Load Balancer / WAF Engineer - North Central region

General Description

We are looking for a skilled Load Balancer / WAF Engineer to support our Network Security & PKI Practice in deploying and managing cloud based DDoS protection, Web Application Firewall, and application delivery solutions for our enterprise and managed service clients. This role will engage in the development of secure, resilient, high performing traffic delivery architectures while providing “Wow Them” service to clients and/or internal customers or co-workers.

The Load Balancer / WAF Engineer will be required to demonstrate strong troubleshooting, communication, and documentation skills, lead by influence, and strong business/financial acumen to drive the use of progressive edge and application security programs that will align the delivery with business objectives and priorities.

About the Network Security & PKI Practice - North Central region

The Network Security & PKI Practice is responsible for designing, deploying, and operating the network security and encryption technologies that protect our clients’ environments. We deliver firewall, secure connectivity, segmentation, and public key infrastructure solutions across the organization and for our managed service and consulting clients.

Our team of network security engineers, consultants, and architects focuses on edge security, web application firewalls, DDoS mitigation, load balancing, and application delivery across leading cloud and on-premises platforms. We partner with application, DevOps, and infrastructure teams to ensure secure and resilient traffic flow to internet facing assets.

Current initiatives and areas of focus include:

• Delivering cloud WAF and DDoS mitigation services for enterprise clients
• Migrating on-premises application delivery platforms to modern cloud edge equivalents
• Strengthening API security, bot mitigation, and application-layer protection

Roles and Responsibilities:

• Design, deploy, and manage cloud based security platforms, including WAF, DDoS mitigation, bot protection, and CDN configuration (Cloudflare, Akamai, etc.).
• Build and manage custom rules (page rules, rate limits, transform rules, iRules) to enforce security policies and traffic optimization.
• Work closely with application, DevOps, and infrastructure teams to ensure secure and resilient traffic flow to internet facing assets.
• Optimize configurations for latency, performance, and availability, including global traffic routing, failover, and load balancing.
• Support incident response efforts involving DDoS events or WAF bypass attempts.
• Document configurations and provide operational runbooks for client handoffs or internal support teams.
• Conduct WAF and edge security assessments to identify improvements or misconfigurations.
• Assist in migration from or integration with on-premises platforms such as F5, including custom logic translation to cloud WAF equivalents.
• Stay up to date on evolving threat actor behaviors, industry DDoS tactics, and mitigation techniques.

Required Experience and Education:

• 2 to 4 years of experience managing cloud WAF/DDoS platforms in enterprise environments.
• Deep familiarity with Cloudflare and/or Akamai edge protection services.
• Experience building custom page rules, rate limiting policies, or traffic filtering logic.
• Strong knowledge of core networking concepts (TCP/IP, DNS, HTTP/S, load balancing, NAT, routing).
• Hands-on experience with on-premises application delivery controllers such as F5 BIG-IP, especially iRules, SSL offloading, and WAF modules.
• Strong troubleshooting skills across application-layer traffic and network-layer protection.
• Embraces emerging technologies, including AI tools, to work smarter, solve problems, and drive better business outcomes.

Preferred Experience and Education

• Familiarity with cloud platforms (AWS/GCP/Azure) and edge integration patterns (e.g., using Cloudflare with AWS ALB).
• Experience automating WAF/DNS/DDoS configurations via API or Terraform.
• Certifications related to Cloudflare, Akamai, F5, or network security (e.g., F5 CTS, Cloudflare Zero Trust).
• Experience with API security protections, client fingerprinting, and bot mitigation strategies.
• Experience working in consulting, MSP, or client-facing roles.

Travel Requirements:

• Up to 25% travel

Physical Requirements:

• Sedentary work
• Substantial movement of the wrists, hands, and/or fingers for a minimum of 8 hours a day
• Required to have close visual acuity to view computer terminal and/or extensive reading for a minimum of 8 hours a day

Why GuidePoint?

• Remote workforce primarily (U.S. based only, some travel may be required for certain positions, working on-site may be required for Federal positions)
• Group Medical Insurance options: Zero Deductible PPO Plan (GuidePoint pays 90% of the premium for employees and 70% for family plans (spouse/children/family) or High Deductible Health Plan with HSA (GuidePoint pays 100% of the employees premiums and 75% for family plans (spouse/children/family). If you choose the High Deductible / HSA plan, GPS will contribute in 4 equal quarterly installments: ($850 per EE annually / $1750 per family annually (includes spouse/children/family options)
• Group Dental Insurance: GuidePoint pays 100% of the premium for employees and 75% of family plans
• 12 corporate holidays and a Flexible Time Off (FTO) program
• Healthy mobile phone and home internet allowance
• Eligibility for retirement plan after 2 months at open enrollment
• Pet Benefit Option