Software Development Engineer III

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.

We’re seeking a Software Engineer III to join our Web Application and API Protection (WAAP) team, focused on enhancing the quality and security of applications and APIs across on-premises, distributed, and cloud-based SaaS platforms. This is a hands-on, technical role involving the design and execution of both automated and manual tests, validation across diverse environments, and close collaboration with engineering and product management teams to drive quality throughout the development lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities

• Design, develop, and maintain robust automated test frameworks and test suites for both On-Prem and Distributed Cloud WAAP solutions.
• Collaborate effectively with global teams — including developers, product managers, SREs, and QA engineers — to define test strategies, acceptance criteria, and ensure high-quality deliverables.
• Qualify WAAP deployments in on-premises and complex, distributed multi-cloud environments, ensuring stability, scalability, and reliability.
• Execute comprehensive testing — including end-to-end, functional, integration, performance, and scalability tests — to uphold product quality and resilience.
• Validate and verify AI/ML-based data science algorithms for API discovery and classification accuracy.
• Test and refine API OWASP detection algorithms and systems to ensure accurate identification of API-specific attacks.
• Diagnose and troubleshoot issues within complex, multi-service architectures; collaborate cross-functionally to drive timely resolutions.
• Identify, document, and manage defects throughout their lifecycle, ensuring prompt triage and closure.
• Develop and maintain test environments, topologies, plans, cases, and supporting documentation.
• Participate in design and code reviews to embed quality practices throughout the development lifecycle.
• Mentor and guide junior QA engineers, fostering a culture of quality, automation excellence, and continuous improvement.

Required Skills

• 5+ years of experience in Quality Assurance and Test Automation, with a strong focus on product quality and reliability.
• Skilled in scripting and programming using Python, Go, JavaScript, or equivalent languages for automation development.
• Experience with automation frameworks such as Selenium, Cypress, or similar tools.
• Proficient in working with data formats such as JSON, XML, and OpenAPI/Swagger — including creation, validation, and schema testing.
• Strong understanding of distributed systems and microservices, including experience with Docker and containerized environments.
• Hands-on experience testing in cloud platforms such as AWS, Azure, or GCP.
• Familiarity with CI/CD pipelines, version control systems (Git), and DevOps practices for continuous integration and delivery.
• Knowledge of performance and load testing tools such as JMeter, WRK, or equivalents is an advantage.
• Proficient with troubleshooting and debugging tools, including Burp Suite, tcpdump, and Wireshark.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving abilities, with strong attention to detail and a focus on quality.
• Effective communication and teamwork skills with the ability to collaborate across cross-functional, global teams.
• Bachelor’s degree in Computer Science, Engineering, or an equivalent technical discipline (or comparable practical experience).

Preferred Skills

• Hands-on experience testing against OWASP Top 10 vulnerabilities for Application and API Security.
• Familiarity with observability and monitoring tools, including ELK Stack (Elasticsearch, Logstash, Kibana), Grafana, and Prometheus.
• Experience testing AI/ML-based data science algorithms and their integration within security or analytics systems.
• Strong understanding of networking across Layers 3–7, including proxies, firewalls, and traffic inspection.
• Exposure to penetration testing techniques and security validation best practices.

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.

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 accommodations@f5.com.