Staff Network Security Engineer

DigitalOcean; Seattle (WA); Hybrid; USD 168,800 - 211,000; Full time

Job summary

DigitalOcean is seeking a Staff Network Security Engineer to join their team in Seattle. This role involves securing global network infrastructure by collaborating with engineering teams to design secure architecture. Candidates should possess 8-10 years of experience in network security and excellent communication skills.

This is a hybrid position offering a competitive compensation range of $168,800 - $211,000. Join a team dedicated to revolutionizing cloud computing and AI.

Qualifications

• 8-10 years of experience in network security engineering or security-focused roles.
• Excellent communication skills for both technical and non-technical stakeholders.
• Deep understanding of Layer 2/3/4 networking protocols and their security implications.

Responsibilities

• Define and enforce network security architecture standards.
• Lead network security assessments and identify attack vectors.
• Develop and deploy advanced security automation and tooling.
• Collaborate with network engineers on security controls.

Skills

Network security engineering

Penetration testing

Security architecture

Collaboration skills

Scripting (Python, Go)

Linux security

Tools

Prometheus

Grafana

ELK stack

Job description

Dive in and do the best work of your career at DigitalOcean. Journey alongside a strong community of top talent who are relentless in their drive to build the simplest scalable cloud. If you have a growth mindset, naturally like to think big and bold, and are energized by the fast‑paced environment of a true industry disruptor, you’ll find your place here. We value winning together—while learning, having fun, and making a profound difference for the dreamers and builders in the world.

Staff Network Security Engineer

As a Staff Network Security Engineer at DigitalOcean, you will join a dynamic team dedicated to revolutionizing cloud computing and AI. In this role, you will act as a key technical leader, responsible for securing our global network infrastructure by partnering with engineering teams to advise on secure architecture. This position reports to the Manager, Security Defense Engineering, and involves architecting and building automated security tools and championing best practices to ensure our network remains resilient against evolving threats across our edge, backbone, and datacenter environments.

What You’ll Do

• Define and enforce network security architecture standards and principles to ensure our networks are architected with security as a foundational element
• Provide technical leadership and mentorship to security and network engineering teams, serving as a subject matter expert on network security‑related matters
• Lead network security assessments, including threat modeling, intrusion detection, and protocol‑level analysis to identify and mitigate sophisticated attack vectors
• Develop and deploy advanced security automation, tooling, and infrastructure‑as‑code to continuously validate security posture and enforce compliance at scale
• Collaborate with network engineers to integrate security controls and telemetry within SDN, BGP/MPLS, and network automation platforms
• Participate in incident response efforts related to network security incidents
• Drive the security review process for all network infrastructure or product changes, ensuring designs adhere to established security standards and best practices before deployment
• Promote security best practices through documentation, tooling, and cross‑team collaboration

What You’ll Add To DigitalOcean

• 8‑10 years of experience in network security engineering, network penetration testing, or security‑focused infrastructure roles
• Excellent communication skills to effectively collaborate with both technical and non‑technical stakeholders, explaining complex security concepts and advocating for security best practices
• Deep understanding of Layer 2/3/4 networking protocols (BGP, OSPF, IS‑IS, VRRP, LACP) and their security implications
• Deep understanding of distributed denial‑of‑service (DDoS) attack vectors and mitigation strategies, including packet filtering, rate limiting, and scrubbing services
• Extensive experience in designing and building secure networks from the ground up
• Experience leading projects and providing technical guidance to cross‑functional teamsProficiency in scripting/programming languages such as Python or Go for automation and tooling
• Familiarity with Corero, Cloudflare, Juniper, Arista, or Ciena network platforms
• Strong Linux experience and familiarity with firewall, routing, and DNS security
• Understanding and experience with Network Intrusion Detection principles and tooling
• Knowledge of MPLS, BGP‑LU, and SDN architectures from a security perspective
• Hands‑on experience with observability tools like Prometheus, Grafana, and ELK stack
• Comfortable with Git‑based workflows and collaborative development

Bonus Skills Include

• Open‑source contributions related to network security
• Background in security incident response or red/blue team operations

Compensation Range

• $168,800 - $211,000
• This is a hybrid role

DigitalOcean is an equal‑opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, ancestry, national origin, caste, sex, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity or expression, age, disability, medical condition, pregnancy, genetic makeup, marital status, or military service.