F5 Operations Specialist

Company Overview

iON United Inc. is one of Canada’s most trusted cybersecurity solution providers. Founded in 2003, our experienced team delivers best-in-class advisory, technology, and managed services for securing IT, OT, and cloud environments. With consecutive year-over-year growth, we foster meaningful relationships through meaningful work by helping organizations make informed risk management decisions. Recognized for growth by Canadian Business magazine six times and The Globe and Mail in 2021, we continue to build and support a customer community on the leading edge of technology. Cultivating a culture of performance and accountability has earned us a renowned reputation and continues to attract Canada’s best talent to work alongside the nation’s top clients. Our focus on cybersecurity allows the organizations we partner with to maintain their focus on growing their business, We Protect the Brands You Know.®

Position Summary

The F5 Operations Specialist will focus on the management and optimization of F5 load balancers in enterprise operations to ensure high availability, security, and performance of our network services. The ideal candidate will have extensive knowledge of F5 technologies and a proven track record in network operations, as well as familiarity with security operations and incident escalations. Familiarity with firewall configuration and support, as well as managing and monitoring VMware NSX networks will be a significant asset to providing in-depth support.  Additional skills in network design, application support, DevOps or security operations will be an asset. 

Key Responsibilities:

• Understand the technology architecture, design and implementation of load balancing services based on F5 systems.
• Understand modern application support principles, such as application integration best practices, and supporting API integrations on the F5 platform.
• Be up to date on industry trends around cyber risk and data protection practices.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of the Cybersecurity industry including awareness of new revised security solutions, processes, and development of new attacks and threat vectors.
• Have an understanding of iON's service offerings.
• Maintain communications and relationships with managed services customers, and provide a positive, proactive customer experience.

F5 Infrastructure Management:

• Configure, manage, and maintain F5 load balancers, including Local Traffic Manager (LTM) and Global Traffic Manager (GTM).
• Monitor and optimize the performance, availability, and capacity of F5 systems.
• Implement and manage SSL certificates, iRules, and traffic policies.
• Assist with application integrations.

NSX Monitoring and Troubleshooting

• NSX Manager Monitoring: Regularly monitor the health and performance of the NSX Manager.
• Flow Analysis: Use tools like vRealize Network Insight to visualize and troubleshoot traffic flows.
• Log Management: Review logs and events in NSX Manager or integrate with external tools like Splunk or Log Insight.
• Network Maintenance: Manage overlays, virtual switches, and segments.

Security and Compliance:

• Implement and enforce security policies to protect the network against threats and vulnerabilities.
• Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations (e.g., PCI-DSS, HIPAA).
• Conduct regular security assessments and audits of the F5 environment.

Incident Management and Troubleshooting:

• Respond to and resolve incidents related to F5 infrastructure and network performance.
• Conduct root cause analysis and implement corrective actions to prevent recurrence.
• Provide on-call support for critical F5 infrastructure issues as needed.

Documentation and Reporting:

• Maintain detailed documentation of F5 configurations, policies, and procedures.
• Generate reports on the performance, availability, and security of the F5 environment.
• Keep up to date with industry trends and advancements in F5 technologies.

Collaboration and Support:

• Work closely with network engineers, security teams, and other team members to ensure seamless operation of network services.
• Provide strong technical support and expertise to clients and team members and be comfortable with working in a consulting role.
• Assist in training and mentoring junior staff on F5 technologies and best practices.

Personal Competencies:

• Excellent problem-solving skills and attention to detail.

• Strong communication and interpersonal skills.

• Ability to work independently and as part of a team.

• Critical Thinking – Actively and skillfully conceptualizing, applying, analyzing, synthesizing, and/or evaluating information gathered from, or generated by, observation, experience, reflection, reasoning, or communication, as a guide to belief and action.

• Communication – The ability to communicate clearly, concisely, and concretely in writing and verbally in a positive manner to foster the sharing of knowledge.

• Active Listening – The ability to keep you engaged with clients in a positive way. The process of listening attentively while someone else speaks, paraphrasing and reflecting what is said, and withholding judgment and advice.

Qualifications:

• Consultant skillset, familiarity with managing customer expectations.
• Knowledge of NGINX, API Gateways, Akamai or other CDNs, WAF.
• Minimum of 5 years of hands-on experience with F5 technologies, including LTM, GTM, ASM, and iRules.
• F5 Certified Technical Specialist or above preferred.
• Strong understanding of network protocols, security principles, and traffic management.
• Proven experience in incident management and troubleshooting.

Additional Information: 

This position is a remote work from home position, with the option to work in office if local to Calgary, AB. As a requirement of this position, the successful candidate must satisfy and receive clear results for a Criminal Record Check.