SRE II, Load Balancing

Optimum Communications Inc.; Bethpage (NY); On-site; USD 100,000 - 165,000; Full time

Job summary

Optimum Communications Inc. is seeking a Senior Network SRE with a reliability mindset to join our infrastructure team in Bethpage, NY.

You will own and expand our high‑performance load balancing architecture using primarily F5 BIG-IP equipment, transitioning to automated operations. Responsibilities include configuring and troubleshooting F5 LTM/GTM, driving automation via Python/Ansible, and improving observability to prevent end‑user impact.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience.
• 5+ years' of relevant experience.
• F5 Fluency: Hands-on with F5 BIG-IP/BIG-IQ; GUI and tmsh usage, Virtual Servers, Pools, Profiles, iRules.
• Application Delivery Fundamentals: TCP/IP, HTTP/HTTPS, DNS, SSL/TLS management.
• Troubleshooting: Trace packets, ping, traceroute; proficient with tcpdump/Wireshark and F5 logging.
• Linux/Unix Literacy: Comfortable in a Linux shell.

Responsibilities

• Configure, deploy, and troubleshoot load balancing infra with focus on F5 BIG-IP LTM/GTM.
• Act as first line of defense for complex app delivery issues; investigate VIP health and latency.
• Automate VIP creation, pool management, and network auditing via Python, Ansible, and REST APIs.
• Improve observability by tuning monitoring tools and F5 telemetry.
• Plan load balancer maintenance with zero downtime.

Skills

F5 BIG-IP

Python scripting

Ansible

REST APIs

tcpdump Wireshark

Linux shell

TLS/SSL mgmt

Education

Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience

Tools

F5 BIG-IP / BIG-IQ

tmsh CLI

iRules

GTM/DNS

Job description

Are you looking to Optimize your life? Start your exciting path to a rewarding career today!

We are Optimum, a leader in the fast-paced world of connectivity, and we're seeking driven and enthusiastic professionals to join our team, empower lives, fuel businesses, and drive innovation. Connectivity is no longer a luxury, but a necessity. A career at Optimum means you'll be enabling progress and enhancing lives by providing reliable, high-speed connectivity solutions that keep the world connected. Our successes, now and in the future, are powered by our amazing product, a commitment to our people and culture, and the connections we make in our communities.

If you are resourceful, collaborative, and passionate about delivering consistent excellence, Optimum is for you!

Job Summary

We are looking for a Network SRE with a "reliability mindset" to join our infrastructure team. It is a highly specialized, hands-on engineering position focused entirely on application delivery and load balancing infrastructure.

You will effectively function as our resident Load Balancing Engineer, maintaining and expanding our high-performance traffic management architecture using primarily F5 equipment. As a Senior Network SRE, you will also help us transition from manual configurations to automated, resilient, and observable network operations, particularly regarding VIP provisioning and certificate lifecycles.

Responsibilities

• Core Engineering: Configure, deploy, and troubleshoot load balancing infrastructure, focusing heavily on F5 BIG-IP Local Traffic Manager (LTM) and Global Traffic Manager (GTM/DNS).
• Incident Response: Act as the first line of defense for complex application delivery issues. Investigate VIP health, traffic routing anomalies, SSL/TLS handshake failures, and latency issues using a blameless root-cause analysis approach.
• Reliability & Automation: Move away from manual changes. Help build and run Python scripts, Ansible playbooks, or API-driven workflows to automate VIP creation, pool management, and network auditing.
• Observability: Improve our "eyes on the network" by tuning monitoring tools and F5 telemetry to detect traffic issues before they impact end users.
• Maintenance: Plan and execute load balancer maintenance windows (code upgrades, hardware replacements, certificate renewals) with a focus on zero downtime.

The Stack

• Primary Vendor: F5 Networks (BIG-IP, TMOS)
• Secondary Vendor: Cisco (Nexus and Catalyst environments)
• Core Technologies: LTM, GTM/DNS, SSL/TLS Offloading, HTTP/HTTPS, TCP/UDP
• Automation: Python, Ansible, REST APIs, Git, AS3

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent experience
• 5+ years' of relevant experience
• F5 Fluency: Strong hands-on experience with F5 BIG-IP/BIG-IQ infrastructure. You must be comfortable navigating both the GUI and tmsh command-line interface, managing Virtual Servers, Pools, Profiles, and iRules.
• Application Delivery Fundamentals: Deep understanding of the TCP/IP stack, HTTP/HTTPS protocol behaviors, DNS resolution, and SSL/TLS certificate management.
• Troubleshooting Logic: Ability to trace a packet from client to server and identify where it drops. You understand ping, traceroute, and are highly proficient with tcpdump/Wireshark and F5 logging.
• Linux/Unix Literacy: Comfortable working in a Linux shell environment.

Nice-to-Have (Bonus Points)

• Cisco Experience: Familiarity with Cisco routing and switching (particularly Nexus infrastructure) to understand the broader network context.
• SRE/DevOps Skills: Scripting in Python or experience automating load balancer configurations via REST APIs or other automation frameworks.
• Certifications: F5 Certified BIG-IP Administrator (F5-CA) or Technical Specialist (F5-CTS), or equivalent real-world experience.

At Optimum, every action and interaction we take part in, is driven by our three Guiding Principles: Do What's Right, Drive One Optimum, and Make It Happen. These aren't just words, they help us build trust, create real community, and embrace new ways of thinking. Our employees are empowered to do the right thing for our customers and co-workers and to recognize and reward these behaviors when we see them. It's all part of the bigger picture of "Be The Difference" where each employee knows they have the power to enact real change, share new ideas, and understand that learning never stop.

All job descriptions and required skills, qualifications and responsibilities for a particular position are subject to modification by the Company from time to time, in the Company's discretion based on business necessity.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to recruiting, hiring and promoting qualified people of all backgrounds regardless of gender, race, color, creed, national origin, religion, age, marital status, pregnancy, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, military or veteran status, or any other basis protected by federal, state, or local law.

The Company collects personal information about its applicants for employment that may include personal identifiers, professional or employment related information, photos, education information and/or protected classifications under federal and state law. This information is collected for employment purposes, including identification, work authorization, FCRA-compliant background screening, human resource administration and compliance with federal, state and local law.

Applicants for employment with The Company will never be asked to provide money (even if reimbursable) as part of the job application or hiring process. Please review our Fraud FAQ for further details.

Pay is competitive and based on a number of job-related factors, including skills and experience. The starting pay rate/range at time of hire for this position in the posted location is $100,246.00 - $164,689.00 / year. The rate/range provided herein is the anticipated pay at the time of hire and does not reflect future job opportunity.

We appreciate your interest in this opportunity. Applicants must be authorized to work for ANY employer in the U.S. Please note that at this time, we do not provide visa sponsorship for employment.