Network Reliability Engineer

About Proton Join Proton and build a better internet where privacy is the default Proton was founded in 2014 by scientists from CERN on a simple truth: privacy is a fundamental human right . Since then, we’ve built the world’s largest encrypted email service (Proton Mail) and expanded into Proton VPN, Proton Drive, Proton Pass, and Proton Calendar—tools used by millions globally to protect their freedom, fight censorship, and keep their data safe. In some situations, Proton has literally helped save lives! We are profitable, independent (no VC control), and selectively hire from the top ~1% of applicants. Our 700+ team members across 50+ countries come from leading organizations and elite academic backgrounds. We move fast, keep hierarchy light, and prioritize impact over optics. If you want to do meaningful work with exceptionally high-caliber people, this is it. Join us and do work you can truly be proud of. Check our open-source projects here ! The Network Infrastructure Team Proton's network infrastructure is the foundation everything else runs on — and we treat it as software. We follow the Network Reliability Engineer (NRE) model: continuous observation, rapid capacity adaptation, and relentless automation so that network capabilities are delivered as APIs, not tickets. In 2024 we executed a full brownfield DC fabric migration to a new vendor stack in pursuit of better automation and reliability. We've since invested heavily in telemetry, shipped upstream improvements to community tooling, and now operate the majority of our network infrastructure through Kubernetes controllers and internally built workflows. This is not a team that waits for vendor roadmaps. If you've wanted to build truly next-generation networking — and are comfortable doing hard things — this is the place. Tech Stack and Tools • Protocols: BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, EVPN VXLAN, TCP/IP • Hardware: Nokia, Juniper (hardware-agnostic, protocol-first approach) • Automation / Coding: Python, Go, Rust • Infrastructure: Kubernetes (controllers), Terraform, Git, Linux • Telemetry: gNMIc, sFlow, BMP, Prometheus, Alertmanager, Grafana What You'll Do • Own the reliability and performance of Proton's network infrastructure — monitor, troubleshoot, and implement protocol-level optimizations to maximize uptime across the global fleet • Deploy and maintain network security controls — firewalls, IDS/IPS, ACLs — without relying on vendor-specific shortcuts; ensure they meet Proton's strict privacy and security standards • Build and improve automation tooling in Python, Go, or Rust to reduce manual operations and expose network capabilities as self-service APIs • Lead or contribute to network upgrades and migrations — including DC fabric changes — with minimal disruption and strict adherence to protocol best practices • Operate and extend our telemetry pipelines and Kubernetes-based network controllers; contribute upstream when our work benefits the community • Participate in an on-call rotation, respond to high-severity incidents, and drive post-mortems through to corrective action Who You Are • 5+ years of hands-on experience implementing and operating enterprise-scale networks in production • Deep, practical knowledge of BGP, OSPF, IS-IS, EVPN VXLAN, and TCP/IP — you reason from the protocol, not the vendor UI • Experience configuring network security controls (firewalls, IDS/IPS, ACLs) without dependence on proprietary features • Able to script confidently in Python, Go, Rust, or equivalent to automate monitoring and configuration workflows • Solid Linux and DevOps fundamentals: comfortable at the CLI, with Terraform, and with Git-based workflows • Hardware-agnostic mindset — you've worked across multiple vendors and know that the protocol stack is what