Senior Network Security Engineer (R&D, Next-Gen Firewall)

Overview

Next-Gen Firewall Architecture & Development

• Lead the architectural design of a new Next-Gen Firewall, starting from the foundational components and building from the ground up.
• Develop and prototype new security algorithms, modules and data processing pipelines for advanced threat detection, application control, and content filtering.
• Have a deep understanding of Data Loss Prevention technologies.
• Integrate various open-source tools and third-party services into a cohesive, high-performance software stack.

OPNsense Integration & Extension

• Serve as the subject matter expert on OPNsense, with a deep focus on its internal architecture and API capabilities.
• Design and develop custom modules and services that extend OPNsense's core functionality to meet our product requirements.
• Build robust integrations between our proprietary software stack and the OPNsense platform using its REST APIs for configuration, data extraction, and control.

Research & Innovation

• Conduct forward-looking research into emerging network security threats, encryption standards, and high-performance data plane technologies.
• Evaluate and benchmark new open-source projects, security algorithms, and hardware platforms to ensure our NGFW remains on the cutting edge.
• Build proof-of-concept (PoC) environments to validate new architectural designs and innovative features before full-scale development.

Experience

• A minimum of 5 years of experience in a Network Security R&D or product development environment.

Experience

Core Technical Expertise

• Expert-level experience with OPNsense, specifically focused on development and integration. You must demonstrate experience using the OPNsense API (REST) to programmatically develop, extend, and integrate it into a new software stack.
• Strong software development skills with proficiency in Java or Go. You should be comfortable designing and building microservices, APIs, and complex backend systems.
• Advanced scripting and automation skills using Python or Bash for rapid prototyping, testing, and building development tools.
• Deep, architectural understanding of IDS/IPS engines (Suricata/Snort) and Proxy/Cache systems (Squid), with experience integrating them as components in a larger system.

Foundational Knowledge

• Deep understanding of firewall architecture, including packet flow, state management, and data plane vs. control plane separation.
• Strong command of TCP/IP, routing (OSPF, BGP), switching (VLANs), and VPN technologies (IPsec, SSL VPN).
• Proficiency with packet analysis tools (Wireshark, tcpdump) for debugging complex issues at the protocol level during the development cycle.
• A mindset geared towards innovation, experimentation, and solving problems from first principles.