills, particularly in acting as the technical engine alongside a quota-carrying Account Executive.
• Strategic mindset with a passion for AI infrastructure, GPU optimization, and next-generation data center design.